Bumblebee Survey Walks

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Dwayne Tate
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1 Bumblebee Survey Walks Funded by Heritage Lottery Fund, Environment Agency, National Trust, Natural England, Severn Trent Water, United Utilities & Yorkshire Water

2 A little housekeeping.before we start 1. Toilets 2. Tea, coffee and breaks 3. In the event of a fire. 4. Timetable for the day

Bumblebee ecology and ID of target species Upland habitats How to conduct the

3 Structure of the training session 1. Presentation covering; The Community Science Project Why monitor bumblebees Bumblebee ecology and ID of target species Upland habitats How to conduct the survey Submitting records How data will be used Barney Livingston 2. Practical session to test the survey methodology 3. Feedback

4 The Community Science Project MoorCitizens

The Community Science Project An initiative launched by the Moors for the Future Partnership in 2013, (funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund) to get members of the public collecting data over a long

5 The Community Science Project An initiative launched by the Moors for the Future Partnership in 2013, (funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund) to get members of the public collecting data over a long period of time to understand how moorlands and the species they support are responding to climate change. Data collected will help to: Monitor changes in the physical environment e.g. peat depth, water table depth. Monitor species responses to climate change e.g. changes in abundance or distribution. Adapt conservation management in response to these changes.

Opportunities for involvement There are three different levels of monitoring to

Environmental monitoring Regular monitoring of fixed site Physical variables e.g. peat quality For people with lots of time to commit.

group For regular visitors. Clem Rutter 3.

6 Opportunities for involvement There are three different levels of monitoring to get involved with. 1. Environmental monitoring Regular monitoring of fixed site Physical variables e.g. peat quality For people with lots of time to commit. 2. Targeted monitoring Regular monitoring of a particular species or species group For regular visitors. Clem Rutter 3. Opportunistic monitoring One off species surveys for casual visitors E.g. pick up a postcard from a Visitor Centre and post it back.

7 Targeted Monitoring 2014: Why bumblebees?

Loss of flowers for forage, loss of suitable nest sites, use of pesticides.

8 Why monitor bumblebees? Many species declining rapidly in Britain and other parts of their distribution. Two species have gone extinct in the UK and many more threatened. Loss of flowers for forage, loss of suitable nest sites, use of pesticides. Barney Livingston Climate change is another driver of change they must cope with. Potential loss of biodiversity and pollinator services wild plants and crops. Important to track population trends early warning system. Mike Faherty

9 Introducing bumblebees

10 Bumblebee Facts Order Hymenoptera, the same as other bee species, wasps, sawflies and ants. All bumblebees are of the genus Bombus ie: Bombus monticola. 250 species worldwide, mostly in the Northern Hemisphere. 24 species in the UK, with only 8 of those found commonly across the country. They are naturally predated on by birds, wasps, spiders and badgers who like the honey are larvae. While foraging, bumblebees can reach ground speeds of up to 15 metres per second (33mph!)

11 Bumblebee Facts Like honeybees, they feed on nectar and gather pollen to feed their young. Their soft fuzzy hair, called pile is a familiar characteristic of the bumblebee and helps insulate them against the cold. They form social colonies, but with fewer members than honey bees. Some mature colonies may hold only 50 bumblebees. Bumblebees can travel up to 2km from their nests to find flower patches. Unlike honeybees, they don t communicate through dance!

12 Bumblebee castes Queen hibernates (winter) Queen forages and builds nest (spring) Queen lays egg that develop into workers (early summer) Mated queens forage to build reserves for hibernation. Males, workers and old queen die (late summer) Queen continues to lay eggs and workers forage and maintain nest (summer) Some eggs develop into new queens and males (late summer)

13 Bumblebee ID tips Distinguishing between species:- Habitat, distribution, time of year (Atlas/field guide) Size Colouring/banding on head, thorax and abdomen Colouring and size vary within species, between queens, workers and males. Also some variability between individuals. Head Thorax Abdomen Image Courtesy of Aka

Bilberry bumblebee (Bombus monticola) Why we re interested A cold-loving species of uplands, expected to decline in the Peak District in response to climate change.

14 Bilberry bumblebee (Bombus monticola) Why we re interested A cold-loving species of uplands, expected to decline in the Peak District in response to climate change. Key features to look out for Fairly small (12-16 mm long) Over half of the base of the abdomen is red Two lemon yellow bands on the thorax Could be confused with the early bumblebee or males of the red-tailed bumblebee but neither of these have as much red on their tail.

15 Bilberry bumblebee (Bombus monticola) Ken Gartside

16 Bilberry bumblebee (Bombus monticola)

17 Bilberry Bumblebee s Favourite Flowers Birds-foot trefoil Bilberry! White clover Heathers

Tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) Why we re interested First seen in the UK in 2000 and rapidly expanding northwards. Climate change likely to be a contributing factor. Expected to increase in the UK.

18 Tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) Why we re interested First seen in the UK in 2000 and rapidly expanding northwards. Climate change likely to be a contributing factor. Expected to increase in the UK. Key features to look out for Another fairly small species (14-18 mm) Black head, thorax tawny to dark brown, white end to abdomen. Could be confused with the common carder bumblebee but this species does not have a white tail. Andre Karwath

19 Tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) Ken Gartside

20 Tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)

21 Tree Bumblebee s Favourite Flowers Daises and other wide-open flowers Blackberry bushes (shown here with a tree bee feeding!)

Key features to look out for Jeffdelonge Queens (20-22 mm long) and workers (11-16 mm long) all black with orange tail

22 Red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) Why we re interested Fairly widespread in the UK and expanding in Scotland. Less common in the uplands but this may change in response to climate change. Key features to look out for Jeffdelonge Queens (20-22 mm long) and workers (11-16 mm long) all black with orange tail Males (14-16 mm long) have yellow facial hairs and yellow bands on thorax. Only species it could be confused with in the Peak District is the Bilberry bumblebee. Courtesy of Magadan

23 Red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) Ken Gartside

24 Red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)

25 Red-tailed Bumblebee s Favourite Flowers Knapweed Especially yellow flowers like Gorse Birds-foot trefoil (and other vetchs) Scabious

Bumblebee ID tips Bumblebee mimics Hoverflies and bee-flies mimic

They hover and have a light, darting flight; bumblebees fly slowly and

Flies have one pair of wings, bumblebees have two.

Some mining bees can be confused but have thinner, longer abdomens and

26 Bumblebee ID tips Bumblebee mimics Hoverflies and bee-flies mimic bumblebees. They hover and have a light, darting flight; bumblebees fly slowly and make a distinctive buzzing sound. Flies have one pair of wings, bumblebees have two. Solitary bees of the genus Anthophora are smaller and very fast fliers. Some mining bees can be confused but have thinner, longer abdomens and nipped in at waist. Courtesy of Anton Courtesy of Jeffdelonge Courtesy of Aiwok Bee fly Bombylis major Hoverfly Volucella bombylans Solitary bee Anthophora plumipes Courtesy of Martin Andersson Mining bee Andrena fulva

Common look-alikes Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascorum) Can easily be confused with Bilberry Bumblebee or occasionally the Tree Bumblebee. What makes it different.

27 Common look-alikes Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascorum) Can easily be confused with Bilberry Bumblebee or occasionally the Tree Bumblebee. What makes it different. It is ginger and hairy all over Any banding on the bee is all over There is no other colouring on this bee The Bilberry Bumblebee only has banding on the abdomen, and its other colour is lemon yellow. The Tree Bumblebee has a distinctive white tip (with 3 distinct colours ginger, black, white)

Common look-alikes White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum) Buff-tailed

White-tailed Bumblebee What makes them different.

28 Common look-alikes White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum) Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) Can often be confused with ONLY the male Red-tailed Bumblebee. The male has yellow banding on its head and thorax / waist. White-tailed Bumblebee What makes them different. They have a white, not a red tail Buff-tailed Bumblebee The Red-tailed Bumblebee has a distinctive red tip to its tail. Also, don t confuse with Bilberry Bumblebee.

29 Common look-alikes Ken Gartside TREE BUMBLEBEE Note tawny thorax only, black abdomen, white tail COMMON CARDER BUMBLEBEE Tawny all over, no other colouring, no white tail

30 Common look-alikes BILBERRY BUMBLEBEE Note lemon yellow banding and most of abdomen red and lightly striped MALE RED-TAILED BUMBLEBEE Note bright yellow banding and only tip of tail red

Tip of tail red BUFF TAILED BUMBLEBEE Wide yellow banding on

31 Common look-alikes MALE RED-TAILED BUMBLEBEE Narrow yellow banding on thorax only. Tip of tail red BUFF TAILED BUMBLEBEE Wide yellow banding on thorax and upper abdomen. Tip of tail on queens a dirty white/cream or orangey colour. Workers have whiter tails.

32 Introducing upland habitats

Habitats Acid grasslands: Dominated by grasses and herbs.

rarer plants such as the greater butterfly orchid.

33 Habitats Acid grasslands: Dominated by grasses and herbs. Found on a range of lime-deficient soils derived from acid rocks such as sandstones and gritstones. Purple moor grass and rush Usually species-poor, but some patches are home to rarer plants such as the greater butterfly orchid. Often dominated by Purple Moor Grass (Molinia caerulea), Mat Grass (Nardus stricta) and Wavy Hair Grass (Deschampsia flexuosa) in the Peak. Wavy hair grass Greater butterfly orchid

Typically found on poor, acid, often sandy, well drained soils, hence known as dry heath.

34 Habitats Heath/moorlands: Dominated by heathers, and dwarf shrubs like bilberry and crowberry and larger bushes such as gorse. Typically found on poor, acid, often sandy, well drained soils, hence known as dry heath. Waterlogged moors become peat generating bogs, some can be rich in sphagnum mosses. Typical heathland and bilberry with a heavy (and tasty) crop.

Habitats Acid bogs: Hare s tail cotton grass Wet, peat forming

Mix of vegetation, but most commonly seen with cotton grasses

35 Habitats Acid bogs: Hare s tail cotton grass Wet, peat forming sites created by the build-up of sphagnum mosses that retain water and decay slowly. Blanket bogs atop the hills in the Peak District. Mix of vegetation, but most commonly seen with cotton grasses and other mosses like star moss (Polytrichum spp)/ Shrubs also found but do not dominate as on dry-heaths. Star moss Sphagnum moss

It is a very successful plant (it is poisonous) that dominates, creating

36 Habitats Bracken hillsides: Bracken is a species fern common in the hills in the Peak District. It is a very successful plant (it is poisonous) that dominates, creating a distinctive habitat lacking in many other species. It s thick cover provides nesting sites for birds and invertebrates alike.

37 Other resources ID and further information Field guides FSC laminate guide (do not all bumblebee species) What s that Bumblebee? ID guide. Bumblebee Conservation Trust, page fold out laminate guide. Field Guide to the bumblebees of Great Britain and Ireland. Revised Edition. Edwards M and Jenner M, UK: Ocelli. pp Includes information on distribution, habitat, time of year. Websites Bumblebee Conservation Trust bumblebeeconservation.org Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society ispot BeeWatch homepages.abdn.ac.uk/wpn003/beewatch The Natural History Museum website -

38 Transect monitoring

39 Transect monitoring Based on Bumblebee Conservation Trust s BeeWalk methodology. Network of fixed route transects 1-2 km long. Transects split into sections based on habitat and landmarks. Numbers of each target species plus any others seen in each section recorded. Same route walked several times per year and over many years. Standardised methodology and repeated visits to the same sites should provide highquality long-term data to reliably detect changes in abundance.

40 Transect monitoring 1. Where to survey 9 core transect areas on or near the Pennine Way between Edale (Kinder) and Holme (Black Hill). Maps and survey forms are available to download on the Community Science Project website or on request. Or if you ve surveyed them all and want to establish your own, come and speak to us.

Transect monitoring 2. When to survey Transects will ideally be walked once per month from March to October (preferably a similar time each month). More often is better, but.

41 Transect monitoring 2. When to survey Transects will ideally be walked once per month from March to October (preferably a similar time each month). More often is better, but.. Need to survey when it is warm and/or sunny, with little wind and no rain! Transects should ideally be walked between 11 am and 5 pm. Use our Facebook Group (link from the website) to discuss with others what transects have not been surveyed recently and ID queries.

42 Transect monitoring 3. What to take with you Map of the transect and OS map A copy of the Survey Guide A camera to takes photos for verification Binoculars to get close up views to help with ID Risk assessment Download from - ebee-surveys

43 Transect monitoring 4. Health and Safety - available from website Please ensure that you are aware of the risks involved in moorland surveying and use your common sense. Don t forget to: Wear appropriate footwear for rough ground. Check the weather forecast before you go out. Wear appropriate clothing, and take additional layers. Take a hat or sunscreen it is easy to get burnt on the hill. Do not survey alone, and carry a mobile phone. Beware of bites and stings wear long-sleeved tops and trousers. Do not handle bumblebees or other animals. Please take care of the moors - do not smoke, and take your litter home.

44 Transect monitoring 5. Conducting the survey Fill in the details at the top of the form. This information will help when analysing the data. Leave the wind and sun sections until the end and circle the predominant conditions.

45 Transect monitoring 5. Conducting the survey Walk the transect at a slow and steady pace. Maximum of 2 spotters. Record all the bumblebees 2m to each side 2m in front and 2m above the ground. On wide paths walk to sides (one on each side). Do not linger where you think you will see bumblebees. 2 m Note the number of individuals of each target species (or others seen) in each section. Plus the total number of non target species. 2 m 2 m

46 Transect monitoring 6. During the survey Follow the instructions on section transitions on the back of the survey form. Use the distances in the section numbers Use the map as a guide If you have a GPS, enter the section coordinates (listed on the map) in to your GPS as waypoints and go to each waypoint in turn.

47 Transect monitoring 7. At the end of the survey Enter finish time at top of form. Enter the predominant weather conditions during the survey. Comments:- Changes in habitat from previous survey or transect map Changes in weather during survey Any other interesting observations or behaviour.

48 Submitting records

Remember to submit your records! Where possible, please use the facility on the biological recording website irecord (www.brc.ac.uk/irecord) Records passed on to Biological Records Centre, and Records verified by volunteers.

49 Remember to submit your records! Where possible, please use the facility on the biological recording website irecord ( Records passed on to Biological Records Centre, and Records verified by volunteers. There are detailed guidelines on Community Science website. Alternatively, you can post the recording form to Moors for the Future fill in details on reverse. Register with your address Select the survey to enter

50 Select the transect. Select the day to enter data for that day. Enter information about the survey Recorder Number of recorders Time Weather.

51 Enter number of individuals of each target species plus others. Add species if you were sure of the ID.

52 Review records You can view records for:- All sites or individual sites. All species or selected species. You can also view:- The records of all recorders or just yours.

53 What will this data tell us?

54 What will this data tell us? Are populations increasing or decreasing in abundance? Are species doing better on some sites than others? Why? Habitat? Elevation? Is annual abundance related to climatic conditions? How are species doing in the Peak District compared with the rest of the country? If sufficient data has been collected:- Has the timing of events changed? Does the timing of events differ between sites? Is the timing of events related to climatic conditions?

55 Total length across all transects (m) Your survey data from Habitat

56 Your survey data from Tree bumblebee Red-tailed bumblebee Bilberry bumblebee Unidentified Common carder-bee White-tailed bumblebee Buff-tailed bumblebee

57 Density (individuals per km) Your survey data from Tree bumblebee Red-tailed bumblebee Bilberry bumblebee 0 Woodland Agricultural grassland Acid grassland Heathland Bracken Acid bog Swamp Bare ground Habitat

58 Contact details

59 Contact us If you have any questions or queries, go to the project website for more information. You will be able to: Find more information and guidelines See which transects need surveying To download survey forms To submit records To establish new transects If you don t find the answer there, MoorCitizens@peakdistrict.gov.uk Community Science Project Manager Moors for the Future The Moorland Centre Fieldhead Edale Derbyshire S33 7ZA

60 Practical training

The Search for the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee: Citizen Science Protocol

The Search for the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee: Citizen Science Protocol I Introduction The Rusty Patched Bumble Bee (RPBB) is a federally endangered Bumble Bee species that is native to the Eastern United