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| Public urged to use smartphone app to aid bee scientists | Public urged to use smartphone app to aid bee scientists |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Members of the public are being urged to photograph bees and send the data to scientists via a new smartphone app as part of a national drive to help protect pollinating insects. | Members of the public are being urged to photograph bees and send the data to scientists via a new smartphone app as part of a national drive to help protect pollinating insects. |
| The citizen science project is backed by supermarket chain Waitrose, which has worked with environment charity Earthwatch to develop the free app, through which smartphone users can help collect data about the bees, beetles, hoverflies and other pollinating insects in their gardens and which plants they prefer to visit the most. | The citizen science project is backed by supermarket chain Waitrose, which has worked with environment charity Earthwatch to develop the free app, through which smartphone users can help collect data about the bees, beetles, hoverflies and other pollinating insects in their gardens and which plants they prefer to visit the most. |
| The data will be fed in to a University of Sussex research project – funded by the crown estate – which aims to create a more detailed national picture on pollinator activity and help secure a future for bees by understanding better the plants and flowers that encourage them into our gardens. | The data will be fed in to a University of Sussex research project – funded by the crown estate – which aims to create a more detailed national picture on pollinator activity and help secure a future for bees by understanding better the plants and flowers that encourage them into our gardens. |
| It will be analysed by the University's Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects (LASI) – the largest research group in the UK studying honey bees and other social insects. | It will be analysed by the University's Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects (LASI) – the largest research group in the UK studying honey bees and other social insects. |
| The first phase of the project has been timed to coincide with the UK flowering season which, after a cold start, is finally underway. | The first phase of the project has been timed to coincide with the UK flowering season which, after a cold start, is finally underway. |
| The app has been developed by Earthwatch, which has been developing global science research projects for over 40 years. It can be downloaded for Android and iOS devices from Thursday. The app, called Bee-Friend Your Garden, does not require any wildlife knowledge and it is hoped it will generate hundreds of thousands of pollinator observations through the summer. | |
| Pollinating insects such as bees, birds, butterflies and moths are increasingly under threat, but vital for food production. | Pollinating insects such as bees, birds, butterflies and moths are increasingly under threat, but vital for food production. |
| One of every three bites of food comes from plants pollinated by honeybees and other pollinators. | One of every three bites of food comes from plants pollinated by honeybees and other pollinators. |
| David Croft, Waitrose director of quality and technical, said: "We had a strong and positive reaction to our decision to stop using three types of neonicotinoid pesticides this year. Through this app we're aiming to further influence this important issue' | |
| Rival supermarket Sainsbury's is also attempting to try to reverse the decline of pollinating bees - and so-called 'solitary' or mason bees in particular - by installing 'bee hotels' at its stores alongside nectar-rich plants, flowers and herbs. It now has bee hotels installed at 109 stores. | |
| Simon Barnes of Earthwatch added: "Citizen science is a powerful tool as data is collected on a large scale. Once we understand more about bee-friendly plants in people's gardens we can look at how to optimise that number, which will ease some of the pressure on pollinators. " | Simon Barnes of Earthwatch added: "Citizen science is a powerful tool as data is collected on a large scale. Once we understand more about bee-friendly plants in people's gardens we can look at how to optimise that number, which will ease some of the pressure on pollinators. " |