The short-haired bumblebee collecting pollen from a clover flower. The species was imported to New Zealand from Britain in 1885, now it is making the return journey.
Credit: Dave Goulson
GUILFORD, U.K.: Short-haired bumblebees, which were last seen in England two decades ago, are set to make a comeback if a project to reintroduce them from New Zealand is successful.
A team led by Nikki Gammans from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, in Scotland, aims to collect up to 100 short-haired bumblebee queens from New Zealand for re-introduction to England. After rearing and breeding, the bees will be transported and released in June 2010.
The reintroduction is doubly significant as "Bombus subterraneus is threatened in New Zealand because the European flowers on which the bee depends are becoming unwelcome," said Gammens.
Export to New Zealand
The project was presented this week at British Science Festival, taking place in Guilford, England.
The same species was introduced to New Zealand from Britain in 1885. The short-haired bumblebee was one of four species imported because New Zealand has no native bumblebees, and European colonists needed these long-tongued species to pollinate red clover used as cattle fodder. The species is also useful for pollinating crops such as peas and beans.
Numerous early attempts to introduce it there failed, hampered by problems with keeping the insects cool during the sea crossing and with mould-ridden moss in which the hibernating bees were kept.
For the current reintroduction project, Gammans and her team will draw on the experience of breeding experts from the Czech Republic who specialise in keeping the short-haired bumblebee.
Re-establishing natural habitat
"This particular species needs to be kept in polystyrene boxes at 5°C, and enclosed in aerated hair rollers corked at each end during transportation by plane," she said. "We also need to take great care that we do not introduce parasites or other diseases into the U.K. from abroad."
Short-haired bumblebees were once widespread across the south of England but declined due to a loss of habitat. England's wild flower meadows in particular have reduced by 98% over the last 70-odd years largely due to the transition to intensive modern farming methods.
The reintroduction will take place in Dungeness, Kent, the site where the species was last recorded in 1988. "By improving habitats to maximise the chances of a successful reintroduction we will be helping many other threatened bumblebee species in the area," said Gammans.
Farmers in Kent and across the England are being offered the chance to participate in habitat redevelopment through a scheme which pays them to plant red clover in hedgerows.
Brian Banks, an ecologist with Swift Ecology, a consultancy in Kineton, England, believes it is an ideal time to bring the short-haired bumblebee back due to unprecedented support from the community.
"The bumblebee has had a tough 30 years in Britain but now we have support from farmers who are planting red clover in the Romney marsh [Kent]," he said. "This species is set to be the flagship for bumblebee conservation throughout England."
Other partners in the project include the British government advisory body, Natural England; the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), and Hymettus, a bee conservation charity.
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