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 Countryside Stewardship Scheme > Bumble Bees > Pond Creation >
The Lifecycle Bumble bee colonies are started anew at the beginning of each season by a single queen which has hibernated in the ground during the winter. While there may be plenty of potential nest sites - whether or not the colony survives the first few weeks will depend on the quality of the surrounding forage. The colony needs both nectar as a fuel for the adult and pollen for the developing larvae. Bumble bees will fly half a mile or more to find these, searching for new supplies when the old ones run out. At the end of its life, the colony produces new males and females; and after mating, the new queens hibernate. National Bumble Bee Working Group A visit by the National Bumble bee working group was made to the Romney Marsh and Dungeness in summer 2002. A short indoor meeting was followed a wide range of farmland sites from the Dungeness RSPB reserve across Walland Marsh and onto the East Guldeford Levels SSSI. Work on producing native red clover mixes to use in proposed grassland improvements, landscape schemes or Countryside Stewardship Schemes on the Marsh were visited. The Romney Marsh has been one of a few areas which are developing different seed mixes, cutting regimes on clover grass margins at the edge of arable fields specifically for bumble bees. For more information on bumble bee work on the Romney Marsh contact the Romney Marsh Countryside Project , Age Concern, Rolfe Lane, New Romney, Romney Marsh, Kent. TN28 8JR. Tel/Fax 01797 367934. e mail mail@rmcp.co.uk |
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