Below is the latest results from our survey of Bumblebees on the land. The surveys follow a strict methodology, so a year on year comparison can be given. Thanks to Mate and Eloise for volunteering to carry this out.
| Number of Bumblebees spotted over 45 minutes | Date of survey | ||
| 43 | 27-May-2019 | ||
| 79 | 10-Jun-2019 | ||
| 48 | 27-Jun-2019 | ||
| 53 | 13-Jul-2019 | ||
| 32 | 17-Aug-2019 | ||
| 14 | 7-Sep-2019 | ||
| 269 | Total | ||
| 45 | Average number of Bumblebees per visit | ||
| 47% | Year on Year % increase | ||
It’s likely the weather difference between 2018 and 2019 has made a big difference to these results. In 2018 we had a severe cold spell to start the year and then a near drought situation later in the summer. While the summer of 2019 has mostly been wet and humid.
Note our Honey bee Hives increased to 3 this summer from 2 in 2018, being a 50% increase. We had been told that the Honey bees may outcompete the Bumblebees but so far that’s not been our experience. Bumblebees for example have longer tongues so can use different flowers.
North Kelvin Meadow 