The Conservation Trust’s members’ newsletter March 2013 — Issue 21

bumblebeeconservation.org Welcome

The Board of Trustees has appointed Lucy Rothstein as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. Lucy commenced her new assignment on 1 March and is already making her mark for the Trust. The post of CEO was advertised widely and attracted nearly 50 applicants. Lucy joins us after a career including working for The Grasslands Trust, The Devon Wild- life Trust and the Tall Ships Youth Trust. She has also been a Trustee of Wildlife and Countryside Link. I greatly welcome her appointment and look forward to the leadership which she will undoubtedly bring to the conservation of the UK‘s bumble- bee fauna. The Trust has also recently welcomed Victoria Woods as our Finance Manager. Recent scientific articles have demonstrated the worldwide importance of wild in- sects for pollinating many food crops as well as wild flowers. This implies that the Trust has a considerable but worthwhile task ahead in fostering more habitats, with flowers rich in and nectar, and hibernation sites, for the benefit of all of our bees. Michael B. Usher, Chair of BBCT’s Board of Trustees

Who we are: The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is Lucy Rothstein Gill Perkins a registered charity Chief Executive Officer Conservation Manager (England & Wales 1115634, Victoria Woods Jo Chesworth Scotland SC042830). Finance Manager Senior Conservation We are grateful to the following organisations Officer Lee Deane for their support: Development Manager South West England Dawn Ewing Sam Page Outreach Manager Conservation Officer East England Anthony McCluskey Outreach Officer Sinead Lynch Conservation Officer Elaine O’Mahony Wales Surveys Officer Michelle Appleby Anne Marie Gardner Conservation Officer Administration Manager Scotland With the support of Darren Ross The Redwing Trust Administration Assistant

Cover picture: Bombus dahlbomii, a bumblebee that is native to South America but is threatened by imports of European . Top: Annabelle Tipper, Middle: Michelle Appleby, Bottom: BBCT Issue 21 — bumblebeeconservation.org What's new?

Hello, and it‘s a pleasure to be writing my If you are interested in volunteering for first introduction to Buzzword. As the first us, then please contact our Stirling green shoots herald spring, everyone Office to request a copy of our new here is gearing up for another busy Volunteer Support Pack. This handy bumblebee season. My fingers are guide is full of hints and ideas on crossed that we get better weather this everything from hosting a bumblebee year! safari to swapping clothes to raise money! In this issue of Buzzword, you‗ll find lots of exciting ways to get involved with our I hope you enjoy reading this edition of work. In the coming months you could Buzzword and feel inspired to help. take part in a volunteer training day, join one of our popular bumblebee We are immensely grateful to all our identification courses, or help promote members and friends for the support what we do at shows and events around we have received which has enabled the UK. We are continually adding to the us to do so much to help protect our events section of our website so please bumblebees, and ultimately ―save the have a look to see what‗s on in your area. sound of summer‖. I look forward to

This spring also sees the launch of our keeping you informed about our work first ever public fundraising appeal, called over the coming months. ―Feed the Bees‖. We have produced an With best engaging animated clip to draw attention wishes, to the plight of our bumblebees and help spread the word about supporting the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. Please Lucy read on to find out more. Rothstein

Get in touch:

Post Bumblebee Conservation Trust School of Environmental Sciences University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA

Phone 01786 467 818

Email [email protected] [email protected] Buff-tailed bumblebee, [email protected]

bumblebeeconservation.org — Issue 21 A day in the life... By Dr. Elaine O‘Mahony, Surveys Officer

I live in Edinburgh so I start my day with a battle through traffic! Once beyond the city limits though the journey is quite pleasant, certainly Stirling and the surrounding countryside is beautiful with Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument looming majestically over the vast flat expanse of the Forth plain. Despite the distance between home and office, being based at the University of Stirling campus is no hardship with its lochs full of wildfowl, trees full of cheeky squirrels and the Ochill hills as a backdrop. As Surveys Officer, you might expect me to be endlessly roaming the landscape in search of bumblebees, but I am office-based most days. It is much more important that I support the great efforts of our surveyors around the country, who contribute to our two flagship surveys, BeeWalk and BeeWatch. As many of you will know, BeeWalk is a very important tool for monitoring the abundance of bumblebees on an annual basis. It involves volunteer surveyors establishing transects in their area, on which they survey bumblebees from March to October. I endeavour to keep up to date with BeeWalk correspondence, which often concerns data submissions, identification queries or mapping difficulties. The data submissions are greatest during the summer, but in the quiet of winter I have not been hibernating. I have conducted a review of BeeWalk to highlight areas we could improve upon and develop. A packed schedule of BeeWalk Training Days has been organised (see next page), the survey guidelines and forms have been overhauled and repackaged, new challenging online identification quizzes have been crafted and the first BeeWalk e-newsletter to herald the start of the 2013 season has been released. Our other survey, BeeWatch, is not only an important tool for monitoring bumblebee distribution. It is also an outreach tool to both enthuse and inform people about bumblebee identification. As one of the BeeWatch ‗experts‘, I go through photos that users have uploaded, verify the identification and give appropriate feedback. In the peak of summer I can spend two to three days per week on verification but I am getting quicker! And the A-team (Annie, Advaith and René based at the University of Aberdeen) are testing a new crowd-sourcing system where BeeWatch users also contribute to verification. Very exciting! bumblebeeconservation.org — Issue 21 Occasionally, I am allowed out of the office for good behaviour! In January I took part in a workshop called ‗Monitoring Change‘ which was organised by the Centre of Ecology and Hydrology. At the meeting representatives of many voluntary-based recording schemes drafted an academic paper to outline how best to set-up such a scheme from scratch. This was useful in our review of BeeWalk and helped to identify some best practise processes that we can work towards. I will also be out and about a lot this spring and summer as I will be spending most of my time delivering BeeWalk training.

BeeWalk Training Events BeeWalk was established in 2010 and is an important survey that monitors the abundance of bumblebees on an annual basis. We really need more people from around the country to take part. Our Conservation Officers, who work in the areas with the last populations of our rarest bumblebees, would particularly welcome volunteers to survey in the following areas: North and West Scotland North Kent South Essex Wiltshire and Somerset (particularly the Somerset levels and Salisbury Plain) To register your interest please email [email protected] Date Location If you haven‘t surveyed before and you‘re 21 Apr North East London not quite sure where to start, then please 05 May Leeds join us for a BeeWalk Training Day. These 11 May Bridgend free day-long workshops provide an introduction to bumblebee identification and 19 May Belfast guidance on establishing and surveying a 25 May Oxford BeeWalk transect. Places are limited to 15 to 20 participants and advance booking is 15 Jun Jedburgh essential. 16 Jun Glasgow Both new and current BeeWalkers are 22 Jun Edinburgh welcome. Please book your place by sending an email with the subject: 07 Jul Inverness 'Training Workshop - ' followed by the 27 Jul Sutherland or Caithness appropriate location to [email protected] Further details can be found in the events section of our website.

bumblebeeconservation.org — Issue 21 You asked, we acted By Dawn Ewing, Outreach Manager

At our volunteer training workshops last summer we collected a lot of feedback about the types of resources that would be useful to our volunteers. Over the winter we have been busy developing these ideas in consultation with a number of other parties. The result is a suite of new resources for our registered volunteers to use. Our new volunteer guides provide useful tips and guidance to help you support bumblebees in a variety of ways. The titles are:

1. Volunteer ideas and processes 2. How to plan and host a bumblebee themed exhibit

3. How to plan and deliver a Bumblebee Safari

4. Raising funds for bumblebee conservation

We have also developed two guides for volunteers to distribute on our behalf.

Local authority bee-friendly planting toolkit. This guide has two sections. The first provides useful tips to help you build support for bee-friendly planting in your local community and advises on ways to approach your local authority to maximise success. The second section is designed to be given to your local authority to help it take bee-friendly planting forward. It contains tips and case studies from other local authorities who have already changed their ways. Local authority wildflower planting

Garden Centre pack. This pack is for you to give to your local garden centre manager to encourage greater promotion of bee-friendly gardening. Too often we see garden centre displays full of colourful bedding plants that offer no nectar or pollen for bees. Yet if there were no bees, there would be very little for garden centres to sell! This pack highlights the plight of the bumblebee, suggests ways that garden centres could promote bee-friendly gardening and includes details of our Corporate Membership Scheme.

These resources are available for free to all our volunteers. Whether you are new to volunteering or have been involved for some time, drop us an email and we‘ll send you out the resources - [email protected] bumblebeeconservation.org — Issue 21 The events season is upon us! It seems like no time at all since last summer‘s busy event season! We are so excited that this year is going to be bigger and better, which is why we need YOU!

Below is a list of forthcoming training and events. Regular updates about these and more local events can be found on our website - www.bumblebeeconservation.org/get-involved/events-calendar/

Date Type of event Location 20 April Volunteer training Walthamstow, North East London 20-21 April RHS Cardiff Cardiff 4 May Volunteer training RSPB Fairburn Ings, West York- shire 18 May Volunteer training Ulster Museum, Belfast 19 May Volunteer training Venue tbc, near Exeter 29 May – 1 June Royal Bath & West Shepton Mallet, Somerset Show 31 May – 2 June Gardening Scotland Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh

12-16 June BBC Gardeners‘ World NEC Birmingham Live 16 June Volunteer training Aberystwyth 6 July Volunteer training Inverness 9-14 July RHS Hampton Court London Flower Show 22-25 July Royal Welsh Show Powys 13-15 August Pembrokshire County Haverfordwest Show

Places are limited for the volunteer training events therefore pre-registration is essential. To book a place email [email protected]

There are volunteering opportunities at all of the large events above so please contact us at the volunteering email address if you would like to come along and join our team. It can be great fun to share your enthusiasm for bumblebees with potential new supporters of BBCT.

We love meeting our members so if you are going to be visiting any of the events, please make sure you visit our stall and say hello.

bumblebeeconservation.org — Issue 21 Saving the Great yellow By Michelle Appleby, Conservation Officer for Scotland

In this article Michelle describes the work being carried out in Northern Scotland to provide more flower-rich areas for rare bumblebees.

In 2010, Bumblebee Conservation Trust, in partnership with Caithness Biodiversity Group, embarked on a three year project called ‗Pollen and Nectar for Bumblebees‘. This project, funded by the Highland Landfill Community Fund and Scottish Natural Heritage, aimed to conserve the Great yellow bumblebee, Bombus distinguendus. Nearly all of the UK‘s mainland Great yellow bumblebees are found in a small area, roughly 800km2, between Reay, John O‘Groats and Occumster. This is known as the Caithness triangle and the project aimed to improve the success rate of Great yellow bumblebee nests in the area by providing sources of pollen and nectar during critical stages of nest development. Flower-rich plots, roughly a quarter of a hectare in size, were established on eleven farms between Reay and Wick. The plots were established on unproductive Phacelia and crimson clover in farmland using agricultural seed mixes containing plants bloom (top) and a Great favoured by the Great yellow bumblebee, such as bird‘s- yellow bumblebee foraging on phacelia (bottom). foot trefoil and red clover. Phacelia and crimson clover were included in this spring-sown mix to provide pollen and nectar in the first year, while the other flowers established. Each plot was surveyed by volunteers from Caithness Biodiversity Group on a monthly basis between May and September throughout the project. During the first year the plots proved to be hugely successful with records for Great yellow bumblebees at nine of the eleven plots. Phacelia seemed to be the favoured plant during this first year but one of the volunteers, David King, photographed Great yellow bumblebee feeding on crimson clover. This may be a world first! Overall the project has had a number of successes, including an increased number of Great yellow bumblebee records in Caithness, records for Great yellow bumblebee in new locations, and greater awareness about the importance of Great yellow bumblebee in Caithness. Most importantly this project has shown that even small patches of flower-rich habitats can make a difference. Read on to find out how you can create similar flower-rich areas in your garden... bumblebeeconservation.org — Issue 21 Creating your own meadow By Jo Chesworth, Conservation Officer for South West England

You don't need acres of land to create a wildlife-rich meadow - and it doesn't need to take over the whole garden. Even a small area can create a haven for bumblebees and other . We recommend that you start by selecting a site with low soil fertility, such as a stony waste area or an area with the topsoil stripped back. If the soil is too fertile you may encounter problems with vigorous grass or weeds out-competing the wildflowers. It is important to prepare the ground thoroughly before sowing. Remove all vegetation and grass. This can be done by hand, or if it is a larger area you can use a herbicide spray such as glyphosate, which leaves no residues. Next, harrow and rake A typical cornfield annual meadow the top inch of soil to produce a firm, fine texture. Creating a wildflower meadow is a long-term commitment as it can take many years for the meadow to fully establish. Selecting an appropriate seed mix is essential and a mix of the following two options is often the best approach. Make sure that the seeds are native, with guaranteed UK origin. 1. Create an annual cornfield meadow. This is 100% wildflowers and will produce a bright colourful display in the first year, providing a boost of pollen and nectar in mid summer. Good flowers to include for bumblebees are corncockle, cornflower and poppy. Annuals can be planted in spring (March onwards) or autumn (late Aug/Sept) and are usually re-sown each year. They are a good choice for more fertile sites. Sow at 3 – 5g/m2 . 2. Sow a perennial mix. This is usually 80% fine grasses and 20% wildflowers and, if managed correctly, it should last indefinitely. This diverse range of flowers will provide for bumblebees throughout the life of the colony. It is best to sow these mixes in autumn as some seeds need frost for germination. Include species such as red clover, knapweed, bird‘s-foot trefoil and yellow rattle to benefit bumblebees. Sow at 2 – 4g/m2. Whichever mix you use, evenly broadcast the seed onto the soil surface and roll or tread in. Do not bury the seed as it will not germinate. Then water lightly and wait. There are lots of good guides available to help establish your own meadow. We recommend www.grasslands-trust.org/advice-gardeners. Although The Grasslands Trust has now closed - its website is still live and contains lots of useful information about meadow creation.

bumblebeeconservation.org — Issue 21 Our policy work By Gill Perkins, Conservation Manager

Bumblebee Conservation Trust is currently active in three policy areas:

1. Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform. As members of Wildlife and Countryside Link we, with other conservation NGOs, lobby MPs and MEPs. Mid-March will see MEPs vote in a Plenary Session of the European Parliament on the future of CAP. BBCT has inputted, supported and signed up to: An open letter to European Parliament Group leaders and all MEPs. An e-action – designed to mobilise public support. See the news page of our website and show your support by sending the letter to your MEP. Postcards to MEPs. The cards will be placed in all MEP‘s pigeon holes and

carry the voting recommendations.

2. Neonicotinoid pesticides. The science relating to neonics is complex and the evidence concerning the effects on pollinators is continually evolving. Getting to the facts is not always straightforward and the link between bumblebee declines and neonics is far from clear. What we do know is that the loss of flower-rich habitat is the major reason for bumblebee declines. Our current stance on bumblebees and neonics is on our website here: http://bumblebeeconservation.org/news/

3. Importation of bumblebees both native and non-native. Imported bumblebees are an important issue for BBCT. In 2009 we part funded a PhD student at Leeds University, to quantify the problem. In December 2012, Natural England announced changes to the regulations affecting the use of imported non-native bumblebees for commercial pollination. The changes are designed to help safeguard the health of native bumblebees and honeybees and will see a tightening of the licensing regulations. The changes reflect growing global concerns about the impact that commercially reared bees may be having on native bumblebees and honeybees, with evidence that they are competing and breeding with native insects, disrupting the pollination of native plants and introducing diseases and parasites. BBCT is researching how we can strengthen the regulations and testing regimes and we will keep you updated on our progress in future editions of Buzzword. Spring merchandise With Spring here, it’s the perfect time to brush up on your bumblebee identification skills. Our identification guide, ‗What‘s that Bumblebee?‘ will help identify all UK species. It is printed on durable paper, so it‘s good for taking outdoors with you. We also have available a stunning, A3 poster showing all species. You can buy these separately - but both are available for £10 in our Bee ID pack.

If you’re planning to get gardening for bees, you will find our ‘Making Space for Bumblebees’ booklet and gardening poster useful. You can buy them separately, but you‘ll get both of these in our Gardening pack.

You‘ll find an order form on the back of this page, so ordering these couldn‘t be easier. Bee ID pack Contains an identification poster for UK bumblebees, bumblebee factsheet, a car sticker, ‗What‘s that Bumblebee?‘ guide, bumblebee-friendly flower seeds and an ‗enamel‘ pin badge….£10 What’s that bumblebee? Our bumblebee field ID guide, with photos of each species to help with

identification in the field….£2.50

Posters We offer three types of posters: ID poster showing all 24 UK bumblebee species; Gardening poster packed full of planting suggestions, and a bright and beautiful kid‘s poster perfect for a bedroom wall...£1 Bumblebee pin badge Our beautiful enamel bumblebee badges are available in one of four varieties: Shrill carder, Great yellow, Blaeberry and the White-tailed bumblebee...£1.50 Gardening pack Contains a poster of bumblebee-friendly flowers, bumblebee factsheet, car sticker, ‗Making space for bumblebees‘ booklet, bee-friendly flower seeds and an ‗enamel‘ badge….£10 Making space for bumblebees Our guide to gardening for bumblebees at home and in your community. It is packed full of bee-friendly gardening suggestions to keep your garden blooming and buzzing...£3 Buy Membership Shop!

New members will receive a welcome Item Quantity pack with the contents of either our Gardening Pack or Bee ID Pack PLUS a Membership with Garden pack £20.00 □ one-year subscription to Buzzword. See Membership with Bee ID pack £20.00 □ overleaf for details about what is Membership with Kids pack £12.00 □ contained in the packs. Indicate which pack you would like by ticking the What‘s that bumblebee? £2.50 □ appropriate box on the item list to the right Making space for bumblebees £3.00 □ of this text. Wildflower border mix £1.00 □ Please fill in your details below if you are Great yellow pin badge £1.50 □ buying membership or any of the items listed to the right. If you are buying Blaeberry pin badge £1.50 □ membership as a gift for someone, fill in Shrill carder pin badge £1.50 □ their details too. If you are buying a gift membership and would like to receive the White-tailed pin badge £1.50 □ welcome pack to your address first, tick Gardening pack £10.00 □ the box asking us to do so. Bee ID pack £10.00 □

Please return your completed form to: Gardening poster £1.00 □ Bumblebee Conservation Trust, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA UK Bumblebees poster £1.00 □ Total: Your details:

Title and name: Please make cheques payable to ‗Bumblebee Conservation Trust‘. We can also Address: take credit/debit card payments online. Postcode: Gift Aid Email: Every pound you give means an extra 25 pence from HM Revenue & Customs. Telephone: □ Yes, I want to Gift Aid all gifts of money that I have made in the past Recipient’s details (gift membership): 4 years and all future gifts of money Title and name: that I make from the date of this declaration. Address: Signed: Postcode: Date: Email: You must pay an amount of income tax and/or capital gains tax in each tax year at least equal Telephone: to the tax that the charity will reclaim on your Gift Aid donation(s). Please notify the charity if

your circumstances change or you want to cancel this Please send the welcome pack to me declaration.

In the garden - competition

Last November we announced our 2013 Spring Flower Competition, where we invited you to plant containers with spring-flowering plants which are good for bumblebees. Now that the winter is over, we should be seeing the garden come to life again, so it’s time to submit your entries to the competition. To enter, all you have to do is send us some photos of your container in bloom. As the plants in it can flower at different times, we can accept up to four photos of any one container, if it helps to show the diversity of flowers in it. We‘d love to see any photos of bumblebees using these flowers, so feel free to send those too! Email any photos to [email protected] or post them to our postal address (you can find this in the front cover of Buzzword), telling us what plants you‘ve used. The deadline for submissions is Friday 26 April, and we will announce the winners in the next edition of Buzzword. Winners will get a copy of the book ‗A Sting in the Tale‘ by Professor Dave Goulson, BBCT Honorary President. More spring gardening tips... Spring is the perfect time for planting trees and shrubs that are beneficial to bumblebees, and most garden centres now have a great selection of plants in stock. Check our list below for recommendations of what to get. For roses, check the photo on the plant label to make sure that the species you are buying has an ‗open‘ flower, where you can see the centre. These are the only ones useful to bumblebees. Azalea Hellebore Skimmia Berberis Hibiscus Viburnum Broom Hypericum Weigela Ceanothus Pieris Willow Escallonia Potentilla Fruit trees and shrubs - apple, cherry, plum, Flowering currant Rock rose pear, blackberry, (Cistus variety) Heather blackcurrant, goose- Rose berry and raspberry Hebe are best.

bumblebeeconservation.org — Issue 21 Argentinian invasion! By Professor Dave Goulson, Honorary President

In their rightful place, bumblebees are a vitally important part of the natural ecosystem, pollinating numerous wildflowers and supporting a diverse array of parasites and predators. However, in the wrong place, they can wreak ecological havoc.

In the 1980‘s, breeding of Buff-tailed bumblebees began on a commercial basis, the nests being supplied for tomato pollination. Within a few years this had blossomed into a global trade, with in excess of one million nests reared in factories in Europe and shipped all over the world. This was great for tomato growers, who previously had needed to perform the desperately tedious job of hand-pollinating their tomatoes using vibrating wands, but surely we should have learned the lessons of past disasters with exotic organisms escaping outside of their native range? Buff-tails are native to Europe, but this trade has resulted in them escaping into the wild in Tasmania, Japan, Korea and South America. They are thriving in these foreign lands, but seem to be doing so at the expense of native wildlife.

In 1982, queen Ruderal bumblebees were taken from New Zealand and deliberately released in central Chile to help with clover pollination. The New Zealand population was established with bees from Kent over 120 years ago, so these were originally English bees. The Ruderal bumblebees thrived and spread in Chile, living alongside the native bumblebee, Bombus dahlbomii, a beautiful giant golden species, the only bumblebee native to southern South America. The Ruderal bumblebees eventually spread over the Andes to Argentina in about 1992. They didn‘t seem to do any great harm, although some scientists were concerned that they Bombus dahlbomii might compete with the native species.

Not satisfied with Ruderal bumblebees, the Chileans decided to import European Buff-tailed bumblebees in 1998. These soon established and followed the Ruderals, spreading through Chile and over the mountains to Argentina. They spread much quicker and further; they have so far occupied an area spanning about 2,000 miles north to south, and they are currently spreading at about 120 miles per year.

bumblebeeconservation.org — Issue 21 Unfortunately, unlike the Ruderal bumblebee, the Buff- tails are having a major impact. Within weeks of their arrival, the native dahlbomii is gone, and most of the Ruderals too. The cause is not certain, but Argentinian researchers believe that the Buff-tails are spreading a non-native disease, possibly a microscopic organism called . This disease was not known in South America before Buff-tails arrived, and nearly half of the Buff-tails seem to be carrying it with no obvious ill A expat Buff-tailed bumblebee worker happily feeding on effect to themselves. Whether this is the true cause or viper‘s bugloss, itself an not, it seems certain that it is due to a disease, for the invasive European species. effect is far too fast to be due to competition. The situation has an obvious parallel with what happened when Europeans discovered the Americas; they arrived with a range of European diseases to which the native Americans had little resistance, so that thousands of them were killed by epidemics of measles, scarlet fever, chickenpox and other ailments that have little impact on most Europeans.

The native dahlbomii has so far apparently been wiped out in about 80% of its native range. It remains common in Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of South America, where Buff-tails have not yet arrived, but at the current rate of spread they will be there within couple of years, and that could be the end of the giant golden bumblebee.

Is there anything we can do to save them? I travelled to Argentina in January 2012 to see for myself what was going on, and to meet with local scientists, but we have yet to come up with a viable plan. There is no known technology for protecting the native bees, and no-one has yet worked out how to breed dahlbomii in captivity. One controversial The spectacular lakes and mountains of Chile and suggestion was to introduce dahlbomii to the Falklands Argentina seem to suit which have no native bumblebees, something that would European Buff-tails, which have an interesting political irony, but for all we know they have made themselves at might impact on the other native insects. home.

One lesson we can and must learn is that, no matter how useful bumblebees are as pollinators, there should be no further releases of Buff-tailed bumblebees or any other species in parts of the world where they do not naturally live. Find out more about the secret lives of bumblebees and the latest efforts to conserve them in ―A Sting in the Tale‖ by BBCT Honorary President, Professor Dave Goulson. Available from Amazon and all good book stores from May.

bumblebeeconservation.org — Issue 21 What’s the buzz? Tell us what you think! Dear BBCT. Last summer, I noticed Dear BBCT. I enjoyed reading the last that there were lots of dead issue’s articles on bumblebee bumblebees underneath lime trees. Is hibernation. Can bumblebees go back lime nectar lethal to bumblebees? into hibernation if it turns cold again? The sight of dead bumblebees beneath lime (Tilia species) trees is a fairly When bumblebee queens leave common, if distressing, sight. The hibernation, they normally begin a flowers do produce a lot of nectar, which process of finding nests, starting a is very attractive to many species of bee. colony, etc. Queens can be ‗homeless‘ Indeed, many honeybee keepers put for up to a couple of weeks before they their hives close to lime trees because of find a nest, and shelter under vegetation the food it supplies to their bees. and other dry places at night, in the meantime. It was previously thought that bumblebees were dying after consuming At this stage, if it gets really cold again, lime nectar because they were unable to queens can begin to hibernate once digest the sugar found in it, leading to the again. However, if the queen has already build up of toxic by-products in their found a nest and started to collect pollen, bodies. However recent research she cannot re-enter hibernation. suggests that bumblebees visiting lime Consuming pollen stimulates the trees continue to try to feed from them production of eggs and other hormonal when nectar production is very low—at processes, which means the queen is the end of the flowering season and on focussed only on egg-laying and nest- dry days. This means that they use up all making, so hibernation cannot happen of their energy reserves trying to feed, again after this stage. and effectively starve to death! For some reason, honeybees don‘t keep trying to Bumblebees in nests should be fairly well feed from the low-nectar flowers, and this protected from the elements, but if the is why we don‘t find scores of dead weather turns very cold and flowers don‘t honeybees underneath lime trees. The bloom in spring, the queens may struggle photo shows how many bumblebees to gather enough food for their were collected under lime trees in just 14 developing young. 2 days, within an area of 80 m . This happened in much of the UK last year, when we had quite a warm early spring, followed by cold and wet conditions for much of the rest of the spring and summer. Therefore, many of the nests which were initiated during the nice early spring weather may not have made it through to the summer. bumblebeeconservation.org — Issue 21 From the forum Some highlights from our discussion forum The forum has been a little quiet over the winter, but we’ve had a few discussions about winter bumblebees, how to help them, and the best garden plants for those species that remain active through winter.

However, with spring on the way, it‘s the perfect time for buying and planting roses. Sparrow started a topic, asking other users which roses are best for bees. At BBCT, our view is that any rose with an ‗open‘ flower, i.e. one that ‗Madam Isaac Periere‘ Photo by labourie. allows bumblebees to reach the centre Another of our forum users, alibumble (and thus the nectar and pollen), is asked how the recent flooding in the UK suitable for bumblebees. So even those would affect the hibernating bumblebees. with many petals, such as the double- Good question! As far as we can tell, there flowered varieties, can still be very hasn‘t been any research done into the useful. Indeed, labourie from the forum effects of flooding on hibernating posted that the best rose in her garden bumblebees, but it‘s probably safe to say for bumblebees is one called ‗Madame that those under flood water will have died. Isaac Pereire‘ - which happens to be a However, there is hope that this shouldn‘t double-flowered kind. Here‘s a photo of affect too many. If you read the previous that rose with two bumblebees feeding Buzzword, you‘ll remember that on it to prove the point! bumblebees tend to hibernate in soil that is well-drained, and in banks. This should We would also like to draw your mean that most bumblebees will have attention to some new sections on the chosen places to hibernate that are safe forum. We have created a place for from flooding. people to discuss bumblebee nests, and what to do if they find them. One of Forum event: our members, Clive Hill, has done a We‘ll be having our first ever forum event fantastic job advising people on ways on 5 April. Our Senior Conservation to look after or move bumblebee nests Officer, Jo, will be online 2 - 4pm and will and we‘re sure he‘d appreciate input be happy to talk about anything to do from anyone else with experience in with the conservation of bumblebees, this area. There is also a new section especially meadow creation. If you can‘t called BeeWalk, where those who are make it online then, post your question in taking part in our BeeWalk survey can advance and Jo will get back to you. discuss their experiences.

bumblebeeconservation.org — Issue 21

Feed the bees By Lee Deane, Development Manager

As a member of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, you already know a lot about the challenges that face Britain‘s bumblebees. This spring we launched our first ever public fundraising campaign, Feed the Bees, to generate wider awareness of our cause and to raise vital funds for our conservation work.

In the last year, we have created over 1,200 hectares of bumblebee-friendly habitat. With your help, we can do even more. Please view the short film on our website www.bumblebeeconservation.org/support-us/fundraising/ and help us to spread the word about our campaign.

It couldn‘t be easier to donate, just text BUZZ77 followed by the amount you would like to donate to 70070, for example BUZZ77 £10.

We are aiming to raise £8,000 through this campaign so please share our campaign with any friends, relatives or colleagues who would be interested in doing their bit to save the sound of summer.

bumblebeeconservation.org — Issue 21 Bee Books New and Old, Ash View, Tump Lane, Much Birch, Hereford, HR2 8HP. Telephone: 01981540907

Write for a copy of our bee book list. In stock are:- Benton. NN98. Bumblebees. £60.00 Bumblebee (for children) - Wilson & Kennaway. £11.99 Benton. Bumblebees of Essex. hb. £18.50 Goulson—Bumblebees 2nd Edition (2009). Pb. £29.95 Sladen. The Humble-Bee. Hb. £14.95 Kearns & Thompson. Natural History of Bumblebees. £20.99 Edwards & Jenner. Field Guide to Bumblebees best for ID). £11.99 Bumblebee Poster (22 species in colour). £2.50 (£4.50 in a tube)

Plus numerous new and second hand bee books. SAE appreciated. Cards welcome (Access/Visa but not Switch)

bumblebeeconservation.org — Issue 21