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Have you spotted a bumblebee this winter?

Buff-tailed bumblebee by Wendy Carter

Keen-eyed residents across Worcestershire are being asked to photograph any bumblebees that they see feeding on flowers this winter.

The team behind Worcestershire’s Wildlife Sightings scheme are keen to hear from people who spot the busy insects out and about during January and February. Milder weather makes it possible for buff-tailed bumblebees to get through the winter if there are enough flowers for them to feed on.

Nick Packham, one of the Wildlife Sightings team, explained “Counties in southern England have had the joy of seeing bumblebees during the winter months for a little while now but this is a relatively new phenomenon here in Worcestershire.

“Bumblebees are one of the sounds of spring and summer and you might think that with their furry coats they’d be well suited for winter. As well as needing the milder weather that we’re now seeing throughout winter, however, they also need to find enough flowers to feed from. It’s only in the last few years that bumblebee colonies in Worcestershire have been active during winter.

Black and golden-yellow stripey bumblebee feeding on greeny hellebore flower by Wendy Carter

Buff-tailed bumblebee by Wendy Carter

“Plants like winter-flowering heather, clematis and honeysuckle, mahonia, daphne, hellebore and snowdrop can all provide much-needed nectar and pollen for bumblebees and other insects that might become active in milder weather.”

Once bumblebee colonies breakdown in late summer and autumn, newly emerged bumblebee queens find somewhere safe to spend winter. This is usually under the base of walls, in old mouse holes, under loose bark or at the top of north-facing banks in well-drained soils.

Similar to hibernation, in insects this is called aestivation. Queen bumblebees have the ability to produce glycerol, which acts as an anti-freeze if temperatures plummet.

In mild autumns and early winters, increasing numbers of queen buff-tailed bumblebees locally are choosing to attempt to raise the next generation rather than hiding away for winter.

There are scattered winter records of bumblebees across the county and the Wildlife Sightings team would like to know just how frequent this is becoming.

Worcestershire Wildlife Trust has partnered with Worcestershire Biological Records Centre, Worcestershire Recorders to encourage local residents to become citizen scientists by reporting sightings of active bumblebees and help local naturalists to understand more about this behaviour.

Nick added “Through our Wildlife Sightings scheme we’re hoping that people across the county will help us to understand more about where our wildlife is found and when.

“With our changing climate, our wildlife is changing too and it’s important for us to be able to understand what is happening so that we can work out how best to help our beleaguered wildlife.

“There are 24 species of bumblebee in the UK but we’ve already lost two species completely since 1940; a further eight species of bumblebee are on conservation priority lists because of significant declines in their populations.

“We’ve got a simple form that people can complete on our website but we do ask for a photo so that we can verify every sighting. This is really important to ensure that the data remains reliable.”

The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries on earth, with 41% of our insect species facing extinction, so the more we know, the more we can help.

Anyone who sees an active bumblebee, or any other wildlife, can upload the information via a short form on www.worcswildlifetrust.co.uk/wildlife-sightings where more information about the scheme can be found.

The plea is being undertaken in partnership with Worcestershire Biological Records Centre, the repository for natural history sightings in the county, and the Worcestershire Recorders, a group of volunteers whose records and research help with a better understanding of the status of wildlife in Worcestershire.

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