Services — London
Knowing which bees visit your building is only half the story. Understanding how that changes over time — and being able to demonstrate it — is what turns a green roof into a measurable biodiversity asset.
Urban Bees conducts regular pollinator surveys on commercial rooftops and green spaces across London, recording the species present, their foraging behaviour, and the nesting activity on site. Every survey produces a clear, accessible report that documents what is there, what has changed, and what could be improved.
Our monitoring service is used by building managers, sustainability teams, and property companies to evidence biodiversity improvement, support ESG reporting, and give tenants a direct connection to the natural life on their building.
Each survey visit results in a written report delivered to you, covering the species recorded, what they were doing, and how the site is performing.
We identify and record every bee and pollinator species present during the survey, including the less visible ground-nesting and cavity-nesting bees most surveyors miss.
We record what each species is doing — foraging, nesting, collecting material — which tells us whether the habitat is being used as food source, nesting site, or both.
A clear, jargon-free report after each survey, with species list, photographs, seasonal context, and recommendations for improvement.
Monitoring across seasons and years builds a picture of biodiversity change — demonstrable improvement that can be used in ESG and sustainability reporting.
Each report includes specific, practical suggestions — plants to add, maintenance changes, nesting habitat to install — that will increase species diversity further.
On request, we produce short, engaging summaries of survey findings suitable for staff newsletters, building updates, or intranet posts.
Pollinator monitoring data from Urban Bees is used by our clients in a range of ways:
ESG reporting — species counts and trend data provide measurable, evidenced biodiversity metrics for annual sustainability reports.
BREEAM assessments — documented biodiversity monitoring supports credits in the Ecology and Land Use category.
Biodiversity Net Gain — monitoring reports provide baseline and improvement data for BNG calculations.
Tenant engagement — reports and species photography give building managers compelling content to share with occupiers.
Habitat improvement — recommendations from each survey directly inform planting and maintenance decisions.
Press and communications — species stories and survey findings make strong material for corporate communications and PR.
I always look forward to Alison's monitoring reports and am continually amazed by the number of different species of tiny solitary bees foraging so high up on a windy rooftop in Central London. It really shows that if you plant the right flowers, the bees will come — even 12 storeys up!
Sarah Fraser, Building Manager, Central St Giles — BloomsburyUrban Bees has transformed two City office rooftops I have managed from grey, dead spaces into colourful bee havens buzzing with life. Once the bee gardens are established, Alison maintains them monthly and monitors the different wild bee visitors. I never knew there could be so many. Our tenants love to hear about which bees have visited.
Hannah Glaser, Commercial Property Manager, Savills — Bow Bells HouseWe visit your site to assess the existing planting, nesting habitat, and conditions, and agree a monitoring schedule appropriate to the size and character of the space.
We conduct timed transect surveys during peak pollinator activity periods — typically monthly from March to October. Each visit takes 30–60 minutes on site.
We identify bees and pollinators to species level wherever possible, using close observation and, where necessary, macro photography. All records are logged with date, species, plant, and behaviour.
Within two weeks of each survey, you receive a written report with species list, photographs, seasonal context, trend comparison with previous visits, and improvement recommendations.
At the end of each season, we produce a summary report covering all surveys that year — the full species list, cumulative trends, standout findings, and priorities for the following year.
We carry out regular pollinator monitoring at commercial buildings across London, including:
Monitoring works best when combined with ongoing habitat management. Find out about our rooftop planting and maintenance service, which we operate alongside monitoring at most of our sites.
'Recording which bees visit is one thing. Watching the list grow year on year is something else entirely.'
— Urban Bees
We work with buildings of all sizes across London. If you have a green space and want to know what's using it — and be able to prove it — get in touch.
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