BeeWalk

Overview

BeeWalk is the standardised bumblebee-monitoring scheme active across Great Britain, active since 2008 and opened up as a public citizen science scheme in 2010 and 2011. Ireland and Northern Ireland are part of an equivalent scheme. The aims of the scheme are to collect abundance and distribution data on Britain’s bumblebees, and to use this data as widely as possible.

Volunteer BeeWalkers walk a fixed monitoring route (a transect) once a month between March and October inclusive, recording the abundance of each bumblebee species seen, and submitting this data to us via the BeeWalk website.

By the end of 2022, over 700 BeeWalkers had submitted over 42,000 records from over 800 transects, counting over 208,000 individual bees. The growth of the dataset into one of the largest bumblebee datasets in the world means its profile is ever-increasing, which is important for the Trust’s policy and advocacy work, as well as the integral role the data plays in our scientific research.

The Trust carries out a range of research in-house, such as annual population trend analysis for the BeeWalk Annual Report (accessible via the BeeWalk website) key to the scheme’s ability to act as an early warning system for species declines. We also collaborate with a number of research institutions, investigating a range of subjects such as population changes in response to land use and climate change, and species habitat interactions. The dataset is available via the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), and through downloads from these sites alone has been cited in over 40 scientific papers. The reach and influence of the dataset continues to grow, making the Trust the go-to organisation for up-to-date bumblebee data.

To make sure that our BeeWalkers are able to carry out their surveys accurately and effectively, so ensuring the data is the highest quality possible, the BeeWalk team offer a range of support and guidance. Live online and in-person training events are regularly scheduled during the bumblebee season and a dedicated staff member is available three days a week to answer any queries and provide 1-2-1 support. There is also access to a variety of online training recordings and video tutorials on our You Tube channel. Our Skills for Bees projects are providing intensive on-the-ground support and bumblebee ID and survey training in under recorded areas of Britain.

For a full summary of progress to date, download the BeeWalk 10 Year Report. To keep up to date with the latest results, see the current annual report on the BeeWalk website publication page.

Collaborators

Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society (BWARS), UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), particularly the Biological Records Centre (BRC), University of Kent’s Durrell Institute for Conservation and Ecology (DICE).

Funding

We would like to thank the following organisations for their financial support:

Redwing Trust, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, the Garfield Weston Foundation, Belsize Charitable Trust No.1, Rowlands Charitable Trust, Steel Charitable Trust, Martin Wills Wildlife Maintenance Fund, the Mercers Company, Ratcliff Foundation, a number of small charitable trusts.

Get involved

To find out more and register to take part in our BeeWalk scheme, please visit www.beewalk.org.uk or email beewalk@bumblebeeconservation.org

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