WE FINALLY FOUND ONE!
Naturally I didn’t have my camera with me to prove it to you so you’ll just have to take my word for it. To make up for it here is a picture from RSPB images.
Since June staff and volunteers have been searching for the rare bumble bee across the Onziebust reserve, this happens on the reserve every year. We have seen lots of other bumble bees feeding on all the wildflowers around Onziebust and even uttered a few curses and a disappointed sighs when one of the carder bee species flew past, being big and yellow they can resemble the great yellow bumble bee at a glance. I had been a bit concerned that we wouldn't be seeing any this year because of the late flowering season. All worries were dispelled when a female great yellow obligingly posed in the afternoon sunshine feeding on a spear thistle this afternoon, hooray. We will be making the most of the August sunshine to see how many more when can find this year.
Great yellow bumble bee is one of our rarer species of bumble bee, it was once widespread in the UK but now it is generally restricted to north and west Scotland. Orkney along with the Hebrides, Caithness and Sutherlands are the main sites for the bees. Gybb particularly like food plants such as thistles, red clover and common knapweed, which we have growing in good amounts at Onziebust. The great yellow bumble bee also benefits from the corncrake friendly mowing and the grazing management at Onziebust leaving plenty of wildflowers for the bees to feed late into the year.
July and August are the best months to try and find great yellow bumble bee as the queens are on the wing. They are easy to spot being large and yellow, they have a black stripe across the thorax (the body) making them fairly distinct from other bee species. So if you happen to be out enjoying the late sunshine keep your eyes peeled for them.