The top-10 Dove Stone wildlife countdown to Saturday’s BioBlitz continues with the Bilberry Bumblebee (Bombus monticola).
The Bilberry Bumblebee is a relatively small bumblebee. Look out for an orange abdomen and two lemon yellow stripes on the thorax with the rear band looking slightly less pronounced. Male & females are similar in colour, with the males having additional yellow facial hair. Queens emerge April and May, workers from May until August and males and new queens from mid-July.
The Bilberry Bumblebee is usually associated with upland moors, and is declining throughout its range so it’s a key bumblebee for us at Dove Stone. We do have records for these bees at Dove Stone previously and we’ll be very happy to have further records at the BioBlitz next Saturday ! And if you're particularly into bees then why not come down to Ashway Gap at the BioBlitz on Saturday where we'll be having bee safaris - the rhodedendron alley can be quite good for bees. We'll also be running make your own bee home activities.