The membership charity the Bumblebee Conservation Trust was founded in 2006 and exists to address concerns about the future of the UK’s wild bumblebees. The organisation’s approach is science-led and envisions a world where bumblebees are not only thriving but valued by everyone. Recognising that these precious creatures are currently in crisis, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust is fighting to secure their future.
Key Aims
The Bumblebee Conservation Trust has several key aims. These include becoming the trusted experts on the population of these species and their conservation and ecology; inspiring organisations (including policy makers) and individuals to take action for bumblebees; and creating more high-quality, better-connected habitats for bumblebees across the nation’s towns, cities and countryside. The trust’s ultimate goal is to ensure threatened bumblebee populations recover.
Monitoring the Nation’s Bumblebee Population
As one of the charities incorporated in one of Percent for Good’s Cause Portfolios (an organisation founded by Mark Lyttleton to make it easier for professionals to donate to the charities that matter to them), the Bumblebee Conservation Trust is impactful, with a compelling vision.
The trust’s current projects include BeeWalk, a nationwide bumblebee-monitoring scheme that helps to record the bumblebee population in the UK between March and October. As part of the project, volunteer BeeWalkers traverse fixed routes once a month during this period, recording the abundance of different bumblebee species observed. This data is then submitted to the trust, with BeeWalk developing into one of the world’s largest bumblebee datasets. The figures are used in the BeeWalk Annual Report and help serve as an early warning system for bumblebee species declines.
Bumblebee 101
Since the 1940s the UK has lost 97% of its wildflower meadows, which has had a devastating effect on native bumblebee populations. These vital pollinators need our help more than ever before. As social insects, bumblebees are ruled by a queen, with different species living in different nests.
There are 270 species of bumblebee worldwide, with 24 of these found in the UK. The primary features to look at to identify the various species of bumblebee are the banding pattern and tail colour. Other things to check are the number of antenna segments, the presence or absence of pollen baskets on the legs, whether the face is long or short, and the colour of the insect’s facial hair.
For more information about the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, take a look at the embedded PDF.