Get Cumbria Buzzing! Project Officer (Community Engagement), Carolyn Postlethwaite, tells us a little bit more about a winter phenomenon that’s creating a buzz.

 Have you seen any bumblebees this winter?

Bumblebees may not come to mind when you think of winter wildlife, and rightly so, as winter is typically the time for hibernation for most bumblebee species. However, the phenomenon of winter activity in bumblebees is being increasingly recorded in urban areas.

One of the UK’s 24 species of bumblebee, the buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris), has been frequently recorded to have fully active winter colonies in the warmer parts of the UK. Winter-active bumblebees were first observed in southern England in the late 1990’s, but since then this behaviour has been increasingly observed in more and more urban areas and at more northerly sites.

Why are we seeing winter-active bumblebees in urban areas?

This winter activity, so far, has almost only been recorded in towns and cities. It is thought this may be due to the increasing availability of winter-flowering plants and shrubs in our gardens and parks. For example, winter-flowering heathers, Mahonia, Cyclamen, gorse and honeysuckles provide much-needed pollen and nectar sources to these winter-active bumblebees.

But, this phenomenon is still not fully understood.

How far north is this behaviour occurring? Are there winter-active bumblebees in Cumbria? This winter we need your help to find out.

What can I do to help?

Firstly, ensure that your garden has pollinator-friendly flowers all year round, including the winter and early spring. This can provide a life-line to a range of pollinators struggling to find flowers near you due to loss of flower-rich habitat or due to climate change disrupting the seasons and when insects are active.

Secondly, record any and all of your bumblebee and pollinator sightings!

Many pollinators are overlooked and under recorded across Cumbria, so every record counts and helps improve our understanding of how we can help pollinators.

Cumbria Wildlife Trust is looking for volunteers to help record pollinators throughout the year across Cumbria, for the Get Cumbria Buzzing project. Recording is easy; you can start recording using your phone today by downloading the iNaturalist app and joining the Get Cumbria Buzzing iNaturalist project. The project will also run a series of bumblebee and pollinator identification training events in Spring and Summer 2022.

For more information, sign up here: https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/volunteering-opportunities/pollinator-recorders-2022

If you have been lucky enough to spot a bumblebee this winter, please send us the following information to CarolynP@CumbriaWildlifeTrust.org.uk:

Where in Cumbria, if at all, does winter activity occur?

Are species other than Bombus terrestris (buff-tailed bumblebee) involved?

Is winter activity purely an urban phenomenon?

Which species of plants are visited?

What is the nature of visitation - nectaring, pollen collecting or both?

Which caste or sex is involved in visitation, e.g. queens, workers or male bumblebees?

What are the best weather conditions and temperature for activity?