Urban Biodiversity - Myths vs Facts

Myth: Cities cannot support wildlife

Fact: Many cities support more pollinator species than the surrounding intensively farmed countryside. Research has found that urban areas can outperform arable farmland in species richness and abundance — though they typically support lower diversity than ancient meadows and other semi-natural habitats.

Myth: Honeybees are the only pollinators that matter

Fact: There are hundreds of wild pollinator species in the UK, many of which are more effective pollinators of certain plants than honeybees. Wild species provide essential pollination services for both crops and wild plants.

Myth: Neat gardens are best for nature

Fact: Slightly wild areas — rough grass, leaf litter, bare soil patches, dead wood — provide the food and nesting sites that most pollinators actually need. Excessive tidiness removes the very features that support wildlife.

Myth: Planting any flowers helps pollinators

Fact: Only plants that provide accessible, good-quality nectar and pollen genuinely benefit pollinators. Highly cultivated ornamental varieties with doubled petals often have reduced or physically inaccessible pollen and nectar. Plant choice matters.

Myth: Pollinators only need flowers in summer

Fact: Early spring and late autumn food sources are critical. Bumblebee queens emerging from hibernation in late winter need immediate nectar to survive. Late-season plants like ivy sustain pollinators building energy reserves before winter.

Myth: Bee hotels are all a colony of bees needs

Fact: Bee hotels provide nesting habitat for cavity-nesting solitary bees, but nesting habitat is only one part of what pollinators need. Without diverse, accessible flowers close by, nesting sites have limited value. Flowers and habitat must be considered together.