This bumble bee feeding from a Foxglove flower was spotted by an Inis Ecologist while carrying out fieldwork in north County Cork.
Wild pollinators not only play a very important role in both the healthy functioning of ecosystems but also have huge economic importance for our agricultural crops. Without the services of these insects which include bees, hoverflies and butterflies (to name just a few) we would be without much of the fruit we eat.
Bees are the main pollinators of crops in Ireland, and a study from the Department of the Environment found that bees contribute 53 million euro a year to the Irish economy!
