Extinct Short-haired Bumblebee returns to Britain after 24 years

Bombus subterraneus — otherwise known as the Short-haired Bumblebee —  will today be welcomed home to flowering fields in Kent nearly a quarter of a century after the bee was last seen in Britain. The culmination of a three-year reintroduction project, backed by Natural England, the RSPB, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and Hymettus, will see queen bees released at the RSPB's Dungeness reserve this morning. The partnership will closely monitor how the bees take to their new surroundings and, over the summer months, surveys will be carried out to determine bee numbers and to see whether they are exploring beyond the release site.

Bombus subterraneus (Nikki Gammans).

The Short-haired Bumblebee is one of 27 bumblebee species native to the UK. It was formerly widespread in southeast England and could be found as far afield as Yorkshire and Cornwall. Numbers fell during the 20th century and by the 1980s it was restricted to Dungeness and the Romney Marshes in Kent. It was last seen in Britain in 1988 and declared extinct in 2000.

The Short-haired Bumblebee project hinges on the creation of healthy bumblebee habitat by local farmers. Using Environmental Stewardship funding, farmers in Dungeness have been preparing for the bees' homecoming by growing flower-rich borders and meadows essential for a range of nectar-feeding insects, from bumblebees to butterflies.

Flower-rich habitat at Dungeness (Nikki Gammans).

The Short-haired Bumblebees being released today have been brought over with great care from Sweden by project leader Dr Nikki Gammans and her team. With close co-operation from bee experts and the Skåne County Administrative Board in Sweden, queen bees were collected from meadows in Sweden earlier this month, and then quarantined at Royal Holloway, University of London for two weeks before today's release. During quarantine, the bees were screened for parasites to make sure that only healthy bees and no foreign parasites would be re-introduced to the UK.

RSPB Conservation director Martin Harper said: "Dungeness is a spectacular place and a haven for a wide range of wildlife. We have put in a lot of work here recreating flower meadows which are vital if we are going to bring bumblebees back to our countryside. This area was the last place the Short-haired Bumblebee was recorded before it disappeared 24 years ago so it is very exciting to see it finally coming home. But this is just the start — we will all be working hard to make sure this, and other threatened bumblebee species, expand their ranges and recolonise southeastern England."

Dr Ben Darvill, CEO for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, said: "Bumblebees are now scarce in many farmland areas due to intensive agriculture. The work in the southeast of England in preparation for this reintroduction shows what is possible when bee-friendly practices are used. Farmers here are running successful businesses and producing food, whilst supporting healthy pollinator populations. Bumblebees are farmers' friends, so it makes sense to support them. We hope the successes in the southeast will encourage others to help bumblebees too."