WMT #14: Yorkshire Buzzers
The 14th cache of the series, a camo-taped 35mm film pot, is hidden alongside the ancient, tree-lined brideway called Bury Lane as it descends back down the lower slopes of Rombald's Moor towards Riddlesden.
Along the trail, you will have hopefully (because they are in serious decline) seen some of these creatures busy doing their vital work in pollinating plants, thereby enabling production of fruit and seeds for the next generation . . .
Many of the >270 wild British bee species can be found in Yorkshire including the eight common bumblebee species (out of a total of 24), some of the less common bumblebee species and a large number of solitary bee species. Dandelions flowering along roadside verges are an ideal place to spot solitary bees, and foxgloves, thistles and brambles along field margins or woodland glades are great locations for bumblebees.
Bumblebees differ from other bees in being larger and covered in thick hair.
1. The buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) queen is large and impressive. She has a mustard-yellow bands on her thorax and abdomen and a buff coloured tail. However workers have a white tail and are similar to white-tailed bumblebee workers. In a 2015 poll it was voted Britain's favourite insect by a wide margin with 40.5% of the vote.
2. The white-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lucorum) is similar to the buff-tailed bumblebee, although slightly slimmer and with lemon-yellow bands and a white tail. As workers of both species have white tails, they cannot be separated in the field.
3. The red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) queen and workers are black with and red tail, although this can fade, or appear orange, in bright sunlight.
4. The early (nesting) bumblebee (Bombus pratorum) queen has a yellow band on her thorax and her abdomen, and a small orange tail. Despite her small size, she emerges early in the spring and starts a small colony.
5. The common carder bee (Bombus pascuorum) is completely brownish and ‘cards’ moss and grass together to form a nest at the base of a clump of grass.
6. The garden bumblebee (Bombus hortorum) has two yellow bands on the thorax, a yellow band on the abdomen, a white tail and a long face. It is often found foraging on foxgloves.
7. The heath bumblebee (Bombus jonellus) looks like the garden bumblebee but is smaller and has a short face. It is often found on heathland foraging from heather.
8. The tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) was 1st recorded in the south of England in 2001, but is now common across the British Isles, including Yorkshire. With its distinctive colour pattern (ginger thorax, black abdomen and white tail), it can be easily identified and is often found in urban habitats and gardens where they sometimes nest in holes in trees, bird boxes or the eaves of buildings.
See here for an excellent hour-long video on how to identify common UK garden bees.
Bees can be supported at home by growing nectar-producing flowers in the garden (even if it is a window-box!) - generally bees prefer daisy and bell shaped flowers - avoiding the use of insecticides and other garden chemicals, and by providing safe homes for them to shelter in and hibernate over winter.
To make a suitable nest, bury a medium size clay flowerpot in the ground in a dry, sheltered location, preferably warmed by the sun. Use a short piece of pipe (old hosepipe will do) to make an access tunnel. Put some nesting material inside: bits of dry grass, moss, material from an abandoned birds’ nest or bedding for small rodent pets. Don’t use cotton wool as this can get caught up in the bees’ feet.
For the ultimate bee residence you can construct a ‘bug hotel’ (check on YouTube) which will also provide a home for many other types of invertebrates.
A few QI bee facts:
1. Insect pollination is worth £690 million to UK crops each year. 76% of globally important commercial crops depend on insect pollination, equivalent to 1/3 of the food we eat.
2. The average hive produces about 11kg of honey during a season - about 24 jars. Bees must fly about 55,000 miles to make each pound of honey.
3. Not all bees produce honey: solitary bees live on their own, don't have a queen, or live in hives.
4. A single honeybee hive consists of a queen, 100s of male drones and 1,000s of female workers. See here for a fascinating short video on honeybees, wild bee decline, pollination and food security and why we are saving the wrong bees.
5. Bee numbers are falling across the world. In the UK 2 bumblebee species are already extinct and 35 other species face extinction. This is mainly due to 3 major threats: pesticides applied to food crops, the varroa mite (affects honey bees) and habitat loss - particularly wild spaces, hedgerows and wild flower meadows (which have decreased by over 97% since the 1930s). See here for a short video explaining the causes of death of bees. Fortunately bee populations and diversity can increase rapidly with improved habitat.
See here for a great BBC video on the secret life of London's bees, here for another on clever queen bumblebees (narrated by David Attenborough.
