Bumblebee Conservation Trust

Just a cute bumblebee reminder that the clocks go back an hour tonight 🐝🔙 🎥 Julz Sellars, @matt.0rme, Jade Oliver

Our BeeWalk results show 2024 has been the worst year on record for our bumblebees. The data is most alarming for one of our favourite, more common species – the Red-tailed bumblebee. The stats so far… 🐝📉 Red-tailed bumblebee numbers have plummeted by 72% this year. 🌧️ Wet weather has caused underground nests to become waterlogged. ☔ Heavy rain made foraging for nectar and pollen much harder, plus rain can damage flowers and reduce pollen availability. ❄️ Colder temperatures made it more difficult for queen bumblebees to incubate their offspring (they ‘shiver’ to maintain a nest temperature of around 30°C). As well as this year’s harsh weather, bumblebees must also contend with long-term impacts including habitat loss, continued use of bee-killing pesticides, and climate change. Will you join our fight for bumblebees? Help us save bumblebees like the Red-tailed bumblebee by donating to our urgent appeal to support our vital conservation work. https://ow.ly/4Zq950TRFKT

We have two NEW part-time vacancies 🐝 🗺️ GIS Officer Your primary role will be to help develop and implement the use of GIS to its full capacity across the Trust, including staff training, monitoring, analysis and mapping, publications and reporting both internally and externally 🔎 Evidence Officer Your primary role will be to provide robust evidence of the impact of the Trust’s conservation work by ensuring the correct collection, management and analysis of habitat and associated data. 🕒 Both part-time, permanent positions 📍 Stirling office, home-based or hybrid 📅 See application packs for closing dates Does one of these roles sound like your dream role? Make a beeline for our vacancy page for full details for both roles 👉 https://ow.ly/mxkH50TIN4w We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer, fostering diversity and inclusion in our workplace #EqualOpportunities #Bumblebees #Bees #Impact #Conservation #Recruiting #Vacancy

A turned log revealed this rare glimpse of a large Buff-tailed bumblebee queen in hibernation 👑💤 ⛏️ The small circular hole surrounding the queen is likely a space she has dug herself. 🐀 Bumblebees aren’t fantastic diggers, which is why they sometimes nest in spaces where another animal has already done the work, like an old rodent hole. They can move a few centimetres of soil to create this kind of hibernaculum. 📅 Bumblebee queens hibernate for 6-9 months of the year. After finding a cosy space in mid to late summer, they won’t emerge again until the following spring. 🍂 If you accidentally disturb a hibernating bumblebee, don’t panic! Gently cover her back over with the same material that she had dug into and leave her be. 📷 Ema Lou Rowe

Success at Foreness Point five years on! 🙌 Between 2018-2021, the Trust led the ambitious, multi-partner, landscape-scale project ‘Making a Buzz for the Coast’. One of the key sites that we worked on, in partnership with Thanet District Council and others, was Foreness Point grasslands. As part of the project, we developed a 10-year management plan to restore the grasslands on this site which is responding 5 years on, with wildflowers more abundant & spreading 🌿 🔗 Read more in our blog from Conservation Projects Manager (Agriculture) Bex Cartwright: https://ow.ly/IbOW50TIEAw #Grasslands #Wildlfowers #Kent #Bumblebees #Habitat #Success #HeritageFundNationalLottery #NationalLottery30 The project was made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery players

🐝 This year has been the worst on record for bumblebees, but it's not too late to make a difference. 🫶 At the Trust, we rely on donations to support our science and conservation work. Here's how your donation can help: 🪧 £10 Supports our policy and advocacy work so we can provide a political voice for bumblebees and advocate for stronger laws to protect them. 🚜 £30 Supports our work with farmers and landowners to create more habitat for bumblebees, including the creation of wildflower meadows. 🌍 £50 Supports our research to study the effects of climate change on bumblebees, through our nationwide bumblebee-monitoring scheme, BeeWalk. Your donation can secure a sustainable future for bumblebees. Donate today at: https://ow.ly/zmJ550TMsMs

🌍 World food day: Why bumblebees are essential for food security 🌸 Bumblebees don't just bring colour to our gardens—they’re key players in global food production. They pollinate crops like rapeseed oil, legumes, and red clover, which support farming and the dairy industry. 🚜 Many farmers depend on bumblebees to boost yields of vital crops. Without them, our food supply could be under serious threat, hurting food availability and prices. 🍃 These essential pollinators help flowering plants and wildflowers thrive. They enable plants to produce the fruits and seeds that feed birds, mammals, and wildlife—keeping ecosystems healthy and stable. 🍅 Without bumblebees, our world would be quieter, less colourful, and many of the foods we love could become scarcer. Our food security is at risk if we don't protect them. 🐝 On this World Food Day, let’s remember that bumblebee conservation is essential for securing the future of our food. Visit our website to donate to our urgent cash appeal today and help our bumblebees https://ow.ly/jxf450TLuA0

Why does this male Red-tailed bumblebee have faded hair? When fresh, male Red-tailed bumblebees have two yellow bands and a bright red tail. Over time, the colours fade to straw-coloured bands and an orange tail. The black hair can sometimes fade to brown, too. 2024 has been the worst year on record for UK bumblebees. The Red-tailed bumblebee has been significantly affected this year, more so than any other common bumblebee, with their numbers plummeting by 72%. Donate to our urgent appeal: https://ow.ly/ruZ250TISEc 🎥 @imyandherbees

2024 has been the worst year on record for UK bumblebees 🐝🆘 Donate to our urgent appeal now: https://ow.ly/57Fa50TIPnI

We have two NEW part-time vacancies 🐝 🗺️ GIS Officer Your primary role will be to help develop and implement the use of GIS to its full capacity across the Trust, including staff training, monitoring, analysis and mapping, publications and reporting both internally and externally 🔎 Evidence Officer Your primary role will be to provide robust evidence of the impact of the Trust’s conservation work by ensuring the correct collection, management and analysis of habitat and associated data. 🕒 Both part-time, permanent positions 📍 Stirling office, home-based or hybrid 📅 See application packs for closing dates Does one of these roles sound like your dream role? Make a beeline for our vacancy page for full details for both roles 👉 https://ow.ly/mxkH50TIN4w We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer, fostering diversity and inclusion in our workplace #EqualOpportunities #Bumblebees #Bees #Impact #Conservation #Recruiting #Vacancy