Bumblebee Identification Day

This week we have had a day off as part of the Herefordshire Meadows Group to learn about the identification of Bumblebees

The aim of the event was for all the participants, who have areas of meadowland,  to learn to correctly identify Bumblebees, in order to take part in the Bee Walk

The event was held in beautiful meadowland in the Black Mountains

Instruction was given by a member of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust

Bumblebees are in trouble – we have lost 97% of meadows since the Second World War – Bumblebee numbers are in decline

We need to better understand the reasons why, we need data – lots of data – on where we can find the remaining bees, how many there are and what they’re doing

That is why we are joining the Bee Walk and completing survey sheets between May and October this year

 

Bumblebees are vital to our environment as they are our most important pollinator – they feed on flowers and have a key role in producing much of the food we eat

Six species of Bumblebee are in decline and two species have become extinct since the 1940s

Two species of Bumblebee are on the brink of extinction NOW