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NEWS
Bumblebee leaflets (May 2010)
A revised edition of the garden bumblebee leaflet which has been
financed and sponsored by Natural England is being published by Hymettus.
Titled ‘Help save the Bumblebee… get more buzz from your garden’, the
leaflet aims to encourage the creation of bumblebee friendly gardens and
provide the general public with a real opportunity to help bumblebees which
are important for pollination of wildflowers, soft fruit and some arable
crops. The leaflet includes a brief life history; a list of plants providing
nectar and pollen through all seasons during the bumblebee colony’s life
span; details of what bumblebees need from the environment and of how to
provide suitable nesting habitats. An electronic version of the leaflet can
be found on the Hymettus website and printed copies of the leaflet will also
be available from RSPB visitor centres and other selected outlets from mid
June. If you know of a suitable outlet or event where leaflets could be
distributed please let us know.
Defra funding
In April Hymettus heard it
had been successful in a bid for £97 000 of Defra research funds to support
work towards BAP targets on 42 species of invertebrates including beetles,
flies, myriapods and a leafhopper as well as aculeate hymenoptera. Hymettus
consulted with a range of organisations and individuals when preparing the
bid including the Auchenorrhyncha Recording Scheme, British Myriapod and
Isopod Group, BWARS, Dipterists Forum and Dr Mark G. Telfer. The grant
funding runs until 2012 and will enable Hymettus to initiate a number of
projects including work on the Tapinoma ants that have continually
been postponed due to lack of resources.
Homecoming queens
Hymettus is involved in a partnership with the
Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Natural England and the RSPB to reintroduce
the Short-haired Bumblebee (Bombus subterraneus) to England. The
bumblebee was deliberately introduced to New Zealand from England at the
turn of the last century but has since become extinct here and is now
threatened in New Zealand due to attempts to eradicate the alien
(European) plant species on which it depends. The project is working
with colleagues in the Czech Republic and New Zealand on captive breeding
methods and rearing the difficult pocket maker bumblebees such as B.
subterraneus. Queen bees were collected and bred in New Zealand and the
new generation of queens are being flown back to the UK for release on June
11th 2010.
There has already been a lot of work undertaken with
farmers and land owners to recreate flower rich habitats around the release
area in Kent. Over the last year, project officer Nikki Gammans has
intensified this effort to ensure that the returning queens have the best
possible chance of survival. The habitat improvements can only be of benefit
to all bumblebee species as well as other wildlife. Nikki has also
encouraged lots of public engagement with the project by running bumblebee
identification courses, leading bee walks and giving talks as well as
promoting the project through the media. |
