Kingdom Animalia Order Hymenoptera Genus Bombus Scientific name Bombus subterraneus Rank Species | Phylum Arthropoda Family Apidae Subgenus Subterraneobombus Higher classification Bumblebee | |
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Similar Bumblebee, Bombus distinguendus, Bombus ruderarius, Brown‑banded carder bee, Bombus sylvarum | ||
Short haired bumblebee reintroduced to britain
The short-haired bumblebee or short-haired humble-bee, Bombus subterraneus, is a species of bumblebee found in Eurasia, as well as in New Zealand, where it is an introduced species.
Contents
- Short haired bumblebee reintroduced to britain
- extinct short haired bumblebee returns to uk on bbc 28 may 2012
- Introduction and reintroduction
- References
extinct short haired bumblebee returns to uk on bbc 28 may 2012
Introduction and reintroduction
B. subterraneus was one of four species of bumblebee introduced into New Zealand from the United Kingdom between 1885 and 1906 for pollination of red clover. In New Zealand, it is the rarest of the four species, with small numbers at a few locations in inland South Island. The last recorded sighting of B. subterraneus in the United Kingdom was in 1988 and it is believed extinct there. A programme was started in 2009 to reintroduce it to the United Kingdom with queen bees from New Zealand. The programme was run by Natural England, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and bee and wasp charity Hymettus. However, this was not a success, as many of the queens died during hibernation. DNA analysis of the New Zealand bees showed they lacked genetic diversity. In 2012, a second attempt was made to reintroduce the short-haired bumblebee using queens from Skåne province of southern Sweden. By the summer of 2013, workers of the species were found within 5 kilometres of the reintroduction site, showing that nesting had been successful.
