New Official Statistics on insect pollinators have been published from the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS). The data collected every year shows a mixed picture for pollinators across the survey methods and wide range of insect groups. However, hoverflies declined by around a third in both their abundance and number of species recorded across GB between 2017-2024, signalling possible risks to the health of our ecosystems.
The UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS) monitors the abundance of up to 18 insect groups across three surveys. The hoverflies, a key target group for the scheme, showed the most consistent declines of between 26% to 37% over an 8-year period (2017-2024). Often overlooked, hoverflies are vital pollinators, known to visit at least 52% of global food crops and 70% of animal pollinated wildflowers. Whilst this represents a significant decline for hoverflies, the PoMS results show a mixed picture for other insect groups, with some showing no change and other groups increasing since 2017.
UK PoMS is a citizen science monitoring programme coordinated by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), running since 2017. Whilst still representing a relatively short time series, the new statistics reveal several significant trends in addition to the patterns shown by hoverflies. Total numbers of all insects, and also of bumblebees, declined in two of the three surveys.
In contrast, solitary bees increased in their abundance and number of species sampled in one survey but did not change in the other two. Honeybees, other (non-hoverfly) flies and beetles all increased in the survey covering mostly gardens, suggesting that these could be providing an important refuge for some of our pollinators.
Numbers of many insect groups including bumblebees, solitary bees, hoverflies, social wasps, butterflies and moths and total numbers of all insects on one or more of the PoMS surveys were lower in 2024 than their averages across all previous years. This suggests 2024 was a bad year for many pollinator groups, perhaps due to the extremely wet spring and relatively cool summer.
Dr Claire Carvell, UKCEH pollinator ecologist and lead for the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme said, “The new data on insect numbers from UK PoMS provide a step change in the evidence base on the health of our pollinators. This is especially true for the less conspicuous hoverflies, other flies and smaller bees that provide amazing ecological value yet have largely gone unnoticed except by a handful of expert entomologists. The mix of survey approaches in PoMS means that almost anyone can get involved, engaging up close with plants and pollinators in new ways.”
Steve Wilkinson, Director of Ecosystem Evidence and Advice at JNCC said, “The new statistics on insect pollinators provide a critical addition to JNCC’s broader suite of change metrics. The results emphasise both the value of these schemes in picking up changes that would otherwise go unnoticed, and the importance of the efforts of the hundreds of volunteers that allow us to maintain these metrics. The evidence will be key to informing and assessing policies to improve the health of our pollinators and their habitats.”
UK PoMS is one of JNCC’s 11 schemes that monitor species throughout the UK. These monitoring schemes provide the evidence base that underpins effective conservation action. They are critical to helping us understand how nature is faring and whether policies impacting conservation are being successful. These insights on the impact of policies on species, combined with other monitoring data, will also enable us to project the likely impact of conservation polices and their effectiveness.
Whilst complex in nature, the changes seen across pollinator groups are likely due to a combination of factors including changes in land use, intensive agriculture and climate change. Insect numbers fluctuate annually in response to the weather and can vary according to the number of flowers in the survey area, but the PoMS researchers use statistical models to account for these, and other factors recorded on each survey, to detect longer-term trends.
Rachel Richards, from PoMS partner Buglife said: “It’s deeply concerning, but not surprising, to see such steep declines in the hoverfly and bumblebee populations that we rely on. The PoMS results also demonstrate how important it is that we invest in monitoring populations of these and other insect groups. The good news is that we know what to do about these declines - we need to urgently restore connectivity in and provide pesticide-free, flower-rich feeding and nesting habitats in our gardens, towns, and countryside, including through initiatives such as B-Lines, to support these vital wild pollinators.”
The RHS (also a PoMS partner) recommends five top plants you can grow to help hoverflies. These include Bramble (Rubus fruticosus), Heather (Calluna vulgaris) and Ivy (Hedera helix) – all featuring on the list of target flowers for two of the PoMS surveys.
PoMS is indebted to the many volunteers who carry out surveys and contribute data to the scheme, as well as those who allow access to their land.
Help monitor pollinators
Surveys are carried out between 1 April and 30 September. Find out more about carrying out Flower-Insect Timed Counts (FIT Counts) or getting in involved in the PoMS 1km square survey, or to view live data, visit the PoMS website. The FIT Count app can be downloaded for Android or Apple phones. A new quick guide to the FIT Count is available here. You can also subscribe to the PoMS newsletter.
Read the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS) Annual Report 2025, coordinated by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), including a summary of the Official Statistics and showcasing the impressive contributions of volunteers.
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