MSP Claudia Beamish calls for better protection for bees

During a debate in the Scottish Parliament on the worrying decline in pollinator numbers, she raised a number of concerns, including the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, which scientific evidence suggests are harmful to bees.

“This issue is of extreme importance not only to pollinator species themselves but for the farmers who rely on them for crop production,” said Labour MSP Claudia afterwards.

“The EU two-year moratorium on three types of neonicotinoid pesticides was a welcome development, but there are no guarantees that this will still be in place after 2015. It is crucial that the scientific evidence base is further built up, so we are certain of the impact of these pesticides and that the Scottish Government consider a domestic ban.”

But she added that there was a lot that the public could do to improve pollinator numbers – by planting flowers and plants favoured by bees.

“I have planted a native hedgerow and wild flower mixtures in my own garden and have seen many bees and other insects coming to them,” she said.

And she praised the Falls of Clyde at New Lanark and the Upper Nethan Gorge as good examples of projects with a key role in protecting pollinators, allowing bees and butterflies to flourish.