According to the latest findings of the BeeWalk national bumblebee monitoring scheme run by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, 2024 was the worst year for bumblebees in the UK since records began in 2010
The charity says that across Great Britain, bumblebee numbers declined by almost a quarter (22.5%) compared to the 2010-2023 average. It points out that Britain’s 24 species of bumblebee are iconic insects which also play a vital role in pollinating crops and wildflowers, making their decline a major ecological concern.
‘Expanding conservation efforts, a greater emphasis on habitat restoration, and continued monitoring are all key to safeguarding their future,’ the organisation said in a statement. ‘The immediate cause of the 2024 declines is likely to have been the cold and wet conditions from late April through June. The poor spring and early summer weather severely impacted 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.’
As a result, species that typically reach their maximum abundance in June or July (such as species White-tailed (Bombus lucorum s.l.)and Red-tailed (Bombus lapidarius) bumblebees suffered dramatically, with numbers falling 60% and 74% respectively.
Other species affected include the tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum), down 39%; and garden bumblebee (Bombus hortorum) with numbers down 12.5%. 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 on record.
Species which usually reach their maximum abundance in August, including many rarer British species, displayed mixed trends last year, with heath bumblebees (Bombus jonellus) up 63% due to a strong second generation and Brown-banded Carder bumblebees (Bombus humilis) up 13%, while the Common Carder bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum) and Moss Carder bumblebee (Bombus muscorum) were down 16% and 34% respectively.
Dr Amy Plowman, head of conservation and science at the Trust, commented, “Sadly, this year’s results show the worst counts on record, with particularly worrying drops in numbers for the White-tailed and Red-tailed bumblebee. These findings highlight the urgent need for action to protect our vital pollinators. We are incredibly grateful to our dedicated BeeWalkers whose commitment to citizen science allows us to track their populations, and we need everyone to help us to secure their future.”
