British bumblebee numbers lowest on record
2024 was the worst year for bumblebees since records began according to the latest findings from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. Findings from their 'Beewalk' showed that across Great Britain bumblebee numbers declined by almost a quarter (22.5%) compared to the 2010-2023 average.Researchers believe the drop in numbers may be due to the cold and wet conditions in the UK last spring.The findings are concerning to researchers as bumblebees play a vital role in UK wildlife.
Why are bumblebees so important?
Bees help the flowers by spreading their pollen. This is called pollination. Many plants would not be able to fertilise without bees and other pollinators.Bees also pollinate many of the crops used for animal feed. Without them, it would be harder to produce lots of our meat, egg and dairy products. Bees pollinating crops also helps farmers save money. It is estimated that it would cost UK farmers £1.8 billion a year to pollinate their crops manually if wild bees disappeared.Pollination also supports other insects, birds, bats, and mammals so without bees we would see a big impact on the food chain.Bees produce honey, royal jelly, pollen, beeswax, propolis, and honey bee venom. These substances have been used by humans for thousands of years for nutrition and medicine.
According to data from the Met Office many areas of the UK had more than double, and in some cases triple, the usual amount of rainfall for the time of year in March, April and May during 2024.This weather is what researchers believe affected many bumblebee species. The bad weather came during what is the species most vulnerable period - the colony establishment stage. This is when the queen bumblee's are like single mothers and must feed themselves and growing larvae whilst also incubating the nest.
The Bumblebee Conservation Trust's beewalk is a national recording scheme to monitor the number of bumblebees across the county. Volunteers identify and count the bumblebees they see on a monthly walk along a set route from March to October.Dr Richard Comont is the Science Manager at the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. He said; "The 2024 results from BeeWalk highlight just how vulnerable our bumblebee populations are to shifting climate and environmental conditions. With another challenging year behind us, monitoring in 2025 will be crucial to understanding how - and whether - these species can recover."
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