Bee identity shocker
25 October 2012

Only 12% of UK adults can correctly identify a honey bee, finds a new survey by Ipsos MORI for Friends of the Earth.

People were asked to spot the bee in a line-up of seven common insects, including wasps, hornets and hoverflies.

But most people chose the wrong insect and a quarter were convinced there were no bees in the line-up at all.

People in North West England did worst, closely followed by London and the North East. People in Scotland were the most accurate with 17% getting the right answer.

But it's not all bad news

While people couldn't spot the honey bee, the vast majority of those with a garden or window box said they were likely to plant bee-friendly flowers next year.

Even more said they wanted to learn about our buzzy little friends.

And you can help too

As well as planting bee-friendly flowers, the UK needs a National Bee Action Plan to help tackle all causes of bee decline.

Please sign our petition today and make sure bees get what they need to thrive.

Thank you.

honey bee

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