Bumblebee listing (1 Viewer)

[Phil Callagher]

Hi all,

This year I’m setting out to see all 23 Bumblebee species in the UK (five so far). In theory this should be pretty easy, but my previous experience of trying to see all 58 butterfly species back in 2000 proved to be a lot more work than expected.

As a bumblebee novice I’d be enormously grateful for any specific site information or general advice that other insect enthusiasts could give - I expect I’m not the first one to attempt this.

I have the BCT identification guide here and some of the ID looks quite tricky. Also I think my base in Yorkshire might be the most bee-free county in the UK, but at least it is fairly central if I have to go down to Dungeness for Short-haired Bumblebee and up to the Hebrides for Great Yellow Bumblebee!

All posts welcome.

 

[Bobbobthebob]

ID of some species is going to require a microscope, key and, in certain cases, dissection. I don't know if you're prepared to do that. Otherwise, there's some good info at

• the Natural History Museum's Bombus project: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/bombus/
  
• and the BWARS gallery: http://www.bwars.com/index.php?q=species_gallery/Bombus

Good luck anyway, sounds like a great excuse to visit some lovely places

 

[MarkHows]

This page suggests there are 25 species so you will need to work a little harder.


http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/insects-spiders/identification-guides-and-keys/bumblebees/


I have seen 21 but that has taken a few years.

Good luck

Mark

 

[Phil Callagher]

bumblebee listing

Hi,

I have seen the number 25 quoted in much literature but I think it refers to all the native species before extinctions, there now seem to be 23 including the reintroduced short-haired bumblebee.

Phil

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Good luck Phil

I know next to nothing about bees, UK, Bumble or otherwise, so I can't offer any useful info, but I'll root for you if that's any help, and I'll follow your progress on here. So what are the five so far?

Cheers

James

 

[harry eales]

Phill,

You'll find the commonest six or seven species fairly easily, but others can be much more difficult to find and will require some intensive work on your part. You can also add the Cuckoo Bumblebees until recently called the Genus Psithyrus but the now placed in the Genus Bombus, to your list which will give you another half dozen to have a bash at. I once saw a specimen of B.distinguendus in Northumberland, but that was back in 1960 and possibly the last specimen ever seen alive in England. Remember there are a large number of colour variants amongst some species so be very careful of your identification.

Depending on how wealthy you are (for travel expenses) and how understanding your little lady is, you may get your ambition completed, but it may take you several years to do it. Bumblebees losses were very large last year due to flooding and they are not so common as they were when I started recording them some 56 years ago.

Have fun doing it.

Harry