The desert of Wales: What our country would look like if bees disappeared

Images have been created of what Wales would look like in a world without bees.

The pictures created by Parkdean of beauty spots in Wales, England, Scotland and Cornwall are intended to draw attention to the insects’ plight.

According to the company “in a world without bees the landscape would become desert-like, with darkened surroundings and the deep blue lake brown and uninviting”.

“Usually bursting with plant life from wild heather to alpine meadow-grass, the landscape would be entirely unrecognisable,” they said.

The overall abundance of pollinators is thought to have declined in the UK since the 1970s. For example, managed honeybee hives declined by 50% between 1985 and 2005,and 67% of common widespread moth species have declined since the 1970s, sccording to the Royal Society for Biology.

A study published in 2019 also looked at trends in 353 wild bees and hoverflies in Scotland, England and Wales over 33 years from 1980. A third of species experienced declines in terms of areas where they were found.

Top tips for saving bees can be found on the Bee Conservancy website.