The nationally rare Shrill Carder bumblebee continues to decline in Somerset despite a decade of dedicated conservation work at the National Trust’s Lytes Cary Manor. There were just three sightings across the county last year, with none at this key site.
With an already dwindling population in the Somerset area, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s ‘SOS Somerset’ project is leading efforts with the estate to reverse this decline with an emphasis on surveying, which is key to understanding where these bumblebees are. The Shrill carder bumblebee has a wide range across the landscape and managing more land in the area to support them will be essential to ensure the species’ survival.
2024 recorded the worst year for the UK’s population of bumblebees. March saw a burst of early-spring sunshine, then spring and early summer settled down into a pattern of dull and damp days interspersed with heavy rain. The effects of the wet weather combined with loss of connected flowering habitats will have played a key part in the lack of sightings of this rare bumblebee.
The Shrill carder bumblebee (Bombus sylvarum) is a distinctive bumblebee which can be identified by its pale grey-yellow colouring, black band of hair between the wings and reddish-orange tail, and a noticeably high-pitched buzz.
A late emerging species from May, males and new queens will be seen foraging late into August and September which makes it vulnerable to loss of flowering habitat in mid-summer. Coupled with last year’s weather, this possibly could have impacted queen bumblebees to successfully forage, find a nest site and start a colony.
However, this should not overshadow the incredible strides made in protecting and enhancing the habitat for pollinators at the National Trust site, and the team remains committed to reverse this trend with the support of the community.
Mark Musgrave, Lead Ranger at Lytes Cary Manor said “At Lytes Cary Manor efforts are made each year, both in the garden and wider estate, to provide habitat for Shrills. In particular, there is an emphasis on late summer forage, this has included reverting a whole field into a legume mix. Despite this targeted effort the last decade has seen a decline in sightings year on year including none seen in 2024. This long-term trend is a worrying concern, but we will continue to provide habitat for all stages of the Shrill carder bumblebees annual lifecycle regardless and hope that 2025 and onwards start to reverse the decline”.
Jo Chesworth, Senior Project Officer at the Bumblebee Conservation Trust said “The project is working with landowners and farmers to provide advice on creating and restoring flower rich habitat which is connected up across the landscape, essential for the survival of this rare bumblebee. What we need from the community is their support to sign up to our national recording scheme BeeWalk and regularly walk a fixed route to record the bumblebees they see. We hope the Shrill carder bumblebee is still present at Lytes Cary Manor and there were just fewer about last year”.
While the absence of sightings last year is disheartening, the conservation journey is far from over. With sustained community support, continued habitat restoration and education, the team at Lytes Carey Manor remain hopeful this rare bumblebee will thrive once more.
If you are interested in becoming a BeeWalker, visit beewalk.org.uk
