Good to bee back! Extinct species returns to Britain after 24 years

by - 29/05/2012

"A bumblebee declared extinct 24 years ago has been reintroduced to Britain.

Fifty short-haired bumblebees were released this morning at a reserve in Dungeness, Kent where they had once thrived.

The species used to be widespread in England but popula"

A bumblebee declared extinct 24 years ago has been reintroduced to Britain.

Fifty short-haired bumblebees were released this morning at a reserve in Dungeness, Kent where they had once thrived.

The species used to be widespread in England but populations collapsed and it was last seen in 1988.

For the past three years, farmers and local residents have been growing nectar-rich flowers such as vetches and red clover on their borders and meadows in preparation for their arrival, and setting up green ‘corridors’ linking farmland and nature reserves.

It is hoped the measures will help the bees create new colonies and re-populate other parts of the country.

The short-haired is one of 27 species of wild bumblebee native to the UK. In previous decades, it was widespread in the south-east but also seen as far afield as Yorkshire and Cornwall.

Scientists backed by Natural England, the RSPB and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust captured 100 bees from a healthy population of the same species living in Sweden in April.

They were put in temporary hibernation and brought over to a quarantine facility at the Royal Holloway University in Surrey, for two weeks where they were screened for foreign parasites.

Half the batch were released yesterday morning at a wildlife reserve in Dungeness.

Dr Nikki Gammans, the project leader, said reintroducing species into the UK had worked in the past with the red kite and the large blue butterfly.

She said: ‘It’s a really exciting new scientific procedure, something which hadn’t been attempted before with bumble bees. It’s very exciting for the bee species to get a second chance.’

The short-haired bee population declined rapidly over a 60-year period mainly due to habitat loss. Since 1950, Britain has lost 97 per cent of its flowering meadows.

Over the summer, the researchers will closely monitor the bee numbers and see if they expand into new areas.

Bees are vital for pollinating most of our food crops. A recent report by Friends of the Earth estimated pollination by hand would cost £1.8billion pounds a year.

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust said the project showed using ‘bee friendly practices’ in food production could be successful for farmers and bees.

The conservation efforts in the area have already boosted numbers of other rare bees and helped other endangered creatures such as farmland birds and the brown hare.

Poul Christensen, chairman of Natural England said: ‘The return of one of Britain’s lost species is a cause for celebration.

‘This is a great example of the type of dedicated partnership between farmers, scientists and conservation organisations that can make a real difference for wildlife in this country.’
The project is part of Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme which tries to boost populations of rare insects, birds and mammals.

More Details: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2151125/Short-haired-bumblebee-reintroduced-Britain-Extinct-species-returns-24-years.html?ito=feeds-newsxml