The short-haired bumblebee reintroduction
The short-haired bumblebee (Bombus subterraneus), or SubT, was once widespread across the south of the UK. It was last recorded in Dungeness, Kent in 1988, driven back by agricultural intensification. However, over 100 years ago four species of bumblebee were taken out to New Zealand from the UK. Read more about the fascinating history behind this project by clicking the link on the left.
Thanks to bee-friendly management schemes, land around Dungeness is once again starting to look promising and we hope to bring it back.
Now it might seem like a low priority to bring back an extinct species while others in the UK are struggling. However, there are two very good reasons. Firstly, the European flowers on which B. subterraneus depends are becoming unwelcome in New Zealand, threatening its existence out there. Secondly, by improving habitats to maximise the chances of a successful reintroduction we will be helping many other threatened bumblebee species in the area.
This project is a partnership between the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Hymettus, Natural England and the RSPB. We aim to work with farmers, land managers and conservation bodies in Kent (the Dungeness area) in order to provide ideal habitats. Agri-environment schemes allow for the subsidised planting of pollen and nectar mixes on which bumblebees thrive. Other species too will benefit from sympathetic management, including other nationally scarce species.
Once everything is in place here in the UK, queen short-haired bumblebees will be collected from New Zealand and flown back to the UK. If all goes well we hope to release the first bees into the wild in June 2010. If you’re local to this area and would like to help then please do get in touch!
You can follow the progress of the project on Nikki's blog, and if you'd like to support our habitat work you could consider making a donation to the habitats fund.
