KILDARE WILDLIFE COLUMN: Many bumblebees in Ireland facing extinction

October is the last month of the annual Bumblebee Monitoring Scheme co-ordinated by the National Biodiversity Data Centre. Established in 2012, participating citizen scientists, that is members of the public who identify and record biodiversity, have monthly walked designated transects recording the diversity of bumblebees observed.

The Irish Peatland Conservation Council take part in this survey on our Lullymore West Nature Reserve. Although not part of a designated transect, I came across this red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) during a school visit recently.

The school had allowed an area of their school grounds, not used by students for playing, grow wild and the diversity of wild flowers including red clover and dandelion provided a valuable late source of nectar for this bumblebee.

This is an easy to identify bumblebee due to its black hairy body with distinctive red tail. Unfortunately, since the National Bumblebee Monitoring Scheme began this species of bumblebee is now considered near threatened with extinction. It is also not the only bumblebee that has recorded declines in populations. Ireland has twenty one different bumblebee species, today four of these are considered endangered, a further two are vulnerable to extinction with the red-tailed bumblebee and three others near threatened with extinction.

Many of Ireland’s most common bumblebees are also showing trends of moderate and severe decline in populations.

Monitoring of species through local identification and submitting your observation to the National Biodiversity Data Centre is so important to identify those species that need our help urgently.

While autumn is upon us now is the time to consider your garden planting plan for next year to ensure you choose pollinator friendly plants.

Over the coming weeks it will be our last opportunity to watch for bumblebees in our communities as they will soon begin their winter hibernation, choosing loose soil and earth to create a nest in for the colder winter months.

You might also consider creating one of these hibernation grounds in an area of your garden.

Don’t forget if you come across a wildlife species that you would like help identifying I would be happy to help, contact me at [email protected].