Operation Bumblebee is set to revive the fortunes of the humble bumblebee across the entire UK arable farming area. Over 1000 farmers are now being sought to join the new national scheme, with each committed to establishing at least a hectare of specific Operation Bumblebee seed mix, rich in pollen and nectar food sources especially designed to encourage bumblebees.
One thousand hectares of new Operation Bumblebee habitat will make a hugely significant difference to bumblebee populations. Independent experts have calculated just 1/10th of a hectare of pollen & nectar habitat per 100 hectares of arable land (0.1% of land area) would produce ’a real and sustainable increase in bumblebee numbers’; Operation Bumblebee will achieve this target across more than one million hectares of UK arable cropping.
Operation Bumblebee is the culmination of more than 40 years research by Syngenta Crop Protection into the environmental management of habitats for bumblebees, butterflies, spiders, beetles and other insects. Syngenta has invested £500,000 in Operation Bumblebee and The Buzz Project – a five-year scientific evaluation of environmental habitats that highlighted the pollen & nectar mix as the best practical option for farmers to save the bumblebee.
Speaking at the launch of Operation Bumblebee in Cambridge this week (20 October) Syngenta Operation Bumblebee Manager, Simon Elsworth, reported bumblebee populations on UK arable farms have declined by more than 70% over the past 20 years of changing cropping patterns - primarily through loss of vital nectar food resources and nesting sites.
"One of the 20 species previously found in the UK has disappeared altogether, and three other species are on the verge of extinction," he said. "Operation Bumblebee will put back the necessary habitat and revive the fortunes of the bumblebee, along with butterflies and other beneficial insects that thrive on pollen and nectar."
Operation Bumblebee provides farmers and advisors with the training, skills and Syngenta technical support to successfully establish and manage a specially designed Operation Bumblebee seed mixture, including the traditional flowering red clover, vetches and sanfoin.
Farmers involved with Operation Bumblebee will receive:
• Training at a Centre of Environmental Excellence
• Operation Bumblebee Guide Pack
• Topical in season updates
• Telephone Helpdesk Support
• Web Site
• Field ID guide
• Meetings at key times through the season
• Training video
"Establishing a patchwork of Operation Bumblebee mixtures on areas of unproductive farmland - often along field edges, in difficult to work corners or low yielding soils - provides huge environmental benefit, with little or no effect on farm productivity," according to Mr Elsworth. "In fact, when coupled to points gained for agri-environment scheme payments, the environmental areas can become both biodiversity rich and financially profitable.
"Operation Bumblebee and The Buzz Project have demonstrated that pro-active management of dedicated environmental areas will achieve far greater results for biodiversity than simply deintensifying farm production. When integrated alongside conventional arable areas farmed for profit, Syngenta Operation Bumblebee creates a practical and workable solution," he added.
Rare species safety assured
Mr Elsworth predicts immense interest from farmers looking to join Operation Bumblebee, with growers being selected to create a patchwork of new habitat across the country that will enable the bumblebees to migrate and set up new colonies – to assure the safety of the rarest species.
Entomologist Mike Edwards, one of the UK’s leading authorities on bumblebees and an advisor to the Government’s Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) for bumblebees, welcomes the Syngenta initiative. "Although some bumblebee species thrive in urban gardens, species specific to open farmland have suffered badly through habitat loss. Buzz Project results clearly indicate the provision of even a relatively small oasis of pollen & nectar mix can make a significant impact in increasing bee numbers.
"If you provide a food resource for the summer, along with a safe haven for nesting and hibernation in winter, bumblebees tend to respond very positively and quickly seek out the favourable new locations," according to Mr Edwards. He has calculated that providing just 1/10th of a hectare of Operation Bumblebee margin per square kilometre (100 ha) could provide sufficient habitat to support a real and sustainable increase in numbers.
"The greatest chance of success for bumblebee recovery is to provide a matrix of pollen & nectar patches across a wide arable farming area. Where Operation Bumblebee instigates a coordinated approach, involving lots of local farmers, there is the real chance to make a major difference."
Proven results
Operation Bumblebee builds on the proven results of the Buzz Project, set up in 2001 to scientifically asses the environmental benefits of a range of field margin options under real farm conditions. The flowering legume margins were shown to increase bumblebee and butterfly populations incredibly quickly. In Cambridgeshire numbers of bumblebees foraging on legume margins increased by over 800% within two years, for example - including recordings of the endangered species, Bombus ruderatus.
Geoff Coates, Syngenta agri-environment specialist, highlights the experiences of 40 growers involved in an Operation Bumblebee pilot scheme last year, has shown farmers must actively manage the environmental aspects of the farm like any other crop. Environmental areas will be an integral part of the overall farm cropping.
"It is crucial to plan and site the location of the environmental areas where they will create the maximum benefit for the bumblebees and also where they will fit best with the management of the farm’s arable cropping. Tidying up field corners and the least productive areas alongside hedges and woodlands can be ideal for margins, with little or no loss in farm productivity," he added.
Mr Coates highlights the key Operation Bumblebee benefits as:
• Huge increase in arable bumblebee populations
• Beneficial habitat for other farm biodiversity
• Compliant with agri-environment schemes
• Backed with scientifically proven results
• Integrates with other soil and water management initiatives
• Provides necessary advice and technical support
• Delivers major environmental benefits, with little or no effect on farm output
Geoff Coates added: "Changes to farming support, as well as demands from government and production protocols, means it is essential growers incorporate environmental features with their farming operations. Operation Bumblebee will show growers and the industry how best to deliver these changes as part of a sustainable farming system."
