Bumblebees of the UK Part 1 with The Biological Recording Company

The UK is home to 24 species of bumblebee, including 6 species of cuckoo bumblebee. These important pollinators are social insects, with fascinating ecology and life cycles,

This presentation will explore “The Big 8” most common bumblebees occurring in the United Kingdom. We’ll discuss how these species can be distinguished from one another and delve into interesting aspects of their ecology and behaviour. We’ll look at their geographic distributions and consider their rarity and conservation status.

At the end of the session, learners should feel more comfortable submitting records of the following species to iRecord:

• Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
• White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum)
• Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
• Heath Bumblebee (Bombus jonellus)
• Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)
• Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
• Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)
• Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)

The 90-minute event will consist of a 1-hour presentation followed by a Q&A with the tutor using questions provided by the live audience. The presentation will be recorded be made available following the event to those booked alongside a transcript of the Q&A and useful links.

Book your place via Eventbrite.

This webinar is the first in a series of 3 webinars covering the 26 species of bumblebee that occur or have recently gone extinct in the UK. Part 2 will focus on the rare and localised species and Part 3 will focus on the cuckoo bumblebees and the two species that have recently gone extinct in the UK.