Bees play an important role in the earth’s ecosystem. Without them, it would have a catastrophic impact on the environment and global food supplies.

People have taken action to protect bees in their own homes, with searches for ‘bee-friendly plants’ increasing a huge 456% since April 2021¹. And governments around the world are also taking action, but who is leading the way in bee conservation efforts?

The botanical alchemy specialists, Three Spirit Drinks, have revealed the top ten bee-friendliest cities worldwide, by looking at the amount of green space, species of pollinators, air pollution, average temperature and drought.

Johannesburg claims the top spot, despite the increasing cases of criminal activity surrounding honey in the area². The world’s bee-friendliest city boasts 24% of green space, 917 species of pollinators and average temperatures of 26 degrees celsius, providing excellent conditions for bees to inhabit.

London also made the list, ranking ninth, following the introduction of a 7-mile bee corridor³, home to wildflowers, in an effort to boost pollinating insects in the area. However, London isn’t the only city making changes to its environment. Los Angeles, which ranked eighth, has created bee-safe zones throughout the city, in which pollinating species can find food, water and shelter in the city. Meanwhile, Paris, the sixth bee-friendliest city in the world, banned all bee-killing pesticides.

Despite not making the top ten, Amsterdam has taken huge steps towards making their city more bee-friendly. In fact, since 2000, the Dutch capital has increased the diversity of wild and honey bee’s by 45%⁴ as a result of creating bee-friendly environments such as the installation of insect hotels and a ban on chemical pesticides on public land.

Geyan Surendran, Lead Researcher at Three Spirit Drinks comments, “It is great to see that major cities are taking steps towards creating more bee-friendly landscapes, and in turn, creating more diverse, colourful and eco-friendly urban spaces.

“It’s interesting to see that cities like Amderstam, who are taking steps in their efforts, failed to make the top ten. However, it shows that there is always more work to be done to protect the bees.

“But it’s not just in the hands of our major cities. We hope this research inspires you to create more bee-friendly spaces in your home. Whether you have an abundance of outdoor space or not, there are plenty of ways you can help your city.”