Bee advice website link sends farmers to adult escort service

Farmers seeking Defra advice on pollinators found themselves inadvertently redirected to a website advertising escort services.

The Bees’ Needs campaign – part of the government’s national pollinator strategy – was set up to offer advice to farmers and the public on ways to help pollinating insects.

See also: How to understand a bee’s needs when establishing margins

But visitors looking for information by visiting the campaign website were confronted by a list of British neighbourhoods, which linked to a website offering independent escorts.

The blunder, spotted by Guardian reader Adam White and since rectified, prompted a number of pun-laden stories in the national media.

Sky News said the government had been stung by the the mistake, with the Bees’ Needs campaign “creating a buzz online for all the wrong reasons”.

The Sun said: “It’s a honey trap.”

Corrected

Defra said the link on the Bees’ Needs website was correct when published five years ago but the owner of the domain name had since changed.

The department has since corrected the information.

The website now asks users to search for the Bees’ Needs site, which is run by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

Practical advice

The campaign brings together conservation groups, farmers and beekeepers to promote good practical advice to provide suitable habitats for bees and other insects.

A Defra spokesman said: “We are working hard to support our bees and other pollinators – as these species are essential for pollinating crops and in turn human survival.”

Defra said its biodiversity and national pollinator strategies had helped to create more than 130,000ha of wildlife-rich habitat.