June 2015

I am a long way from Pett as I write this; in fact I am about a 14 hour drive and a ferry crossing away as I am in Sweden collecting bumblebees.   As many of you may know, I volunteer for the short-haired bumblebee reintroduction project.  The aim of the project is to reintroduce a bumblebee that became extinct in the UK in 2000, and we are here in Sweden collecting queen bumblebees for release at Dungeness in the hope of swelling the population that resulted from previous years' releases.  The collection has proved more difficult this year as the spring has been delayed by cold winds and rain.  Normally the queens will emerge from hibernation when the temperature reaches 18 degrees C for three days in succession.  So far that hasn’t happened in Sweden as they have had the same cold winds as Pett has this year.  Of course, it is possible that temperatures won’t reach 18 degrees for many weeks to come and there are limits to how long the bees can stay in hibernation before their fat reserves are used up.  So it appears that they have a back-up plan, and that they are able to detect changes in day length like many other hibernating or migratory animals do.  Just how they do that is not clear as they are underground in the dark, but it is possible that growing plants make subtle changes to soil chemistry that can be detected by the bees.  However they do it, they are emerging, though their emergence seems to be staggered over a longer period, which means that we won’t be able to collect as many this year as we have in previous years. 

One of the queens from the 2012 release on Yellow Flag Iris

It is interesting to note the differences in nature between Pett and Sweden.  Sweden is further North than the UK so they have a shorter summer, but longer day lengths.  Despite the cooler temperatures, their nature seems more abundant and healthier than ours.  For example, last night I saw a hedgehog running past our campsite – I can’t remember when I last saw a hedgehog in the UK, but it is many years ago.  Today while I was out looking for bees, I saw a group of 8 hares gather together and then run off in two separate parties.  I've seen many hares in the UK but never more than two together.  I think part of the reason for this is less intensive farming.  Though it’s hard to tell from a 10-day visit there seems to be evidence of crop rotation, and we have seen several large fields sown with clover, presumably as nitrogen-fixing green manure – a much ‘greener’ idea than chemical fertilizers.  Swedish farmers may, like their UK counterparts, take advantage of subsidies for land set aside and managed for wildlife.  In addition to that, field edges and roadside verges are left uncut in most places which allows a diverse mix of wildflowers and grasses to grow.

And now up to her haunches for her first UK nectar

One of the wildflower species that thrives and is essential forage for the bumblebees is white dead-nettle.  This is the preferred pollen and nectar source for the short-haired bumblebee and we spend our days here searching for patches of white dead-nettle and searching each patch for bumblebees.  This can get quite monotonous and you can end up dreaming about endless patches of white dead-nettle.  By the end of the collection none of us will want to look at another white dead-nettle for a long, long time.

Short-haired bumblebee on White Dead-nettle

If you are wondering how gentle these creatures are, then after being caught, cooped up and transported far from home, this one could be forgiven for being a bit tetchy.
But here she is happily sitting on Maya's hand, cleaning herself and taking advantage of warm skin and sunshine - and not a sting in sight.  They can sting, and they do, but you have to really handle them roughly to provoke a sting.