Bumble Bees
Table of Contents
Introduction
These vital pollinators are under major threat from climate change, pesticides, colony collapse, predators and parasites, as well as habitat loss as people continue to replace wild plant species with imported or hybridized plants of little to no use to native pollinators.
Resources for Bees
Bee Rescue!
Have you found a bee that clearly need help? This section is for you!
How-To: Bee Hospital
About Bumble Bees
Bumble bees are social species who live in colonies.
Bumble Bees
"Bumble bees fall close to honey bees and are classified as “eusocial” bees. This means that they have a colony, like honey bees, as well as a queen that produces all of the offspring of the nest and workers that take care of finding food, caring for developing bees, and defending the nest." - Wisconsin Bumble Bees
What's That Bumblebee App "is a great way to learn about and identify the UK’s eight most common bumblebees from your phone."
What's that bumblebee app » Explained
9:03 video about this app that helps you identify some of the most common of Britain's 24 bumble bee species.
Threats to Bees
Habitat Loss
This means both less space to build nests or hives, and less food for these hard working insects. Deforestation for farming is a major driver of plant loss, but worse still is replacing those woodland plants with livestock who graze wildflowers right to the ground, and even to extinction. Less land is used to grow crops for livestock consumption, and even less land to grow crops for human consumption, however most of this has become monocrops, which means all the flowers bloom at the same time, instead of a constant supply of different flower species blooming (in some places almost) year long.
Honey & Bees Wax Alternatives
Harvesting honey can be harmful to bee colonies, often resulting in at least several deaths as the frames are moved around, accidentally crushing some. In countries where honey bees are invasive, the honey industry is particularly dangerous to wild bee species.
Instead of supporting the honey bee industry (which often and somewhat ironically claims that buying bee products will "save the bees!") we can choose more bee-friendly products that can help give our bees a break.
Pesticide Use
This has been on the rise ever since the end of the World War I and II, as the same chemical companies who sold chemicals for warfare, turned to sell the same chemicals to farmers, who suffer the health consequences. We in turn can suffer long-term health effects from eating contaminated food (some can be washed, while others absorb the toxic chemicals), but small insects such as butterflies and bees can becomes overwhelmed and die horrible deaths from these chemicals.
Invasive Species
Invasive species threaten our entire food chain, sometimes by eating or crowding out important plants, some including honey bees which are not native to North America can out-compete native bee species for food while spreading diseases and dangerous parasites.
Solutions
The following are listed by estimated impact of each action, with the most impactful and far-reaching solutions listed first.
Take Extinction Off Your Plate
The Center of Biodiversity urges us all to "Take Extinction Off Your Plate" offering both recipes and specific examples of how certain foods harm our planet and warm up our world.
By picking more eco-friendly foods, we can help reduce or even (eventually) reverse deforestation. Check out the Plant-Based Diet page to learn how plant-, fungus-, and seaweed-based foods can help combat global hunger, protect our planet, and even protect our health!
Honey & Bees Wax Alternatives
Harvesting honey can be harmful to bee colonies, often resulting in at least several deaths as the frames are moved around, accidentally crushing some. In countries where honey bees are invasive, the honey industry is particularly dangerous to wild bee species.
Instead of supporting the honey bee industry (which often and somewhat ironically claims that buying bee products will "save the bees!") we can choose more bee-friendly products that can help give our bees a break.
Go Pesticide-Free
Whether growing or eating, try to avoid pesticides as much as possible. Some organic foods are grown without any pesticides, though "natural" and "eco-friendly" pesticides may still be used, and still harm these important creatures.
Check out our Non-Lethal Pest Control page to learn about effective ways to ward off bugs without killing off our bees.
Pollinator Gardens
There are many types of garden, often overlapping in design and purpose, but pollinator gardens focus on providing (preferably native) flowering plants that can help support our many pollinator species. Some plant species have evolved specifically to feed certain species such as butterflies, bats, hummingbirds, and bees, so consider looking up what types of pollinators will be attracted to the specific species you plant.
As well as flowering plants you might also want to include nesting places and supplies such as old branches for mason bees, bare and slightly damp earth for bee species who use mud in their nest building, grasses, or even build your own bumble bee home.
Apps & Tools
Citizen Science
Citizen science is a great way to help regular people including children get involved with science, nature, and conservation. Check this section to see what bee-specific apps and tools we have gathered here, otherwise have a look on our Citizen Science page to learn about the many (often broader) programs and apps you can join or support.
Bee Score: Flower Finder 🌺 # 🐝 ✅ "Select the flowers you have in your garden, then hit continue to find out your current bee kind score. If you’re not sure exactly which plants you have, try clicking the filters on and off to help identify the bee-friendly flowers in your garden." This is hosted by and for UK residents, so you won't get a bonus for "native species" if you live outside the UK, and might see your local natives listed as "non-native" or get an "invasive penalty" even if those plants are fine where you live, but this is still a fun and educational resource.
Europe
Ireland
Bumblebee Monitoring Scheme "The All-Ireland Bumblebee Monitoring Scheme monitors bumblebees on a monthly basis from March to October each year, generating detailed information on bumblebee populations and how they are changing."
UK
BeeWalk "is a national recording scheme run by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to monitor the abundance of bumblebees on transects across the country. These transects would be impossible without volunteers, who identify and count the bumblebees they see on a monthly walk along a set route from March to October.
Anyone can become a BeeWalker – all you need is some basic identification knowledge and a spare few hours or so every month to walk a fixed route of about a mile (you choose where it goes), and submit your sightings.
The information collected by BeeWalk volunteers is integral to monitoring how bumblebee populations change through time, and will allow us to detect early warning signs of population declines, as well as contributing to important long-term monitoring of bumblebee population changes in response to changes in land-use and climate change.
If you're in Ireland, either Northern or the Republic, the National Biodiversity Data Centre run an equivalent scheme..."Bee Score: Flower Finder 🌺 # 🐝 ✅ "Select the flowers you have in your garden, then hit continue to find out your current bee kind score. If you’re not sure exactly which plants you have, try clicking the filters on and off to help identify the bee-friendly flowers in your garden." This is hosted by and for UK residents, so you won't get a bonus for "native species" if you live outside the UK, and might see your local natives listed as "non-native" or get an "invasive penalty" even if those plants are fine where you live, but this is still a fun and educational resource.
What's That Bumblebee App "is a great way to learn about and identify the UK’s eight most common bumblebees from your phone."
Resources & Guides
Activism
Bee the Change "is all about quick, simple ways you can make your local area more bumblebee-friendly.
It doesn’t matter if you live in the city or the countryside. If you have a garden, a flower pot – or no outdoor space at all!" The planting suggestions are specifically for UK residents, but could also work in other places. Just be careful to pick native plants whenever possible to avoid introducing anything invasive.Make Your Own Bee-Friendly Seed Balls (PDF) be aware that the planting suggestions are specifically for UK residents, but could also work in other places. Just be careful to pick native plants whenever possible to avoid introducing anything invasive.
Create A Community Greenspace (for Bumble Bees) "This guide offers support to community groups, housing associations, local authorities, schools and other organisations who want to develop a bumblebee-friendly greenspace within their community or local area.
It provides guidance on identifying your space, securing funding, designing and creating your space, and of course top tips for enjoying your new bumblebee haven as a community!" (PDFs available in English and Welsh/Cymraeg)
Bee-Friendly Gardening
Autumn/Winter Garden Maintenance Guide "The autumn and winter months can be challenging for our hardworking pollinators, but we can all do something in our outdoor spaces to help bumblebees survive and thrive!
Download this guide to discover how you can create and protect potential hibernation spots for bumblebee queens, prepare for next year with some easy maintenance jobs and autumn/winter planting, and feed the bumblebees who do remain active over winter." The planting suggestions are specifically for UK residents, but could also work in other places. Just be careful to pick native plants whenever possible to avoid introducing anything invasive.
Life Cycles
Bumblebee Lifecycle "Bumblebees are social creatures and have an interesting lifecycle. They live in a nest ruled by a queen who is helped by smaller female (worker) bumblebees."
Identification & Monitoring
Using A Sweep Net by Texas Junior Naturalists offers practical information including links to bug guides by Order.
Europe
UK
Bee the Change "is all about quick, simple ways you can make your local area more bumblebee-friendly.
It doesn’t matter if you live in the city or the countryside. If you have a garden, a flower pot – or no outdoor space at all!"Bumble Bee Species Guide includes maps of each species distribution in the UK (England, Scotland, Wales, plus some islands).
Create A Community Greenspace (for Bumble Bees) "This guide offers support to community groups, housing associations, local authorities, schools and other organisations who want to develop a bumblebee-friendly greenspace within their community or local area.
It provides guidance on identifying your space, securing funding, designing and creating your space, and of course top tips for enjoying your new bumblebee haven as a community!" (PDFs available in English and Welsh/Cymraeg)
North America
Pollinator Conservation Resource Center "Region-specific resources to aid in the planning, establishment, restoration, and maintenance of pollinator habitat.
Welcome to the Pollinator Conservation Resource Center! Here we offer region-specific collections of publications, native plant and seed suppliers, and other resources to aid in planning, establishing, restoring, and maintaining pollinator habitat—as well as materials to help you learn about the various invertebrates you might encounter.
To view resources relevant to where you live and work, start by selecting your region from the map or the list."Regional Milkweed Guides "are a series of regional guides to the native milkweeds of North America."
Organizations
North America
Canada
Pollinator Partnership Canada " is a registered charity dedicated to the protection and promotion of pollinators and their ecosystems through conservation, education, and research."
Maps
International
Butterfly Conservation: Wild Spaces: Put Your Wild Space on the Map "Our interactive map shows the number and types of Wild Space near you. When you sign up in the UK, your Wild Space will also appear on the map so you can show everyone that you're taking action and encourage others to get involved too."
Europe
UK
Bumble Bee Species Guide includes maps of each species distribution in the UK (England, Scotland, Wales, plus some islands).
Butterfly Conservation: Wild Spaces: Put Your Wild Space on the Map "Our interactive map shows the number and types of Wild Space near you. When you sign up in the UK, your Wild Space will also appear on the map so you can show everyone that you're taking action and encourage others to get involved too."
North America
Pollinator Conservation Resource Center (Interactive) "Region-specific resources to aid in the planning, establishment, restoration, and maintenance of pollinator habitat.
Welcome to the Pollinator Conservation Resource Center! Here we offer region-specific collections of publications, native plant and seed suppliers, and other resources to aid in planning, establishing, restoring, and maintaining pollinator habitat—as well as materials to help you learn about the various invertebrates you might encounter.
To view resources relevant to where you live and work, start by selecting your region from the map or the list."
Grants & Funding
Create A Community Greenspace (for Bumble Bees) is a general guide that offers suggestions about how to raise funds in general such as bake sales with a small list of specific grant sources we listed on this Grants & Funding section under Europe,UK.
Europe
UK
National award schemes There are a number of key organisations offering grants and advice to community based projects e.g.
Big Lottery Fund "Groups can apply to us for funding under £20,000, or over £20,001, depending on what they want to do."
Heritage Fund "We fund projects of all sizes that connect people and communities to the UK’s heritage."
Grow Wild UK "Bringing people together to value and enjoy wildflowers and fungi"
North America
USA
Stewardship Grant Program: Seed Ball Kit Grant "provides schools with seed ball materials, including noninvasive seeds, clay, and soil, to plant as food for bees and other pollinators. You will also be granted access to our Asynchronous and Synchronous STEM Lessons through this program."
If you are an educator, remember to check our For Teacher pages, particularly the Grants for Schools page.