I CAN fully understand the reasons why people are so captivated by bees. They are amazing creatures.

Their collective intelligence and the way in which they organise themselves, build such intricate colonies and create and store delicious honey is truly amazing.

You’ve no doubt heard that if bees go down, we go down with them. They pollinate an enormous amount of the food that we eat. It’s estimated that insect (not just bee) pollination is valued at around £400 million due to increases in yield and quality of seeds and fruit.

I have a hive here in Warndon Villages, Worcester. These busy bees need lots of plants to forage on so that they can feed their young and lay up supplies of delicious honey for the winter.

In Worcester we are richly blessed with an abundance of beautiful green public green spaces and private gardens. These areas are of great value to pollinators including honeybees. It comes as a surprise to many to learn that bees often flourish in urban areas and do less well in the countryside.

We can do even more than we are already doing to help bees and other pollinators by creating or improving the habitat to help bees and other pollinators.

Here are five simple actions we can take:

1. Grow more nectar and pollen-rich flowers, shrubs and trees

2. Leave patches of land to grow wild

3. Cut grass less often

4. Avoid disturbing or destroying nesting or hibernating insects

5. Think carefully about whether to use pesticides

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Bees sort of have knees. They have segmented legs with joints between each segment. One of those could be considered a knee!