Nature in your local patch
OPAL West Midlands: Nature in your local patch
January
January 09 notes
31/01/09 22:19
Surprisingly, even though it is the middle of winter, it is worth keeping an eye out for winter active bumblebees! Bumblebees have the remarkable ability to uncouple their wings and pump their flight muscles without moving their wings to warm up. This is a little like you or I shivering to keep warm, and means that Bumblebees can fly at times of the year when other species of bee are simply too cold. As a result they are particularly important pollinators in cold periods of the year when other species are not active.
In recent years in the UK, there have been an increasing number of reports of winter active Bumblebees, especially in warmer areas, such as on the coast, in the south of England, and in towns and cities where it is often warmer than the surrounding countryside due to the urban heat island effect. This increase in the numbers of winter active Bumblebees could be due to milder winters, or an increasing occurrence of planted winter flowering plants such as the Lily of the Valley Bush (Mahonia x media) that can supply nectar for the bees to feed on through winter. Scientists are interested in finding out more about this phenomenon and need your observations to do this. To find out more about how you can help, visit the Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society (BWARS) Winter Bumblebee survey web page.
You are most likely to see one of two species flying in the winter: the Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) (see adjacent picture by Karen Nichols BWARS) and the Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum). Details of how to identify these and other species of Bumblebee can be found here. To find out more about British Bumblebees and their conservation visit the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s webpage.
In recent years in the UK, there have been an increasing number of reports of winter active Bumblebees, especially in warmer areas, such as on the coast, in the south of England, and in towns and cities where it is often warmer than the surrounding countryside due to the urban heat island effect. This increase in the numbers of winter active Bumblebees could be due to milder winters, or an increasing occurrence of planted winter flowering plants such as the Lily of the Valley Bush (Mahonia x media) that can supply nectar for the bees to feed on through winter. Scientists are interested in finding out more about this phenomenon and need your observations to do this. To find out more about how you can help, visit the Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society (BWARS) Winter Bumblebee survey web page.
You are most likely to see one of two species flying in the winter: the Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) (see adjacent picture by Karen Nichols BWARS) and the Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum). Details of how to identify these and other species of Bumblebee can be found here. To find out more about British Bumblebees and their conservation visit the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s webpage.