AHW1: Bumblebird mix

This action’s aim is that there’s an established multi-annual mix of seed-bearing crops and flower species which:

• is growing in blocks or strips
• produces small seeds for farmland birds from late autumn until late winter
• produces areas of pollen and nectar-rich flowering plants during the growing season

The purpose of this is to:

• provide food resources for farmland birds and nectar feeding insects, such as bumble bees, solitary bees, butterflies and hoverflies
• increase biodiversity
• support an integrated pest management approach if located close to cropped areas

What you must do

You must establish a bumblebird mix as a block or strip on land entered into this action.

You must use a seed mix which as a minimum includes both:

• 6 flower species
• 6 seed-bearing crops, with a maximum of 3 cereal crops from barley, oats, rye, triticale and wheat

Once the bumblebird mix block or strip is established, you must maintain it. To do this, you must manage it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

You must not apply pesticides, except for herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat to control injurious weeds, invasive non-native species, or nettles.

You can maintain an existing bumblebird mix block or strip to get paid for this action if it:

• meets this action’s requirements
• is not already being paid for under another environmental land management scheme option, such as Countryside Stewardship option AB16 (autumn sown bumblebird mix)

How to do this action

It’s up to you how you do this action, as long as you:

• follow this action’s requirements – these are identified by a ‘must’
• do the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim

You may find it helpful to read the ‘advice to help you do this action’, but it’s not part of this action’s requirements.

When to do it

static for new and existing bumblebird mix

Advice to help you Published voluntary advice to help you do this action. It is do this action not part of this action’s requirements

Evidence to keep

You must keep evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action, such as:

• field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices, including details of the seed mix used
• photographs or other documentation

If it’s not clear that you’ve done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, we may ask for this evidence. You must supply the evidence if we ask for it.

Other actions or options you can do on the same area as this action You can do the following actions or options on the same area in a land parcel as this action.

Some actions or options can only be done on the same area if they’re done at a different time of year to this action. For example, winter cover followed by a summer companion crop. Read ‘What to do’ and ‘When to do it’ to find out when this action must be done.

Scheme Action or option codes OFC3, OFC4, OFC5, OFM4, OFM5, OFM6, AGF1, AGF2, SFI 2024 actions PRF1, PRF2, CIPM1, CNUM1, CSAM1

SFI 2023 actions IPM1, IPM4, NUM1, SAM1

CS options OR3, OR4, OR5, OT3, OT4, OT5

ES options No ES revenue options

SFI pilot No area-based SFI pilot standards standards

If an action or option cannot be located on the same area, you may be able to do it on a different area in the same land parcel. Read section 6 ‘Eligible land in other funding schemes’ in the SFI scheme information for more details.

You can do the following actions or options on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into this action:

• SFI 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2 and WBD2
• SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3
• CS option BE3 (management of hedgerows)
• the introductory level of the SFI pilot hedgerows standard