Bees are under threat from habitat loss and lack of suitable flowers. Biologists from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) want to tap into any green space the public might have access to such as a garden, roof terrace or window sill, and encourage Londoners to plant flowers which are rich in nectar and pollen, like English lavender, viper’s blugloss, or spiked speedwell.

A new website launched as part of the London Pollinator Project will help the public learn which flowers are most beneficial for bees and the best gardening methods to improve their chances of spotting a busy bee carrying a QMUL identification tag.

Five hundred bees have already been released, to followed by several hundred more each week over the coming month as bee colonies mature.

To encourage residents to participate, prizes of £100 gift vouchers will be awarded for the best photo of a QMUL-tagged bee on a flower, for the highest number of QMUL-tagged bees spotted and for the best photo of a London bee-friendly garden (as judged by the research panel).