The British bumblebee fauna consists of 25 species, comprising of 19 Bombus species and 6 Psithyrus species. Three of the 19 Bombus species are now thought to be extinct in the British Isles. The remaining bumblebees are found throughout mainland Britain, but comparing each species' present distribution with records made before 1960 reveals substantial changes in a number of species. These changes include drastic reductions in the distributional ranges of several species including Bombus sylvarum, B. humilis, B. muscorum, B. monticola, B. ruderatus, B. soroeensis, B. ruderarius and B. distinguendus. There is also anecdotal evidence to suggest that even the most ubiquitous species have undergone declines in abundance throughout the UK.
Loss of suitable habitat to agricultural intensification is widely accepted to be the main contributing factor to the decline of all of these species. Other important factors are thought to be: Use of pesticides, decline of Fabaceae plants in the UK, edge of range effects, and genetic isolation caused by habitat fragmentation
Much of the research into bumblebee ecology and behaviour has focused on the more common species: B. terrestris, B. lucorum, B. lapidarius, B. pratorum, B. pascuorum, and B. hortorum. Researching these species, although providing us with insights into general bumblebee ecology and behaviour, does not provide us with information about the differences in the ecology between these and the rarer species. For there to be differential declines between species, it seems likely that there are differences between the bees' ecological requirements and/or behaviour. Insufficient knowledge of these differences means that there may well be a variety factors contributing to their decline that are as yet not understood.
Bumblebees play a vital role in ecosystems. They are responsible for the pollination of a large number of wild plants, sometimes exclusively so. They also play an important role in commercial pollination. Reductions in their abundance and distribution could have significant knock-on effects on plant communities and the organisms dependent upon those communities. It is for these reasons, as well as the importance of protecting genetic diversity, that necessitates the study and protection of these species.
Although much more research is required, there are currently a variety of studies and projects occurring around the UK. All of them aim to provide us with more information about these fascinating and valuable invertebrates. This website is design to be a directory of the institutions, organisations and individuals carrying out and supporting this research. On the bumblebee research page you will find brief summaries of the work currently being undertaken and links and contact details for the people involved.
Bumblebee research - Events - Links - Contact details
Last updated 24th May 2006
