How we're helping: short-haired bumblebees

Here's an example of how we are taking something you can do in your garden - planting nectar-rich plants - and using it to help bring back a species. 

Have you heard of the short-haired bumblebee? If you've been following our conservation work over the last few years, maybe, but otherwise, I'm guessing not.

Well, these little critters are unlikely to be buzzing around your daises, dandelions and dahlias. They're much rarer than that.

Once common and widespread across Southern England, the short-haired bumblebee was sadly declared extinct in the UK in 2000. The last time anyone saw one on these shores was back in 1988.

Bringing back the bees

Then in 2009, along with our partners Hymettus, Bumblebee Conservation Trust (BBCT) and Natural England (NE), we decided it was time to bring back the bee.

Although extinct in the UK, the bees still lived elsewhere in Europe. A pioneering project was then created, aiming to reintroduce short-haired bumblebees to the UK.

So, in 2012 the first queens were reintroduced to our Dungeness nature reserve in Kent, from Sweden. These releases have continued ever since, building up a strong, and hopefully sustainable, population.

And the great news is, it's working!

This year, for the third year in a row, our surveyors found worker bees. This is brilliant news, as it means the queens have successfully nested and produced young - a strong indication that the bees are finding sufficient food to build colonies.

The reason the bee disappeared initially was largely due to loss of the flower-rich grassland it lived on.

To make sure there was enough food this time around, along with our partners, farmers and landowners, over 1,000 hectares of bumblebee-friendly habitat have been created within the release area of Dungeness and Romney Marsh.

But it's not just the short-haired bumblebee that is benefiting...

Five of the seven UK BAP priority species have been recorded and England's rarest bumblebee, the shrill carder bee, has returned to our Dungeness reserve after a 25 year absence. It doesn't stop there though - the large garden bumblebee has come back after ten years.

The project doesn't stop either, it continues this year and into the future.

So there you have it - there's a lot going on for bees! It might be on a larger scale than in your garden, but it shows what can be achieved. 

How can I help?

If you've been inspired by this tale, how about planting some flowers that bees love in your garden? Even a small patch can help. Give it a go! 

Ps. We've also produced a short video of the short-haired bumblebees reintroduction to the UK, why not take a look?

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