Buzzword Members’ newsletter - March 2017 - Issue 33 Saving the sound of summer Bee the revolution and save the sound of summer bumblebeeconservation.org 1 Bee the revolution Those of us besotted by bumblebees, know how vital they are. They have an intrinsic value as well as the much stated economic value, (estimated at £691 million per year to the UK economy). Our members, volunteers and staff are united around the shared purpose of ensuring their existence and conservation. But we need more people to understand, enjoy and cherish our bumblebees, that’s why at the AGM in December I urged everyone in the room to ‘Bee the Revolution’. Photo: Thalia Brown, Together we can ensure our bumblebees flourish. Reversing the Buff-tailed bumblebee trend in their declines, needs a concerted effort by all of us who (Bombus terrestris) are passionate about them. “ Please help by asking friends and family to join the Trust. We can do even MORE to help bumblebees with more supporters. Spread the word, ‘bee the revolution’ and together, we can ‘save the sound of summer’. Thank you. Gill Perkins, CEO You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. Jane Goodall Contents “4. Trees for bees 8. Companion planting . 16. Solitary bees 4 8 16 Get in touch Cover picture Post Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Beta Centre, Vivian Russell: Red-tailed Stirling University Innovation Park, Stirling FK9 4NF cuckoo bumblebee (Bombus Phone 01786 594 130 rupestris) Email [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 2 The bumble blog Your photo gallery If you would like to see your photo featured in Buzzword, Aviva Community Fund success!! please email: media@ November and December witnessed a massive flurry of bumblebeeconservation.org activity on social media, emails and phone calls to rally Thank you to the following: friends, families, volunteers and even strangers to support our Pollinating the Peak project. Beverley McCallion, Tree Well, 13,505 votes later after submitting the final parts of bumblebee (Bombus the application - we’ve done it! In early January, the Aviva hypnorum) Community Fund wrote to us, saying: “We’re delighted to share with you that your project Pollinating the Peak has been chosen as a winner in the Aviva Community Fund and have been awarded £25,000. Our judges scored your entry highly against some very strong competition”. So, what a summer we have planned for the people of Derbyshire in 2017. Sixteen weeks of local community days, bee safaris and science events for children and families. This will be a great summer for all! It would not have been possible without your support, so we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone. Michael Waldher, possibly Let’s see if we can all make the Peak District a much a Buff-tailed bumblebee friendlier place for our ‘red and lemon bottomed’ friends; (Bombus terrestris) the Bilberry bumblebee (Bombus monticola). Making a Buzz for the Coast This project is exciting and ambitious, spanning the Kent and East Sussex coast, focusing on restoring and creating habitat for Kent’s wild bees, especially the Shrill carder bee (Bombus sylvarum). Tyrone Williams for this The Trust is delighted to be leading the project, in Red-tailed bumblebee partnership with Kent Wildlife Trust, Kent County Council, (Bombus lapidarius) Natural England and the RSPB. The project is currently in its development stage and we have been working with our partners preparing the Stage 2 application to the Heritage Lottery Fund during the past few months. We will be informed in June if the application has been successful and we will provide an update in our July edition of Buzzword - fingers crossed! 3 Saving the sound of summer! 3 Image: Bird cherry (Prunus padus) Spring Warming temperatures awaken hibernating queens and after being Trees for underground all winter their energy reserves are low and very much in need of replenishment before the bees beginning the task of nest hunting. By Laura Shakespeare, Once a favourable nest site has Fundraising Officer been found the queen will raise her first brood, but first, she must collect When planting your garden with enough pollen for her larvae to colourful flowers to attract our buzzing consume as they grow into her first bumblebees, it’s easy to forget about worker bees. With enough pollen the sometimes, less glamorous trees collected, the queen will lay her first and shrubs. However, they can provide eggs and spend the next few weeks a vital source of sustenance for incubating her brood. This takes up bumblebees at times where access to a lot of energy and she will have to other food sources might be scarce, venture out to replenish her nectar and can offer the perfect nesting site reserves, which she does by going opportunities. An abandoned mammal back-and-forth to nearby flowers, hole at the base of a shrub, or the so it’s especially important to have vacant bird box up in the tree can be oh a good source of energy in close so appealing to a queen bumblebee on proximity to the nest at this time. After the hunt. around two weeks, the larvae spin a cocoon, inside which they develop Early spring is a great time to begin into adult bees. planting your trees and shrubs to help look after our precious pollinators throughout the year (and in subsequent years), ensuring all periods within the bumblebee life cycle are catered for. This list is by no means exhaustive, but will hopefully provide an idea or two. Photos: Inset Blackthorn (Prunus 4 spinosa); Apple (Malus domestica) Summer Spring Throughout early summer the first brood Common hawthorn (Crataegus (all female ‘workers’) will busily be monogyna) carrying out nest duties. Some cleaning, Common holly (Ilex aquifolium) – some guarding and some foraging the also flowers into the summer much-needed nectar and pollen to feed Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) other hungry workers and the next batch of offspring. As summer unfolds, new Bird cherry (Prunus padus) queens and males are also produced Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) to allow the colony to reproduce. The Medlar (Mespilus germanica) males leave the nest, seldom returning. Common plum (Prunus domestica) The new queens also leave the nest to mate, at this stage it is imperative that Crab apple (Malus sylvestris) these new queens have good sources of European pear (Pyrus communis) pollen and nectar to gorge on in order to Apple (Malus domestica) store up enough energy for their winter of Pussy Willow (Salix caprea) – the hibernation ahead. catkins are a magnet for queen bumblebees Autumn & Winter Winter flowering heather (Erica For the majority of bumblebee species, carnea) nests naturally come to an end as summer does. However, in warmer Summer parts of the UK, Buff-tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) persist and fully Dog rose (Rosa canina) active winter colonies of this species Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus agg) have been recorded, even with Common raspberry (Rubus idaeus) temperatures close to freezing and California Lilac (Ceanothus) snow on the ground. Therefore, it is vital that they have enough late flowering Bay tree (Laurus nobilis) – good for sustenance available to survive the harsh short-tongued bumblebees conditions. Buddleia (Buddleja davidii) These trees and shrubs are not only Red barked dogwood (Cornus alba) bumblebee-friendly but will also provide Lavender (Lavandula) vital habitat for a whole host of other wildlife and pollinators. Additionally, in Autumn & Winter many cases, trees and shrubs can also be under-planted with other flowering Mahonia (Mahonia aquifolium; plants such as hellebores to add further apollo variety) benefit. And if you’re worried that you Winter flowering honeysuckle simply don’t have enough space in your (Lonicera fragrantissima) garden to be planting trees, there are Winter flowering cherry trees plenty of dwarf varieties that can be (Prunus subhirtella) grown in patio pots – and in the world of bumblebees, every little helps! 5 Why your membership is By Claire Wales, Support important to bumblebees Services Officer Your membership is vital. It helps Why remain a member? to fund and support our work to Our aim is to work together and we conserve habitats, raise awareness hope you will continue to support the and influence policies to support conservation of bumblebees for bumblebees. years to come and inspire Our vision remains friends and family to firmly focused do the same. We are on creating immensely proud of communities and our achievements countryside rich during the past 10 in bumblebees years, which include and colourful the creation of over wildflowers, 3,000 hectares of supporting a bumblebee friendly diversity of wildlife habitat, Bee Walk, for everyone to enjoy. launch of our Bee ID You make this happen. app, workshops and much more! We couldn’t What your money supports have done any of this without your continued support and a belief Your membership payments provide that between us, we can inspire and the money required for our ‘core’ educate our future generations to activities. We all want to help appreciate just how vital bumblebees bumblebees and in addition to our are to our ecosystems and our general amazing conservation and advisory well-being. efforts, there is a small but dedicated team ‘running the organisation’ in the Planting pots and borders with bee- background. ‘Core’ activities are the friendly plants can have a significant overhead costs as opposed to those impact for bumblebees specific to a project such as Bee Wild and other pollinators, West Wales. These activities are vital providing them with in ensuring the charity is fit for purpose vital food resources so that it can continue to deliver its in urban areas, as conservation and awareness raising well as bringing goals, which just wouldn’t be possible colour and life into without your support.