Bumblebee Conservation Trust

Now that we are well into bumblebee season, perhaps it's time to brush up on your bee ID skills? Or perhaps you will need it for #theGYBHunt? 'Bumblebees - an introduction' is the Trust's first book on bumblebees. It is easy to carry around and contains bumblebee ecology, species descriptions & identification tips, complete with beautiful images and easy-to-use reference. You can order the book here: http://ow.ly/qSJJ50v0Qma #busybee #beebook #bumblebees #wildlife #conservation

#theGYBHunt Square of the Week - This square stretches between Kylerhea on the Isle of Skye, to Glenelg on the mainland. It's been 15 years since the #greatyellowbumblebee was last recorded in grid ref NG71, and with no other #bumblebee records since 2010, it's definitely an under-recorded area. If you can help, read more on the Great Big Great Yellow Bumblebee Hunt at: http://ow.ly/1NQc50v4MNT #greatyellowbumblebee #squareoftheweek #BeeWalk #conservation #nature #holiday

July’s #BumblesoftheWorld blog features the endangered Bombus inexspectatus, literally an unexpected European #bumblebee, first described by Tkalcu in 1963, which has been found to parasitize on the Red-shanked carder bee (Bombus ruderarius). http://ow.ly/Fd8150v4H9w

Only true #bumblebee queens and workers have #pollen baskets on their hind legs - these are flat areas on their hind legs surrounded by hairs which act as combs to brush pollen into their baskets. Often a ball of pollen will be present, but when empty, a shiny surface fringed by hairs can be seen. If the bumblebee has hairy hind legs, it will be a male or cuckoo bumblebee.

We were delighted to meet Ro during his BumbleBike2019 adventure on Thursday after he cycled along the South Coast from Kent to meet us in our Eastleigh office in Lakeside Country Park where we went out for a lovely BeeWalk together! Ro is cycling to each of the Trust's project locations raising awareness of the UK's #bumblebees!

#theGYBHunt Square of the Week - Tiree is rightly famous for its flower-rich machair and has good populations of the #greatyellowbumblebee elsewhere on the island. However, they haven't been recorded in the south for over 15 years. If you can help with grid ref NL93, read more on the Great Big Great Yellow Bumblebee Hunt at: http://ow.ly/RfwH50uZeeY #theGYBhunt #greatyellowbumblebee #squareoftheweek #BeeWalk #conservation #nature #holiday

Check out our Bee kind tool which can help you improve your #garden for #bumblebees! With over 700 plant suggestions, there's something for everyone's garden! #BeesNeedsWeek beekind.bumblebeeconservation.org #beefriendly #wildlife #nature

#Thursdaythoughts - what will you plant for the #bumblebees during #beesneedsweek? Take a look at our Bee kind tool to help you decide: http://ow.ly/qp2R50uYvBo Credit: And Smile Photography #commoncarder #bee #conservation #beesneeds

Our West Country Buzz Conservation Officer, Dr Cathy Horsely, gave a talk to the Brandis Corner Wildlife Group in Devon back in April, and a lovely piece was written all about bumblebees and the West Country Buzz project for their newsletter (PDF no.29) http://ow.ly/vPnq50uWuu0

#BeesNeedsWeek - what are you doing in your local community to support #bees? Our projects focus on engaging & working with communities to create bee-friendly habitat. Read more: http://ow.ly/pPZa50uD5fn Why not share pictures of your community for #BeesNeeds week?

We're delighted to announce we are supporting the Backyard Nature campaign which aims to get all children to spend more time enjoying and protecting nature where they live. Working with Semble and the Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation we will encourage all children, especially those in communities least likely to get outdoors, to become #BackyardNature Guardians, and give them the tools they need to protect their own patch of nature - no matter how small. You can read more and sign up at: http://ow.ly/7etV50uWo3P
#BackyardNature #environment #nature #earthday #green #conservation #wildflowers #habitat

Last week we were joined by work experience student, Eliza, in our Eastleigh office, based within Lakeside Country Park. She tried lots of different activities (including bumblebee photography, BeeWalk and an outreach event) and felt very inspired by our work. Eliza has written a lovely blog describing her week with us: http://ow.ly/UuFw50uWAsh Photo of a Common carder bee, by Eliza. #BeesNeedsWeek

What's the buzz this week at London's 'Carnabee' Street? Come along and join in with the exciting #BeesNeeds celebrations! http://ow.ly/Dzt650uD6Dh 🐝

It's #BeesNeedsWeek! There are so many ways you can help #bees and other pollinators in your #garden and local community. Click here for the Bees' Needs advice on how to support bees: http://ow.ly/Lt9d50uD4NF 🐝 #bumblebees #gardening Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

750 miles . . wishing @bumblebike2019 the best of luck and an enjoyable experience, cycling to each of the Trust project locations raising awareness of the UK's #bumblebees! First stop was meeting our fantastic Pollinating the Peak team and the cages set up on the moor to prevent sheep and deer grazing off the bilberry plants which prevents them from flowering . . . next stop is Kent to visit our Making a Buzz for the Coast team #bumblebike2019 #raisingawareness #bumblebee #cycling

#theGYBHunt Square of the Week - Eday is a beautiful island in the middle of the Orkney archipelago. Although the #greatyellowbumblebee hasn't been recorded in grid ref HY53 since 2002, it thrives on islands close by and it seems most likely that the lack of records is down to the lack of regular recording. If you can help, read more on the Great Big Great Yellow Bumblebee Hunt at: http://ow.ly/idL150uTs0R #theGYBhunt #greatyellowbumblebee #squareoftheweek #BeeWalk #conservation #nature #holiday

Thank you to everyone who has submitted potential sightings for #theGYBHunt to date. We have received lots of photos and six are confirmed as #greatyellowbumblebees! Sadly, none from any of the target squares yet, however, please keep sending your sightings to iRecord http://ow.ly/Z1Td50uTuYA #conservation #northcoast500 #holiday #visitscotland #fridayfeeling
Video credit: Richard Bunting (Male, Great Yellow bumblebee)

A bumblebee's best friend! Dogs make great companions on BeeWalks - why not take yours out on a local walk and record the bumblebees that you see along the way? www.beewalk.org.uk
#ThursdayThoughts #bumblebeecount #dogwalk #wildflowers