Page 19 - Bumblebee Conservation Trust Member Magazine Spring 2020

Working with golf BeeWalks and

courses to improve bumblebee blitzes from

bumblebee habitat Bangor to Bridgend

Golf courses may appear to be manicured By Sinead Lynch, Conservation Manager
greens, bunkers and occasional rough
grass but many can be improved to In terms of bumblebee identification
become more bumblebee friendly. The training, it’s fair to say we covered all four
rough areas are already potential habitat corners of Wales in 2019, and more.
for nesting and hibernation and within With events in Pembrokeshire, Bangor, – they were in very good numbers at
these rough areas or any corners where Wrexham and Newport, as well as two Kenfig, mostly foraging on Red bartsia.
the golfers don’t go, flower diversity can training days at Kenfig National Nature We also recorded two other rare
be increased. Many golf courses may Reserve near Bridgend, we have worked species, the Brown-banded carder bee
also have ponds which can be improved with a range of volunteers and partner (Bombus humilis) and Moss carder bee
by planting. organisations to help encourage more (Bombus muscorum).
Trust staff have been working closely people to get out recording bumblebees. We would like to thank all the
with one such golf course in Lydd, Kent We also wanted to help volunteers set volunteers and partner organisations
to improve the area for bumblebees. up BeeWalk transects in key areas for for their enthusiasm and commitment.
Surrounded by open spaces, an allotment the Shrill carder bee (Bombus sylvarum), We are delighted that many of them are
and bumblebee friendly farmers, four rare bumblebee species the Moss carder bee so we worked with volunteers at Kenfig establishing new BeeWalk transects,
(Bombus muscorum), Red-shanked carder bee (Bombus ruderarius), Brown-banded and Port Talbot, and in Pembrokeshire, and some are adopting transect routes
carder bee (Bombus humilis) and the Ruderal bumblebee (Bombus ruderatus) have to set up transects. We ran a series of which aren’t currently being walked!
already been recorded in the nearby area. In 2014, a BeeWalk transect was set up, survey days in Shrill carder bee areas to
and since then, work has been ongoing to improve the habitat for bumblebees. help volunteers gain confidence in their BeeWalk
bumblebee identification skills, and to
In the rough areas, black horehound, white-dead nettle, mallows and knapweed have hopefully see an elusive Shrill carder bee. This is the national recording scheme to
been planted. Where the grass is naturally short and less fertile, perennial seeds such Thankfully, we were able to pot some at monitor the abundance of bumblebees
as red clover, bird’s foot trefoil and vetches have been added. Yellow flag iris, purple Kenfig National Nature Reserve, and at across the UK. Anyone with basic
loosestrife and water mint has been planted and encouraged in ponds. A small piece Castlemartin Range in Pembrokeshire bumblebee identification knowledge can
of unused land adjacent to the car park was turned into a herb garden with comfrey, become a BeeWalker. Take a look here:
lamb’s ear, rosemary, mint, sage and bulbs. Across the golf course the floristic bumblebeeconservation.org/surveys/
diversity has been increased and created an
area of continuous forage available for all
bumblebee species.
If you are a member of a golf course or live
near one, why not suggest to them that Above: Pembrokeshire Coast National
they follow the Lydd example and make the Park staff practising their bumblebee
identification skills at Stackpole Walled
course bumblebee friendly! Gardens in Pembrokeshire, August 2019;
Left: Brown-banded carder bee (Bombus
Photos: Above, creating a herb
garden in the golf course car park; humilis) on common knapweed on a road
verge in Port Talbot near TATA steelworks
18 right: planting out into the roughs Photo credit: Clare Flynn 19