Rare bee found in the Burren

THE Burren was this week identified as the most important habitat in Britain and Ireland for a very rare species of bee.
A new population of the rare great yellow bumblebee, a species threatened with extinction in Ireland, was found in the Burren last month. Also found were previously unknown colonies of both the shrill carder bee and the red shanked carder bee, two other very rare species of bee.
“These new populations are very significant as they confirm that the Burren is one of the principal sites for bumblebee conservation in Ireland,” said Dr Una Fitzpatrick, ecologist with the National Biodiversity Data Centre.
According to Dr Fitzpatrick, the shrill carder bee colonies make the Burren “by far the most important location for that species within Ireland and Britain”.
The discoveries were made as part of a weekend-long BeeBlitz in the Burren last month.
Dr Fitzpatrick organised the BeeBlitz, which took place during the weekend of July 23 to 25, to survey for bumblebees currently under threat of extinction in Ireland. The event brought together 22 of Ireland’s leading bee specialists to undertake detailed systematic surveys of the region to determine the status of some of Ireland’s rarest bees.
The data collected as part of the blitz will contribute toward the bees of Ireland national database, hosted by the data centre and will provide valuable information to assist the conservation of bees in Ireland.
Bees are Ireland’s most important pollinators and provide a vital ecological and economic service to society.
The contribution bees make to agriculture and the horticultural sector in Ireland is worth in the order of €50m each year. However, of the 101 different species of bee that occur in Ireland, around 30 are threatened with extinction and three have become extinct over the last 80 years.
The Burren is particularly important for bumblebees for two reasons; firstly, because it is species rich and secondly, it is home to rare species.
Despite the alarming decline in bee populations in Ireland and the vital ecosystem service they provide, there is no legal protection afforded bees in Ireland. The primary reason for the decline in the number of bees is habitat loss, particularly of grassland, hay meadows and sand dunes. Another reason is a general decrease in wild flowers in the Irish countryside.
The data centre has, however, produced an action plan for bee conservation in Ireland, which identifies the actions most needed to assist conservation.
The Burren features three-quarters of all the species of bumblebee found in Ireland.
“In the Burren, the first step is to figure out where the rare species are and if they are still healthy and that was the primary aim of the blitz in July. Despite knowing how important the Burren is for bees, we don’t have particularly good data on bees there. The first thing is we need to know where they are and then we need to nurture them. Landowners in the Burren can help with that,” Dr Fitzpatrick stated.
The National Biodiversity Data Centre has compiled a pocket-size book to help people identify different types of bumblebee.
“It is like a swatch book detailing identifying features. The main way to tell the difference between species is to look at the colour of the bee’s tail. In the Burren, we would love if people kept an eye out for bumblebees and took note of what they have seen so we can gather more data about the bee population there,” Dr Fitzpatrick concluded.