Monday 23 May 2022 01:19 AM Wetlands could be key to saving our bumblebees as they provide essential ... trends now
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Bringing back wild areas such as wetlands could be the best way of saving UK bumblebees, a study has found.
The Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the University of Edinburgh used data from BeeWalk, in which more than 500 volunteers do monthly monitoring.
The team found wetlands and moorland were essential for species such as the moss and the brown-banded carder bee and the bilberry bumblebee. Areas with crops helped rare species like the large garden bumblebee.
Queens and males were linked with scrub, bracken and herbs, which may be good for nesting. Worker bees were found in hedges and lanes, suggesting these are good for providing food.
One third of the UK’s 24 bumblebee species are endangered. Study leader Dr Penelope Whitehorn said: ‘As one