Category Archives: Pollination

First, an introduction to British Bumblebees by Jamie-Lee Loughlin:

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust in the UK is gearing-up for another Bee Walk, a citizen science project that surveys natural areas to determine the state of Bumblebee populations. Here is the  notice I received yesterday:

Our bumblebee survey, BeeWalk, is now in entering its third season. The last two seasons have been hugely successful with the recruitment of 125 enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers. However, in order to get effectively monitor populations across all UK regions, we need to your help!

Why walk for bees?

While previous bumblebee surveys have focused on collating individual records in order to accurately map bumblebee distributions, BeeWalk will be the first scheme to enable us to collect bumblebee abundance data.

This information is integral to monitoring bumblebee population changes and will allow us to detect early warning signs of population declines. All data collected will contribute to important long-term monitoring of bumblebee populations in response to climate and land-use change.

BeeWalk will be invaluable in helping us to conserve this dramatically declining and much-loved group of buzzing insects.

Methodology: not only is it useful, it’s also good fun!

Volunteers will walk a 1-2km route of their own choosing once a month between March and October recording all of the bumblebee species and the number of each species they see. If you are interested in joining this survey, please read carefully through the BeeWalk starter pack (attached) which includes recording sheets and detailed instructions. You could choose to upgrade to BeeWalk Pro (info also attached), a more detailed survey in which the flowers that the bees are foraging on are also recorded.

If you feel that you can fully commit to this important survey, email us with your name and address at: beewalk@bumblebeeconservation.org

With your help, we’ll gather enough information on bumblebee populations to steer conservation efforts in the right direction.

Unfortunately , they do not seem to have updated their website yet, but below are the two instructional pdf’s they provided:

BeeWalk Pack

BeeWalk Pro

Basic information on bee ID can be found on the BCT site, and a list of Bumblebee publications can be found at the Natural History Museum. Pelagic Publishing has also released an updated edition of the book Bumblebees by Oliver E. Prŷs-Jones and Sarah A. Corbet with plates by Tony Hopkins and foreword by Mark Avery

“This new edition embraces the wealth of information published on bumblebee life history, ecology, foraging, parasites and conservation in recent years. It includes a new chapter on the very real threats to bumblebees; their crucial role as pollinators of our native flora and crops; ways to promote their survival; advantages and problems posed by their commercial use; as well as updated colour plates, keys and distribution maps of all British species (including Bombus hypnorum). The book introduces techniques and approaches to original work so that anyone with an interest can usefully contribute to furthering our understanding and appreciation of these wonderful and important insects.”