City residents can help wild bees by planting regionally native flowers that bloom across the season, avoiding pesticides, and protecting places to nest and overwinter. Urbanisation can remove and fragment habitat, but its effects are not the same everywhere: some city landscapes support substantial bee diversity, while natural areas remain especially valuable. Evidence cited here does not establish one global decline caused jointly by climate change, pollution and urbanisation.
What is happening to bees in cities?
Urbanisation can replace or divide natural habitat, reducing food and nesting opportunities. Yet cities are not uniformly poor habitat: gardens, parks and other green spaces can offer flowers and nesting sites, and some studies find cities compare favorably with agricultural or rural landscapes on certain measures. Outcomes depend on the habitat, the scale considered and which bees are counted.
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A 2024 scoping review of 276 articles concluded that natural areas are particularly valuable for bee biodiversity, while recommending that urban planning connect natural and urban areas, increase green space, and promote abundant, varied flowers. A 2023 meta-analysis of 133 studies found widespread negative urbanisation impacts on pollinator richness and abundance, but responses varied by traits; findings about pollination services were not uniformly negative. These results describe different measures and do not mean every city or bee species responds alike. The 2024 scoping review and the 2023 meta-analysis provide details.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchClimate change and pesticides are recognized pressures on pollinators, but the sources cited here do not quantify climate change’s independent contribution to urban bee population change or establish a single worldwide decline attributable to climate change, pollution and urbanisation together. Nor should losses in managed honeybee colonies be treated as a measure of trends in wild native bees.
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How can I help bees in the city?
Prioritise food and habitat for wild bees. Toronto’s native-pollinator guidance calls planting native plants the easiest and most effective way to help native pollinators. Choose plants suited to your region and site, and aim for flowers from early through late in the growing season rather than a brief burst of bloom.
Plant a long-lasting, locally appropriate food supply
- Choose regionally native plants, preferably locally grown, that provide pollen and nectar. Local climate, soil, sunlight and water conditions affect what will thrive.
- Plan for a succession of flowers across the season. A diverse mix helps provide resources at different times, rather than relying on one flowering period.
- Use municipal or regional plant guidance. Toronto’s species recommendations are not universal; a plant suitable there may not suit another region.
Keep nesting and overwintering places
- Where conditions allow, leave some bare, undisturbed soil. Many wild bees nest in the ground.
- Retain some hollow or pithy stems through winter where safe and practical; they can provide nesting or overwintering habitat.
- Avoid tidying every corner of a garden if doing so removes all potential nesting and shelter sites.
Reduce hazards and provide water
- Avoid chemical pesticides. They can expose bees to harmful substances, including when applied to flowering plants.
- A shallow dish with stones partly submerged gives bees places to land while accessing water. Refresh it as needed.
The European Commission’s environment directorate says private gardens and balconies can serve as refuges for pollinators and other insects. A container planting can contribute, but small gardens and balconies are one part of a wider network: preserving natural areas, connecting green spaces and increasing their area matter too. The Commission’s 20 April 2026 guidance and Toronto’s wild-bee guidance offer practical advice.
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Do bee hotels help wild bees?
Bee hotels are optional, not a substitute for flowers or natural nesting habitat. The 2024 scoping review found the evidence on bee housing too limited for systematic conclusions. A hotel may suit some cavity-nesting species, but it will not serve all wild bees, many of which nest in soil. If you use one, treat it as a targeted addition and follow reliable local advice on suitable design and maintenance rather than assuming it is a general solution.
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Not as a universal conservation measure. Managed honeybees are different from wild native bees, and more hives do not automatically mean better conditions for native species. Toronto’s Pollinator Protection Strategy cautions that honeybee hives may compete with native bees for resources or spread parasites and disease. For most residents focused on wild bees, habitat and pesticide reduction are more broadly applicable actions. Toronto’s Pollinator Protection Strategy discusses these concerns.
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How can I choose the most useful action for my space?
Assess a garden, balcony or community project by the habitat it provides, not just whether it looks pollinator-friendly. A locally suitable planting with flowers across the season and low pesticide exposure is more useful when it is complemented by nesting places and connected green space nearby. A seed mix can be convenient, but check that its species are appropriate for your region and growing conditions rather than buying a generic mix on the assumption it will help everywhere.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the available figures do—and do not—tell us
A 2024 study of 286 online survey responses from residents with gardens or balconies in Woking, England, found that 98.3% reported at least one bee-friendly intervention and 75.9% reported planting pollinator-friendly plants; 94.8% reported positive feelings about bees. The survey was distributed in 2023 and describes respondents in one English town, not all city residents or a measured change in bee populations. The study examines barriers and opportunities for wild-bee conservation in gardens.
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Toronto’s strategy page reports more than 360 native bee species in Toronto. That is a city-specific figure, not an estimate for other cities. Taken together, these sources support practical habitat actions, but they do not provide a globally comparable estimate linking urban bee population change to climate change, pollution and urbanisation as a combined cause.
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