From New Zealand to Kent...

Last modified: 01 June 2009

Short-haired bumblebee - Dave Goulson

One of our nature reserves is to be at the forefront of an innovative project to bring an endangered bumblebee back home to England.

The short-haired bumblebee was last found in England at Dungeness in 1988.

It is now extinct in this country but descendents from the English population are still found in New Zealand. Numbers of short-haired bumblebees were transported there in late nineteenth century to pollinate crops to feed cattle. The bees established small populations on the South Island of New Zealand, but remain unprotected and under threat.

Coming home

A century on, a small number of bees are to be transported back across the globe for the re-introduction scheme announced today (Monday 1 June 2009) by Natural England, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust (BBCT), RSPB and Hymettus.

"Our reserve at Dungeness was the last place where this bee was found in the UK, so it’s fitting it should be the place where we try to reintroduce it."

Malcolm Ausden, Senior Reserves Ecologist at the RSPB, said: “The loss of this bumblebee is a prime example of the pressures faced by the UK’s natural environment. The RSPB is committed to protecting our rich array of wildlife. Our reserve at Dungeness was the last place where this bee was found in the UK, so it’s fitting it should be the place where we try to reintroduce it.

“For the past seven years, a huge amount of work has been done to improve the site for bumblebees. We’ve encouraged the flowering plants they love and it is already a haven for many bumblebees but it is not often you get a chance to bring back a species which has been lost. With the short-haired bumblebee, the New Zealand population gives us an opportunity to do just that.”

The project hinges on further development of healthy bumblebee habitat at RSPB Dungeness and the surrounding area. Phase one of the project this year will see reserve staff and local farmers build and develop existing wildflower sites to support the pollinating powers of bumblebees.

A valuable asset

Larry Cooke, arable and sheep farmer, Romney Marsh, said: “Decreasing bumblebee populations will cause a decline in pollination of our important agricultural crops and food production will be seriously affected. We need to realise the value of our bumblebees and the impact of their decline."

Poul Christensen, Natural England’s Acting Chair, said: “Bumblebees are suffering unprecedented international declines and drastic action is required to aid their recovery. Bumblebees play a key role in maintaining food supplies - we rely on their ability to pollinate crops and we have to do all we can to provide suitable habitat and to sustain the diversity of bee species. This international rescue mission has two aims – to restore habitat in England, thereby giving existing bees a boost; and to bring the short-haired bumblebee home where it can be protected”.

Professor Dave Goulson, of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust (BBCT), said: "BBCT are tremendously excited to be part of this project to repatriate one of our loveliest insects from the other side of the globe. Conserving bumblebees in all their diversity is vital if we are to keep healthy populations of the many wildflowers that they pollinate."

The short-haired bumblebee project will now begin exploring opportunities for bringing over small numbers of bees under licence from New Zealand, and will aim to develop a captive breeding program through which populations could be re-introduced onto selected sites in southern England.