UK bumblebee numbers fell to lowest on record in 2024, shows data
Figures show 2024 was the worst year for bumblebees in the UK since records began.
Bumblebee numbers declined by almost a quarter compared with the 2010-2023 average, according to data from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. The researchers said the drop was probably due to the cold and wet conditions in the UK last spring.
According to the Met Office, many areas of the country experienced more than double, and in some cases triple, the usual amount of rainfall for the time of year in March, April and May.
The poor spring and early summer weather severely affected many species in their most vulnerable period, the colony establishment stage, where queen bumblebees function as single mothers and must feed themselves and their growing larvae while also incubating the nest.
The 24 species of British bumblebee play a vital role in pollinating crops and wildflowers, making their decline a major ecological concern.
Species that typically reach their maximum abundance – the total number of individuals of a species present in a given area – in June or July suffered dramatically. Observations of white-tailed and red-tailed bumblebees, both common species, fell by 60% and 74% respectively.
Other species affected include the garden bumblebee, tree bumblebee, southern cuckoo bumblebee and buff-tailed bumblebee.
Expanding conservation efforts, a greater emphasis on habitat restoration, and continued monitoring are all key to safeguarding their future, the researchers said.
As weather conditions improved in July and August, bumblebees were able to stage a partial recovery but 2024 still had the second-worst July and August counts since the trust's records began in 2011.
Dr Richard Comont, the science manager at the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, said this was due to the already dwindling numbers of bumblebees in the UK being affected by further obstacles like changes to the weather: 'We've got smaller, weaker populations of a lot of these bumblebees because of long-term habitat changes. We know that bumblebees were struggling anyway and smaller weaker populations are less able to respond to changes, they don't have that resilience.
'Although there's loads of bumblebees in midsummer, they all come from very small numbers that emerge from hibernation in the spring.'
Comont said individuals could play a part in supporting the bees: 'The key thing is having big populations because big populations are resilient populations. All of the stuff you see about planting flowers in your garden, letting wildflowers grow, not using pesticides; all of that standard advice around increasing pollinator populations, not just bumblebees, that will allow us to have larger populations of pollinators.'
The Guardian is asking readers to nominate species for the second annual invertebrate of the year competition. Read more about it and make your suggestions here or by via the form below.
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