HARPENDEN Gardeners who neglect their lawns and flower beds could be helping to preserve the British bumblebee, research suggests.

The National Bumblebee Nest Survey found that bees, which are essential for the pollination of crops and wild plants, prefer long grass and sprouting weeds to neat lawns.

Juliet Osborne, from Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, who led the study, said: “Bumblebees are happier in gardens that are not perfectly tended. If you can leave some of the grass uncut, and a few areas looking slightly untidy, that’s what they love.”

There are about 20 different species of bumblebee in Britain. While some species are doing well, populations of others have declined rapidly in the last 50 years. The National Bumblebee Nest Survey was conducted to gather information that might help to protect them. More than 700 volunteers made records of different nesting sites.

Dr Osborne said: “If you’ve got different grass areas, flower beds, compost heaps and hedges, there’s a vast variety of habitats for bumblebees. I think people should encourage bumblebees to visit their gardens, and it’s easy to do.”

Her research appears in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

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