Bee study planned as habitats disappear

Council chiefs want to train Ryedale residents to take part in the local bumble bee survey to try to find out how they are faring locally and raise public awareness of how important bees are to biodiversity.

Organised by Ryedale District Council and North Yorkshire County Council, the Humble Bumblebee training day on August 7 will provide all anyone needs to know about bumblebees to take part in the study.

Don Davies, countryside officer for the Ryedale area, said: "Bumblebees are amongst our most familiar insects but their numbers are dropping dramatically.

"This is very worrying as bumblebees are essential for the pollination of fruit trees, beans and flowers.

"The buzz of the bumblebee is unmistakable, that deep, loud, lazy vibration, like an old Lancaster bomber, that heralds spring and typifies summer.

"The idea behind the Bumblebee project is to raise awareness of the value of bumblebees and to gain more vital knowledge of there activities in Ryedale".

Bumblebees are one of the key species in the Ryedale Biodiversity Action Plan.

Of the 19 UK species of true bumblebee, five are highly threatened and listed as priority species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. Three or four of the five most threatened species used to be found in Ryedale.

Of the 16 bumblebee types recorded in Yorkshire, six are believed to be extinct and two others are now rare.

The reasons for this dramatic decline include fewer supplies of nectar and pollen as wildflower-rich habitats, nesting and hibernation sites are lost.