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Insects as communities

Red-tailed bumblebee by Jon Hawkins - Surrey Hills Photography

Nick shines a light on insects as communities and what we can do to help them thrive.
Two raised patches of earth from solitary mining bee nests

Solitary mining bee nests by Wendy Carter

It's spring and hopefully you've noticed the buzzing of bees and fluttering of butterflies; many of our insects are suddenly active. 

Wildlife like bees, ants, wasps and some beetles find benefits from forming communities, either with one large nest or near others of the same species. Insects often do this for division of labour when rearing young - many hands (or wings in this instance!) make light work. 

You're probably familiar with the colonies of bumblebees, where the workers pull together to grow the colony. Solitary bees, as their name suggests, nest alone but they often do so near hundreds of other solitary bees. Nesting in large groups increases their chances of survival; it's much harder for a parasite to target 'your' nest when there are so many others to choose from. In addition, areas with lots of bee activity might be just that bit more intimidating to predators.

Ants are famous for nesting in large communities and use complex hormones to communicate and work together to create amazing underground tunnel structures. They forage in large numbers for food or nest material that they are unable to collect as individuals. 

Insects have survived for millions of years nesting in, and working as, communities but now they need our help. Habitat is being lost and 41% of our insects are at risk of extinction. Whether it's development, pesticides or too much tidiness (too frequent mowing, for example, prevents plants like dandelions supporting pollinator communities), insects are finding it harder to find food, shelter and places to raise the next generation.

There are ways that you can help our insect communities and you can find more inspiration on our Action for Insects web pages. This national campaign helps to put insects back on the map and in the minds of those that can create and manage spaces for nature. Here are some actions that your community can take together: 

  • Create a community garden and plant pollinator-friendly plants, leave some grass to grow long (where dandelions and buttercups can thrive) and include log piles where beetles and ants can shelter. Worcester Community Garden is a great example of this.
  • As a group of residents, why not ask your parish council or local authority to support more areas where grass and wildflowers can be left to grow wild. Worcester Environmental Group have done just this and have promoted a new walk in collaboration with Worcester City Council. The Wild About Worcester Way is full of habitats to support wildlife across the city and a great way of helping you to connect with nature.
  • The Brockhill Wildlife Project is an amazing effort run by the local community to create areas for pollinating insects by planting lots of different plant and fruit trees. The group have been working in collaboration with both Redditch Borough Council and Worcestershire County Council.  
Narrow-headed ants

Narrow-headed ants ©John Walters

Insects gather in communities for the same reasons we do: for safety, to share resources and to contribute to the greater good. By supporting these insects - which provide us with everything from pollinating our fruits and vegetables to composting - we can all play a part in helping them thrive. If you’re already taking action, consider adding your efforts to our community map to inspire others to do the same.

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