WATCHING a gardener at the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall hand-pollinating peaches was both timely and poignant.

It may have been a television programme and the peach tree in question was in a large greenhouse, but it also posed the question, could this be the future?

Bees, whether they are honey bees, bumble bees or solitary bees, are free and natural pollinators of many valuable crops and flowers including fruit trees, and thus have a huge role to play in the natural ecosystem.

But bees are facing many problems and they are declining in numbers. Research into their decline is current, urgent and ongoing on both sides of the Atlantic, bearing in mind the effect this could have on agriculture as well as gardeners. But there has been one important link that scientists which was published in a landmark study in the journal Science at the end of March. Pesticides containing neonicotinoids have been implicated in the decline of bees. Bearing in mind that these neonicotinoids are a derivative of nicotine, you can imagine the potential harm to insects.

This may seem a rather “heavy” subject for the green living page of the Journal but it is something that gardeners can help with. If you feel you have to use pesticides on your plants (and I am no advocate), read the label and find out what is in it. If they contain neonicotinoids, then the pesticide should be avoided. These products are out in the public domain and they may have names such as “bug” killers but they target all insects. And gardeners can also help by planting nectar rich plants and wild flowers to attract bees.

Organisations such as Friends of the Earth and the Soil Association are currently lobbying the government regarding the use of these pesticides and Friends of the Earth has launched a campaign, The Bee Cause, with further details on its website at foe.co.uk/bees.