We think of them as thriving in wildflower meadows and rolling fields . But new research suggests Britain ’ s bees are happier near towns and cities . A study of wildlife sites across four English counties has found that most are home to fewer species of bee today than they were in the past . It found that the expansion of farmland has actually been more damaging to Britain ’ s bee population than the concreting over of the countryside for housing . A Reading University researcher has said that bees prefer cities to fields ( honey bees in Paris shown ) . The expansion of farmland has actually been damaging to bee population , according to the researcher . Wildlife sites in four English counties saw bee species decrease . For instance , heaths and meadows near Milton Keynes now boast more species of bee than sites in more rural areas . Reading University researcher Dr Deepa Senapathi believes intensive agriculture is to blame . Climate change could be disrupting the relationship between bees and plants . That 's according to a study that said warmer springs can change the life cycles of bees , which can throw them out of sync with the plants they pollinate . The research is the first clear example of the potential for climate change to disrupt such critical relationships between species . The study , Potential Disruption of Pollination in a Sexually Deceptive Orchid by Climate Change , was carried out by the University of East Anglia ( UEA ) and was published in the journal Current Biology . While the gardens , parks and churchyards of towns and cities provide bees with a variety of plants to forage on and an extended flowering season , popular crops such as oilseed rape only bloom for a few weeks . She said : ‘ While concreting over the countryside may appear to be bad news for nature , we ’ ve found that progressive urbanisation may be much less damaging than intensive agriculture . ‘ Urban areas may benefit bees more than farmland by providing a wide variety of flowering plants , providing a cosmopolitan menu for insects from spring through to autumn . ‘ Over the past century rural landscapes in Britain have become increasingly dominated by large expanses of monoculture - the growing of a single type of plant , which has helped boost crop production . ‘ But without a mixture of habitat and food sources , rural areas can sometimes be little better than green deserts for biodiversity . ' Scientists around the country are trying to work out why populations of bees and other insects are plummeting . Pesticides , climate change and disease may , like intensive farming , be playing a role . The latest research is published in the Royal Society journal Proceedings B. Dr Deepa Senapathi believes intensive agriculture is to blame . While the gardens , parks and churchyards of towns and cities provide bees with a variety of plants to forage on and an extended flowering season , popular crops such as oilseed rape only bloom for a few weeks ( stock image of honey bee shown )
Reading University researcher says bees prefer cities to fields . Expansion of farmland has actually been damaging to bee population . Wildlife sites in four English counties saw bee species decrease . Reason is likely due to wide variety of flowering plants in urban areas .