Latest news with #RichardComont
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Bumblebee numbers dropped to record low in 2024, report finds
Last year saw the lowest number of bumblebees in the UK since records began, a new report shows. Bumblebee numbers declined by nearly a quarter compared to the 2010-2023 average, figures from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust (BCT) show. Their annual 'BeeWalk' report marked the worst year recorded for the insects in the UK. There are 24 species of bumblebee in the UK, which play a vital role in pollinating crops and wildflowers. This makes their decline a 'major ecological concern' say the BCT, with greater conservation efforts needed to safeguard the future of the bee. Their decline is likely down to cold and wet conditions in spring and early summer, researchers say, which is the 'most vulnerable period' for the species. This is the time of year when the colony is established, with queen bumblebees functioning as 'single mothers' that must feed themselves and the growing larvae. The lower numbers were not spread equally across their two dozen species, however, with those that typically reach their highest numbers in June or July suffering the most. Worst affected were the red-tailed and white-tailed varieties, respectively down 74 and 60 per cent. Other affected species were the garden bumblebee, tree bumblebee, southern cuckoo bumblebee and buff-tailed bumblebee. Dr Richard Comont, science manager at the BCT, 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.' The bumblebee expert also shared how individuals can play their part in supporting the insects: 'The key thing is having big populations because big populations are resilient populations. 'All of the stuff you see about planting flowers in your garden, letting wildflowers grow, not using pesticides; all of that standard advice around increasing pollinator populations, not just bumblebees, that will allow us to have larger populations of pollinators.'
The Independent
27-02-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Bumblebee numbers dropped to record low in 2024, report finds
Last year saw the lowest number of bumblebees in the UK since records began, a new report shows. Bumblebee numbers declined by nearly a quarter compared to the 2010-2023 average, figures from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust (BCT) show. Their annual 'BeeWalk' report marked the worst year recorded for the insects in the UK. There are 24 species of bumblebee in the UK, which play a vital role in pollinating crops and wildflowers. This makes their decline a ' major ecological concern ' say the BCT, with greater conservation efforts needed to safeguard the future of the bee. Their decline is likely down to cold and wet conditions in spring and early summer, researchers say, which is the 'most vulnerable period' for the species. This is the time of year when the colony is established, with queen bumblebees functioning as 'single mothers' that must feed themselves and the growing larvae. The lower numbers were not spread equally across their two dozen species, however, with those that typically reach their highest numbers in June or July suffering the most. Worst affected were the red-tailed and white-tailed varieties, respectively down 74 and 60 per cent. Other affected species were the garden bumblebee, tree bumblebee, southern cuckoo bumblebee and buff-tailed bumblebee. Dr Richard Comont, science manager at the BCT, 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.' The bumblebee expert also shared how individuals can play their part in supporting the insects: 'The key thing is having big populations because big populations are resilient populations. 'All of the stuff you see about planting flowers in your garden, letting wildflowers grow, not using pesticides; all of that standard advice around increasing pollinator populations, not just bumblebees, that will allow us to have larger populations of pollinators.'
BBC News
27-02-2025
- Health
- BBC News
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 believe the drop in numbers may be due to the cold and wet conditions in the UK last 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 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 also supports other insects, birds, bats, and mammals so without bees we would see a big impact on the food 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 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 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."
The Guardian
27-02-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
UK bumblebee numbers fell to lowest on record in 2024, shows data
Figures show 2024 was the worst year for bumblebees in the UK since records began. Bumblebee numbers declined by almost a quarter compared with the 2010-2023 average, according to data from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. The researchers said the drop was probably due to the cold and wet conditions in the UK last spring. According to the Met Office, many areas of the country experienced more than double, and in some cases triple, the usual amount of rainfall for the time of year in March, April and May. The poor spring and early summer weather severely affected many species in their most vulnerable period, the colony establishment stage, where queen bumblebees function as single mothers and must feed themselves and their growing larvae while also incubating the nest. The 24 species of British bumblebee play a vital role in pollinating crops and wildflowers, making their decline a major ecological concern. Species that typically reach their maximum abundance – the total number of individuals of a species present in a given area – in June or July suffered dramatically. Observations of white-tailed and red-tailed bumblebees, both common species, fell by 60% and 74% respectively. Other species affected include the garden bumblebee, tree bumblebee, southern cuckoo bumblebee and buff-tailed bumblebee. Expanding conservation efforts, a greater emphasis on habitat restoration, and continued monitoring are all key to safeguarding their future, the researchers said. As weather conditions improved in July and August, bumblebees were able to stage a partial recovery but 2024 still had the second-worst July and August counts since the trust's records began in 2011. Dr Richard Comont, the science manager at the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, said this was due to the already dwindling numbers of bumblebees in the UK being affected by further obstacles like changes to the weather: 'We've got smaller, weaker populations of a lot of these bumblebees because of long-term habitat changes. We know that bumblebees were struggling anyway and smaller weaker populations are less able to respond to changes, they don't have that resilience. 'Although there's loads of bumblebees in midsummer, they all come from very small numbers that emerge from hibernation in the spring.' Comont said individuals could play a part in supporting the bees: 'The key thing is having big populations because big populations are resilient populations. All of the stuff you see about planting flowers in your garden, letting wildflowers grow, not using pesticides; all of that standard advice around increasing pollinator populations, not just bumblebees, that will allow us to have larger populations of pollinators.' The Guardian is asking readers to nominate species for the second annual invertebrate of the year competition. Read more about it and make your suggestions here or by via the form below. You can tell us which species you would like to nominate by filling in the form below. Please include as much detail as possible. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian.
