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Provide food by growing flowering cherries, blackthorn and sallows for females in spring and a variety of plants including: knapweeds, thistles, lavender and wallflowers for new males and females in summer.
Go on, give your garden a bumble-boost with Bee kind.

Shrill carder bee conservation strategy launched

Led by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and working with Buglife, a group of leading conservationists have teamed up, committed to work together to save the rarest bumblebee in England and Wales, the Shrill carder bee (Bombus sylvarum).

The Shrill carder bee is a distinctive bumblebee which can be identified by its pale grey-yellow colouring, a black band of hair between the wings and reddish-orange tail, and a noticeably high pitched buzz. Over recent years their habitat has diminished and they are now only found in a few locations in England and Wales.

Guided by the newly published Shrill carder bee conservation strategy, the group will collect scientific evidence on current Shrill carder bee populations, work with landowners to create a network of flower-rich landscapes to support the Shrill carder’s recovery, and raise awareness amongst the wider public to deliver this multi-year vision to create a landscape where this rare bee can survive and thrive.

To read the latest news and full report, visit the Bumblebee Conservation Trust News page.  

Photo: Shrill carder bee by Claire Fidler