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.
