The UK is home to roughly 270 bee species — one honeybee and hundreds of wild bumblebees and solitary bees — that together pollinate crops and wildflowers far beyond what managed honeybees can do alone. This 3D meadow models a simplified patch of countryside where wildflower cover, pesticide exposure, wild bee diversity and the season all interact to determine how much pollination actually happens.
Around a third of UK wild bee and hoverfly species have declined in distribution since 1980, driven mainly by habitat loss and agricultural intensification — while roughly three-quarters of the world's flowering plants and around a third of global food crops depend at least partly on animal pollinators.
A 3D meadow where wildflower habitat cover, pesticide exposure, wild bee diversity and season interact to determine how much real pollination actually happens.
Shrinking wildflower habitat, higher pesticide exposure and lower species diversity all independently reduce the pollination rate — showing why the UK's ~270 wild bee species, not just managed honeybees, matter for a resilient pollination network.
Set habitat cover, pesticide exposure, wild bee diversity and season, then watch bees forage across the meadow. The live pollination rate, bee population and bloom count respond directly to your settings.
Around a third of UK wild bee and hoverfly species have declined in distribution since 1980, and roughly three-quarters of the world's flowering plants depend at least partly on animal pollinators.