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I'm going to say something here as a #beekeeper about #savethebees. Spoiler: I am not doing "noble" work to save the planet, but here's how you can help right now. A THREAD.
1: becoming a beekeeper is NOT a biodiversity action. The bees that need help are wild bees, NOT honeybees. In fact, if there are too many honeybees, the wild bees will be in trouble. Then the earth is in trouble.
2: However, keeping #honeybees is still extremely important but it's not the whole picture. Please train as much as possible & don't do it on a whim. Badly managed hives can spread diseases from honeybees to wild bees and then, politely speaking, we're fucked.
So what can you do to #savethebees yourself? It's easy. Please everyone, stop believing that there's nothing you can do because the power is with the people. Plant willow to flower in early spring. Plant lavender and comfrey. Let the hedgerows grow. Stop mowing your lawn so much.
Plants that bees love include = dandelions, brambles, lavender, clover, comfrey. Plant them or let them grow wildly, and love them, because this is what we need to be doing to #savethebees.
On cultivating a meadow by not mowing your lawn: it doesn't have to look amazing to humans in order to be good for pollinators. Honestly, it's the most cost-effective way to #savethebees.
Hanging baskets work too if you're short on space. Plant bidens & bacopa plants: they look great & attract pollinators (not just honeybees). If you're interested in 'greening' urban spaces or 'guerilla gardening': read this: https://theecologist.org/2011/may/04/what-seedbomb
If you're using a bee hotel, let it be a small one & maintain it. Bee hotels aren't a 'set it and forget it' kind of thing. They also need to be near a food source because unlike honeybees, solitary bees don't fly so far to look for food.
Please, please, please if you're not sure what you're doing is right, ask me at least or an actual real ecologist and they can set you right. #savethebees
also, if you're wondering whether you're actually making an impact? In Ireland, at least, check out this resource that counts insects & impact: https://pollinators.ie/record-pollinators/fit-count-progress/ Other countries may have their own initiatives. I need to look more into it. With thanks to the @BioDataCentre
