Pollinators - resources

We have a wide range of resources to help you learn more about why we have a Pollinator Strategy, what we intend to achieve and how you can help us to help pollinators. Our aim is to make Scotland a pollinator-friendly success story.

Pollinator videos

We have a variety of short films looking at various pollinator projects and species. You can find these in our Biodiversity playlist on our YouTube channel.

Pollinator species

Pollinating insects are fascinating creatures. There are many organisations devoted to celebrating and conserving individual species, and who can help you to identify them. 

• Our own Wild bees of Scotland: Identification guide provides an identification key to 14 of the most common and fairly distinctive species of solitary bees known in Scotland. The Wildlife Trusts have also produced an excellent Guide to Solitary Bees.
• Try the Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society (BWARS) for information sheets on bee species and gardening for bees.
• For butterflies you may enjoy our content on butterflies and moths, or the Butterfly Conservation Scotland identification guides and information on species and habitats.
• UKmoths provides a picture guide to the moths of GB and Ireland which is a really handy tool.
• Our own Wasps and hoverflies leaflet gives a short introduction to these fascinating insects and All about Hoverflies expands on the biology and ecology of these pollinators.

Making space for pollinators

There are a range of guides to help with managing your outdoor space to be pollinator-friendly. 

• Our Pollinators in Planning and Construction guide on how to embed pollinator-friendly practice in the planning and construction industry is a really helpful steer for all those involved in developments.
• The Planting for Pollinators leaflet can help you plan your garden for pollinating insects.
• Our Helping Pollinators leaflet gives tips and ideas to make your space more pollinator-friendly.
• The All Ireland Pollinator Plan has a lot of resources in the form of 'how to' guides, signage templates and guidelines for different user groups.
• The Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) has a  practical guide on Habitat Creation and Management for Pollinators.
• The Bumblebee Conservation Trust have great Pollinator Advisory Sheets on agriculture, gardens, industrial sites and green space, transport corridors, urban environment and woodlands.
• If you are managing a patch of land for pollinators by allowing the grass to grow, you might want to let people know why you are doing it. Our downloadable sign is free and will explain that you are managing an area for wildlife rather than letting it become ‘scruffy’.
• Wildflower meadow creation of perennial and biennial Scottish wildflower seeds. Advice for creating and sowing a wildflower patch.

Pollinators in farming

There are various leaflets and guides covering good practice to help pollinating insects on farmland.

• Friends of the Earth Farming for Bees
• Farm Advisory Service pollinator guides
• TN639: Management for bumblebees - how farmers can bring back the buzz

Pollination for young readers

We have resources which help explain the story of pollination and pollinators. These are suitable for printing as classroom posters and activity sheets.

• Beinn Eighe Poster 1 - Helping our pollinators
• Beinn Eighe Poster 2 - Pollinators and pollination

• Children’s activity sheets and posters - bees, moths and wasps

Partnership working

Delivering Scotland’s Pollinator Strategy is a partnership between many bodies. To find out more about the work of our many partners please visit the web pages of:

• Buglife Scotland
• Butterfly Conservation Scotland
• Bumblebee Conservation Trust
• Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme)

Read our latest Pollinator Strategy for Scotland - 2021 Progress Report.