May is here and so are the Big Eight 🎱🐝
Of the UK’s 24 bumblebee species, these eight are the most common. This month, some queens will produce their first daughters, the workers, while others will welcome new males 💼🚹
👑 Bumblebee queens begin to emerge from hibernation in spring, when rising temperatures and longer days awaken them from their winter snooze in the soil.
💤 When a queen emerges, she spends some time resting in order to wake up properly.
🌷 Once fully awake she feeds on flowers to gain energy.
🏠 Then begins the search for a suitable nest site: holes in the ground, long grass, bird boxes and beneath garden sheds.
🌼 Having chosen her nest site, the queen will feed on more flowers and lay her first batch of eggs.
🐛 Little white larvae hatch, feed on collected pollen, and then develop into adult workers.
💼 These smaller females carry out work inside and outside the nest.
👑 Queens remain inside the nest, laying more eggs for the next batch of workers.
🚹 Towards the end of a nest, males are produced and leave. They do not collect pollen. Instead, they spend their time feeding on nectar and trying to mate with queens from other nests.
Have you spotted any bumblebees this spring? How many species have you seen so far this year?
🔎 Brush up on your bumblebee identification skills using the link in our bio 🔗
#May #Spring #BumblebeesAreBack #Bees #Nature
What’s your favourite bumblebee fact? 🐝
You get bonus points if you share any that we haven’t mentioned ⭐
📷🎥 Petra Kleinmann, Bex Cartwright, Tom Luck, Karen Bowers, Annette Knight, Helen King
#Fact #Bumblebees #Bees #Pollinators #NatureLovers
2025 saw bumblebees bounce back from 2024’s worst year on record. But, for many species, numbers are still below average 🚨
The latest findings from BeeWalk, our national bumblebee monitoring scheme, shows that:
⚠️ Five of the UK’s 24 bumblebee species declined even further from 2024’s record lows.
📉 15 species are below the average. Some common species are showing concerning patterns of long-term decline.
📊 Two rare species showed some promising numbers: The Bilberry and Shrill carder bumblebees achieved record survey counts.
Want to help count bumblebees this year? Head to the link in our bio to become a BeeWalker today.
#Bumblebees #BeeWalk #Conservation #Nature
Coming through! These bumblebees are on an important mission 🐝💨
💼 Around now, teams of newly hatched workers are taking over a crucial role previously carried out by their queen: collecting pollen and nectar from flowers.
🐛 If you look closely, you can spot yellow bulges on the hind legs of the returning bumblebees. This steady supply of pollen will help feed larvae and support the queen to lay new batches of eggs.
🐀 Different bumblebee species like to nest in different places, including long grass, bird boxes and underground in abandoned rodent holes, as shown here.
Have you spotted a bumblebee nest recently?
#May #Bumblebees #Bees #Nest #Fact
Tag the bee-stie you’d wait all day for 🧡
💡 Tree bumblebees prefer to nest high above the ground and will seek out nest boxes.
Have you spotted a bumblebee nest recently?
#Fact #Bumblebees #Bees #Pollinators #NatureLovers
Have you ever spotted a bumblebee in woodland? 🐝🌳
New research shows that differences in bumblebee vision could explain why some species can thrive in the shade of a forest while others prefer sunny open grasslands 🔎
Lead researcher Dr Océane Bartholomée shares her findings – and what it means for bumblebee conservation.
Read our latest guest blog using the link in the bio.
📷 Lynne Faulconbridge
🔎🐝 Tree bumblebee
#Bumblebees #Vision #Habitats #NatureRecovery #Woodland
English lavender = bumblebee buffet 🪻🐝
Fragrant flowers, perfect for pots, heavy with humming bumblebees – English lavender is one the best bumblebee-friendly plants to grow in May. Discover this month’s top plants using the link in our bio 🔗
Have you grown English lavender before? What plants do your local bumblebees love? 💜
📷 White or Buff-tailed bumblebee, Tom Luck
🎥 Field cuckoo bumblebee, Chloe Headdon
📷 Red-tailed bumblebee, Chloe Headdon
🎥 Common carder bumblebee, Andrea Hook
#Lavender #Bumblebees #May #Plants #Nature
What is the most interesting place you have found a bumblebee nest before? Have you spotted a bumblebee nest yet this spring? 🐝
📷 Tree bumblebee nest by Clare Flynn
🎥 Buff-tailed bumblebee nest by Jamie Buxton-Gould
🎥 Tree bumblebee nest by Annette Knight
🎥 Common carder bumblebee nest by Katy Malone
🎥 Bumblebee nest by Jade Oliver
🎥 Winter-active Buff-tailed bumblebee nest by Polly Mair
🎥 Early bumblebee nest by Joanna Sutton
#Fact #Bumblebees #Nests #Bees #NatureLovers
May is a special month for UK bumblebees – the Big Eight are joined by some of our rare and less common species 💛
👑 This month, some of these rare and less common queens will emerge from hibernation. Already active queens will produce their first daughters – the workers 💼
🎱 For the Big Eight, some queens will produce their first workers while others will welcome new males 🚹
What bumblebees have you spotted recently? How many have you seen so far this year?
#May #Spring #BumblebeesAreBack #Bees #Nature
It’s here! The Bumblebee-friendly Early Years Award has officially launched 🐝
Designed to inspire a love of nature from a young age, this hands-on programme helps children discover bumblebees and the habitats they depend on – and learn that even small actions can make a big difference!
Delivered straight to your door, the award box has everything you need to start becoming bumblebee-friendly today. Find out more via the link in bio 🔗
Know a nursery, preschool or early years educator? Help us plant the seed – tag them below or share this with them 🫶
#Bumblebees #EarlyYears #Education #Nursery #Nature
A huge thank you for championing the Moss carder bumblebee 💚
@kellyscornwall gave an un-bee-lievable donation of £10,000 and our champion funder @westonfdn doubled the first £10,000 of donations to support this rare bumblebee.
Together, we've raised £25,593 for the Moss carder bumblebee. This donation will make a real difference in protecting one of the UK's rarest bumblebees and support our vital conservation work in Cornwall, one of the Moss carder bumblebee's last remaining strongholds 🐝
Thank you to everyone who donated during the Big Give’s #EarthRaise. Thanks to your support, we can:
🌻 Plant and sow high densities of key plant species.
📊 Survey existing sites in Cornwall.
🤝 Recruit more volunteers to increase the number of BeeWalks we undertake.
🐝 Trial practical conservation approaches for bumblebees.
Thank you for making a difference 💚
#ThankYou #MossCarder #Bumblebees #Conservation
