How to increase wild pollinators on your farm

The loss of traditionally managed flower-rich habitats, such as hay meadows, species-rich grasslands, and hedgerows, is a primary driver of wild pollinator declines. Scotland's farming systems shape our countryside and have great potential to help provide resources for economically important pollinators. To help increase important resources for pollinators on farmland:

• Provide a variety of flowering plants to ensure a continuous supply of pollen and nectar throughout the pollinator activity period: typically March to September in Scotland.
• Leave areas of rough, tussocky grass to provide bumblebee nesting sites and overwintering sites for a range of species.
• Create South or South-east facing banks of bare ground to provide nesting opportunities for ground-nesting mining bees.
• Provide nesting opportunities for cavity-nesting bees for example drystone dykes, woodland edges and old plant stems.
• Provide decaying matter (e.g. rotting wood, dung, and stagnant water) as habitat for hoverfly larvae that feed on decaying organic matter.
• Adopt an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) regime to better target the application of agro-chemicals.