Text Box: Bumblebees Text Box: Bumblebees play an essential role in producing our crops, they pollinate many of our fruit and vegetables yet, they have seriously declined in recent years. Some species need a ‘Super Abundance’ of suitable wildflowers to thrive and these are simply no longer in the natural landscape. Certain species have long tongues that can forage from flowers with long corolla, these include Dead-nettles, the pea family, Honeysuckle and Comfrey etc. The short tongued species are unable to reach nectar from these and rely on other flowers. This helps reduce competition between the species and allows them to co-exist. In our parish we do still have habitat that produces wildflowers on a scale that supports a very scarce bumblebee. The Large Garden Bumblebee (Bombus Ruderatus) had long been thought extinct in Warwickshire until its recent re-discovery in the parish, this created much national and local media attention. Not having pictures of our rare Bumblebee, I decided to learn how to identify it under the guidance of Bumblebee expert Steven Falk, Senior Keeper of Natural History at Warwickshire museum. After getting my eye in on this problematic and variable Bumblebee, Steven asked if I could survey numbers of queens, and after a couple of months it became clear that we have a substantial and important population locally. The survey work earned me a mention in the British Wildlife Magazine and our parish the designation as the second national stronghold for the species. Farmers are now encouraged to plant field margins with wildflowers, to help sustain threatened insects like Bumblebees and Butterflies! Text Box: The Large Garden Bumblebee Queens Above left: Bombus ruderatus harrisellus a melanistic form showing the long tongue. Centre: A well marked specimen including 5mm scale, see full pollen basket Right: A typically marked specimen with a 5mm scale The Large Garden Bumblebee is one of the two largest British species the other is the Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terestris (below)

DID YOU KNOW?

 

Bumblebees often nest in gardens and are a great asset to gardeners. They are non aggressive and will usually only sting if handled roughly!

 

Male bumblebees cannot sting!

 

Only queens survive the winter by hibernating!

 

“OUT OF THE 15 SPECIES PREVIOUSLY RECORDED  LOCALY, THERE ARE NOW ONLY 8 REMAINING OF WHICH 1 IS VERY SCARCE AND THE OTHER CAUSING CONCERN!”