GARDENERS, dog walkers and nature lovers in Oxfordshire have been urged to join the last few days of the Great British Bee Count.

More than 15,000 people across the UK have already recorded 280,000 bees as part of the Friends of the Earth citizen science survey.

And nature lovers still have until Friday, June 30, to ‘join the buzz’.

One of the bees already spotted – and photographed – is a rare long-horned bee, recorded in a garden near Lingfield Park racecourse in Surrey.

The long horned bee is a UK Priority Species for conservation – meaning local authorities should aim to protect it.

The Great British Bee Count, which was featured on this year’s Springwatch, aims to help people

• identify the common bee species that visit our gardens, parks and countryside – as well as two rarer species.

• learn more about the amazing diversity of Britain’s bees – around 270 species of bee have been recorded in Great Britain.

• take easy steps to help our under-threat pollinators – such as creating bee-friendly gardens and other spaces.

Verified sightings recorded as part of Great British Bee Count will be shared with academic researchers and ecologists via the National Biodiversity Network Atlas.

Download the easy-to-use app at greatbritishbeecount.co.uk