Survival of one of UK’s rarest bumblebees given hope through successful conservation programme - Bumblebee Conservation Trust
The survival of one of the UK’s rarest bumblebees – the shrill carder bee – has been boosted as conservation techniques see Woodland Trust site given special “champion status” for the species.
The bee (Bombus sylvarum), named because of its characteristic high-pitched buzz, is so rare just five populations areas remain in the UK and like many bumblebees has seen its population crash over the last 80 years.
When Victory Wood was bought by the Woodland Trust back in 2004 it was almost entirely arable farmland. Since then, the 140ha site has gone through many changes to boost biodiversity and now consists of a mixture of woodland, scrub and grassland.
Four years ago, much to the surprise of conservationists, the bumblebee was discovered at the site and the Woodland Trust teamed up with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and recruited a host of volunteers to safeguard the future of this species, providing forage and nesting sites.
Now, with the bee seen at Victory Wood every year since 2018 – including almost 50 individuals in 2020 -the Bumblebee Conservation Trust has announced the site in Yorkletts, Whitstable a Champion Site for the rare Shrill carder bee.
Dr Hazel Jackson, Head of Conservation Outcomes and Evidence from the Woodland Trust said: “We are so pleased and excited that Victory Wood has been recognised as a champion site for the Shrill carder bee – it’s a real conservation success story and a great example of nature recovery. Since the amazing discovery of the bumblebee on site, we have been working closely with Bumblebee Conservation Trust to monitor and strengthen the Shrill carder bee population. We have also provided specialist training for volunteers and local residents in both identification and bee survey techniques. It really does show how restoring nature to a site can boost biodiversity and aid our fight against climate change.”
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Posted On: 13/12/2022