Not many people are aware that the bumblebee is as important as the honey bee for pollination of crops.

Says Robin Blake from the University of Reading – “…. there’s been an awful lot of press coverage about the decline of the honey bee and the associated losses for that. But in actual fact the bumblebee is responsible for the pollination of probably quite a few more crops and is far more important than I think a lot of people think.”

In this Planet Earth Podcast, listen to a detailed discussion on actions taken by UK farmers to protect the UK’s declining populations of bumblebees, butterflies and other pollinating insects.

You will also get to hear how scientists go about the task of figuring out the many types of microbes that exist on Earth and why they all matter. Also you will find out why birds are amazing in more ways than humans have realized so far.

If podcasts are not your cup of tea, then read through the full text transcript.