Bee Connected
A three-year restoration landscape scale project based on the South Kent and East Sussex coast with a focus on four of our rarest species of bumblebees.
Credit: Brown banded-carder bumblebee (Bombus humilis) by Dave Clark
Built on a legacy project, Bee Connected aims to work with farmers, landowners, councils, and local community groups to improve the provision of bumblebee-friendly habitat. By increasing the abundance, diversity and the length of the flowering season, our rare species such as the Brown-banded carder bumblebee, Moss carder bumblebee, Red-shanked bumblebee and the Ruderal bumblebee will thrive.
It is thought by expanding existing areas and working in new areas the project will increase the amount of habitat available for both rare and common bumblebees, enhancing connectivity with existing rare bumblebee populations around the Dungeness peninsula.
We will monitor the success of these interventions through new BeeWalk transects and wildflower surveys with help from our existing volunteers and new recruits to the project. The project will have a greater emphasise on outreach initiatives including habitat work parties, bumblebee and wildflower identification days, walks and talks and public events including county shows and fetes.
The project will offer paid annual traineeships to provide land management advice, habitat creation, working with volunteers and conducting outreach activities.
Further information
If you live or work in the Kent area and are interested in learning more about the project or becoming a volunteer, please email nikki.gammans@bumblebeeconservation.org
