Bumblebee Conservation Trust
@bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
4.9K followers 50 following 110 posts
The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is the only charity dedicated wholly to saving the UK's bumblebees 🐝 www.bumblebeeconservation.org 📷 Kate Jaconello
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bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
Absolutely! Thank you so much for your support. You can find out more about how to do so here: www.bumblebeeconservation.org/how-you-can-...
www.bumblebeeconservation.org
bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
Over £14,000 raised for rare bumblebees 🎉🐝

Thank you for sponsoring the Great Yellow and Moss carder bumblebees. Your support means we can begin our Species Recovery Framework, which is the first step in understanding what these rare bumblebees need to survive – and thrive💛🧡
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Only 24 hours left ⏰🐝

The Moss carder bumblebee still needs your help. Your donation could be the difference in securing the future of this rare bumblebee.

Sponsor a species today and be part of saving this rare bumblebee: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/moss-carde...
bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
⏰ Only 48 hours left on our Crowdfunder! Help protect rare bumblebees before time runs out 🐝💛

Sponsor a species today: bumblebeeconservation.org/sponsor-a-species

Already donated? Please share this post and tag a friend who loves bumblebees 🧡
bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
Thanks to your generosity, we are halfway to reaching our targets 💛

But the Great Yellow bumblebee and Moss carder bumblebee still need your help – which rare bumblebee will you sponsor? 🧡

Please donate to sponsor a rare bumblebee today: www.bumblebeeconservation.org/sponsor-a-sp...
A graphic showing the current total amounts of money raised for the Great Yellow bumblebee and Moss carder bumblebee. Text reads: "Two rare bumblebees need urgent action. So far you have helped raise 56% (£2,847 of £5,000) Great Yellow bumblebee and 47% (2,389 of £5,000) Moss carder bumblebee. Donate to sponsor a rare bumblebee today.
bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
Help save one of the UK’s rarest bumblebees – before it’s too late 💔

Please, donate to sponsor a species today: www.bumblebeeconservation.org/sponsor-a-sp...

📷 Pieter Haringsma
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A close-up of a Great Yellow bumblebee queen flying above a pink flower and ready to feed.
bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
📏Their long tongues mean they can feed on a range of flowers, including long, tubular flowers, like red clover and bird’s-foot trefoil.

🌸As pollinators, they play an important role in creating the rare wildflower habitats, called machair, on some of the Scottish islands.
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A close-up of a Great Yellow bumblebee feeding on a pink flower.
bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
📅 A late-emerger, it appears from hibernation usually in mid-May. After feeding and gaining energy, queens search for old rodent holes to make their nest – sheltered spots that are perfect for raising the next generation. Nests often last until September.
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A close-up of a Great Yellow bumblebee queen feeding on a purple flower.
bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
💛 As the name suggests, the Great Yellow bumblebee is mainly yellow in colour and has a bold black band across the thorax, giving it a distinctive appearance.
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A close-up of a Great Yellow bumblebee feeding on a purple flower with the colour sections of the thorax and abdomen annotated.
bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
This bumblebee disappeared decades ago from England and Wales and is now Scotland’s most threatened bumblebee ⚠️

Once found across the UK, the Great Yellow bumblebee is now found in the far north and west of Scotland – and only in very small numbers.
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A close-up of a Great Yellow bumblebee queen feeding on a purple flower beside the ID graphics of a queen, worker and male.
bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
Eight species of bumblebee in the UK are on the brink of extinction 🚨

Two of our most threatened species – the Great Yellow bumblebee and the Moss carder bumblebee – need urgent action, before it’s too late 💔

Please, sponsor a species today: www.bumblebeeconservation.org/sponsor-a-species/
bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
You can be part of the solution 🤝

Find out more about the Declaration on our website: www.bumblebeeconservation.org/news/declara...

📢 Please share this thread to help build momentum!

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A butterfly and bumblebee feed on a large pink flower.
bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
What the Declaration calls for:

🌱Restore insect-friendly habitats
⛔ Cut harmful pesticide use
🛡️ Protect key species and ecosystems
🔬 Invest in science and education
📈 Make the UK a leader in insect recovery

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A butterfly and bumblebee side-by-side.
bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
UK insect populations are plummeting:

🐝 Bumblebees declined by 22.5% in 2024 – the worst year on record.

🦋 Butterflies also had their worst year on record in 2024 and have struggled to bounce back in 2025.

🪰 Flying insects have fallen by 63% since 2021.

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A group of insects feeding and flying away from a thistle.
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Why it matters:

🐝 Insects are essential for our world to function.

🐞They pollinate crops and wild plants, recycle nutrients, maintain healthy soils, control pests, and form the base of the food web for birds, bats, fish, and other wildlife.

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Two carder bumblebees feeding from a white flower.
bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
Yesterday, the UK’s leading insect conservation charities launched the Declaration on the UK Insect Declines Crisis at the @WildSummitUK🚨

This united front calls for change across governments, land managers, businesses, and the public. @savebutterflies.bsky.social

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A close-up of a bumblebee feeding on a sunflower. Text reads: Insect crisis declared. The UK’s leading insect conservation charities launch  the Declaration on the UK Insect Declines Crisis.
bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
Tomorrow we’re heading to #WildSummit in Bristol!

Catch us at the Rethink Nature stand or join our joint panel with @savebutterflies.bsky.social and Buglife at 11:30am to talk reversing insect declines.

Can’t make it? We’ll share a YouTube link so you can tune in to the panel online.
wildsummituk.bsky.social
In 48 hours we'll be into our first sessions at #WildSummitUK

Which events are you most looking forward to?

Check out the programme & grab the final online tickets via wildsummituk.eventbrite.co.uk
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CEO Gill Perkins has led the Trust since 2016 and will retire in February 2026 to spend more time with her family.

As we reflect on Gill's remarkable contribution to bumblebee conservation, we also begin our search for the Trust's next CEO.

Full info: www.bumblebeeconservation.org/what-we-do/v...
A smiling Gill crouching beside a potted plant and some gardening tools. Text reads: The Bumblebee Conservation Trust bids fond farewell to CEO Gill Perkins.
bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
Eight species of bumblebee in the UK are at risk of extinction. But with your help, we can change that🚨

Meet two of our rarest bumblebees – the Great Yellow bumblebee and the Moss carder bumblebee – and find out how you can help💛

Sponsor a species: www.bumblebeeconservation.org/sponsor-a-species/
bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
From everyone at the Trust, thank you 🩵
£65,908  raised of £50,000 target.
Your donation will help save rare bumblebees, inspire schools, train volunteers, and keep our vital conservation work going.
Thank you to everyone who donated, signed up as a member, purchased from our online shop and shared our urgent appeal posts.
Whether you are a long-time supporter or have recently joined us, thank you for standing with us in this critical moment.
You have shown what is possible when we come together to protect something we all care about.
bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
Your support means the world to bumblebees, and to us.

Your online donations have given our team hope. You're helping save rare bumblebees, inspire schools, train volunteers, and keep our vital conservation work going.

Please, donate today: www.bumblebeeconservation.org/give
bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
Thank you so much for your support 🩵
bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
Let's fill this feed with bumblebees – drop a 🐝 in the comments if you saw a bumblebee this weekend🩵

🚨 UK bumblebees are struggling to recover following their worst year on record 🚨

Please donate to our urgent cash appeal: www.bumblebeeconservation.org/give
A close-up of a Common carder bumblebee flying in the air on a dark green background.
bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
Thank you so much for your support 💙
bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
August is the last month to see all these bumblebees ... but that could change🎱

UK bumblebees are struggling to recover following their worst year on record🚨

We need to raise £50,000 to make sure we can continue our vital work. Please, donate today: www.bumblebeeconservation.org/give
A graphic showing the eight common and rare and less common UK bumblebee species that can be seen in August. Many of the bumblebees have red crosses over them to indicate what could happen without the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.