Bumblebee Conservation Trust

The 2027 bumblebee calendar has landed! Here’s a teaser of some of the featured photos. Which is your favourite? 🗓️🐝 Available in A4 and NEW slimline calendar. Pre-order yours today: https://ow.ly/OEyu51010Su Thank you to everyone who submitted a photo – we received almost 4,000 entries this year!

Choose your favourite bumblebee. You can only pick one🐝 Do you have a favourite bumblebee from this year? Share your photos and videos in the comments.

Just a cute bumblebee reminder that the clocks go back an hour tonight 🐝🔙

Can you outstare this Tree bumblebee? 3, 2, 1 – go! 👀 By the way bumblebees have five eyes. Two large compound eyes see shapes and basic colours, and three small simple eyes in the centre of their head, called ocelli, help to detect changes in light. Good luck! How did you get on? 😅

When your name matches your personality 👌

A rare bumblebee has been recorded in southeast London 🐝🎉 The Ruderal bumblebee was discovered at Lesnes Abbey Woods, which is an area in our Buzzing in the East End (B.E.E) project, by Trust volunteer Jason Lok. Read the full story: https://ow.ly/4TFJ50ZXUfC

BeeWalk is booming: 43,000 records have been submitted so far this year. As one of the world’s largest bumblebee datasets, BeeWalk has been highlighted in a Scottish Parliament motion lodged by the Great Yellow bumblebee champion Liam McArthur, MSP. Read the story: https://ow.ly/mSGG50ZXUI7

Is this bumblebee knitting?🧶 Female bumblebees collect pollen by brushing the fine grains out of their hair and into the pollen baskets on their hind legs. Still, how cute would it be to see bumblebee queens wrapped in tiny woolly jumpers as they settle down to hibernate over winter?

This Great Yellow bumblebee is looking for your best photo captions. Leave them in the comments 💛 📷 Pieter Haringsma

Do you miss seeing bumblebees? This #WorldMentalHealthDay, top up your wellbeeing with a little dose of bumblebee goodness 🐝 What do you love most about seeing bumblebees? 💚

The Buff-tailed bumblebee has been chosen to feature on the new banknotes – and received the most public votes! 🐝💵 🎉 From a shortlist of 18 UK wildlife species, the Buff-tailed bumblebee attracted an un-bee-lievable 360,399 votes. A big thank you to everyone who voted for this iconic insect.

Of the UK’s 24 bumblebee species, these four remain active in October 💛 Bumblebee nests come to their natural end in autumn. New queens seek undisturbed spaces to hibernate alone until spring 🍂🐝 🔎 Brush up on your bumblebee identification skills: https://ow.ly/LRS750ZNaOf

✨NEW✨ Get your Bumblebee Handbook when you join as a member. Learn how to help bumblebees close to home while supporting our charity’s work to save bumblebees across the UK 🐝 Join today: https://ow.ly/GhPF50ZQsUJ

Different bumblebee species like to nest in different places, including long, tangled grass, bird boxes, and underground in abandoned rodent holes. They can even nest in more creative places, like under the edge of a pond. What is the most interesting place you have found a bumblebee nest?

In September we say goodbye to many of the UK bumblebees 💔 🍂 Old queens and their nests will naturally come to an end as summer turns into autumn. 💤 New queens will mate with males, feed heavily on pollen and nectar to create fatty stores of energy, then hibernate until the following spring.

There's a real buzz at #WildSummit26. This is a big moment for nature and bumblebees need to be part of that story 🐝 Wildlife and Countryside Link #NatureRecovery

Ivy comes alive in September. These globe-shaped flowers are a vital source of pollen and nectar when not much else is in flower 🐝🍂 For even more seasonal tips, download our gardening guides: https://ow.ly/uM3b50ZFYEp

September is your last chance to see many of the UK’s common bumblebees ⌛🐝 This month, many bumblebee nests will naturally come to an end and new queens will settle down to hibernate over the winter 👑💤 🔎 Brush up on your bumblebee identification skills: https://ow.ly/o6B950ZClyE

Have you seen a bumblebee this week? 🐝🙌 Share your bumblebee captures in the comments 📷🎥

Less than 2 weeks to go until Wild Summit 2026, where we’ll join forces with Rethink Nature for a game of ecosystem Jenga. Find us on the Rethink Nature stand – if you can’t come in person, online tickets are also available.

Join these cuckoo bumblebees for a thistle picnic🧺 🐦Six of the UK’s 24 bumblebee species are cuckoo bumblebees. Instead of building nests, females take over those of other bumblebees and rely on them to raise their young. ⚠️Important pollinators, they are not a major threat to bumblebee populations.

“Buzz off, that’s my flower!” the bumble grumbled before launching into a rumble-tumble 🐝 Misunderstanding? More like misunder-landing 💛

📣 Calling all photographers 📸 Share your bumblebee photos for a chance to feature in our 2027 Bumblebee Calendar! 📅 Submit your best bumblebee photos on our website by midnight 31 August: https://ow.ly/Jp4U50ZAVOI #WorldPhotographyDay

Hmmm that's odd. Why is this bumblebee so pale? 🤔 The answer may just surprise you! Have you seen a bumblebee like this before? 🎥 Peter Spring

Sundays are slowww days 🐝 What bumblebees have you spotted recently? 👀

Help us caption this photo 🐝 This Buff-tailed bumblebee fast asleep in a flower is the insect equivalent of staying in bed on a Saturday morning 🩷 📷 Michaela Flint

Shhh! Bumblebees are sleeping. Quietly scroll on without waking them. They need their bee-uty sleep. What do you think they’re dreaming about? 🐝💤

Hands up if you saw a bumblebee this weekend 🙌 Share your bumblebee captures in the comments 📷🎥

You're donation is helping to create and restore flower-rich habitats, inspire communities to take action, and give bumblebees the best chance to thrive into the future. From all of us, and on behalf of the bumblebees, thank you 💛🐝 There's still time to donate: https://ow.ly/O4Qn50ZwUih

In August, the Big Eight UK bumblebees are joined by our rare and less common species 💛 👑💼 For most species, queens and their worker daughters will be joined by new males. 🚹 Some males will seek out new queens from other nests to mate with. What bumblebees have you spotted recently?

Most people think these Red-tailed bumblebees are fighting. What are they really doing? They're actually mating! ⏰Mating can last for up to an hour. ⚠️Never try to separate mating bumblebees as this can harm them. 🔒Once mating is finished, they will eventually fly off and go their separate ways.

After 10 years as the Species Champion for the Ruderal bumblebee, Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner has finally seen one in the wild 🐝🎉 Visiting RSPB Hope Farm with our CEO Dr Andrew Impey, he saw first-hand how nature-friendly farming is helping rare bumblebees to recover. #ConservationWorks

August is your last chance to see all of the Big Eight bumblebees 🎱🐝 Of the UK’s 24 bumblebee species, these eight are the most common. Have you spotted any bumblebees recently? How many species have you seen? 🔎 Brush up on your bumblebee identification skills: https://ow.ly/11BQ50ZoP6O

Donate to our appeal today to help put flower-rich meadows back on the map. Together, we can bring bumblebees back into our communities. Bee the difference: https://ow.ly/o9mN50Zu8na Already donated? Please share this post and spread the word 💛

How to tell the difference between young and old bumblebees 🐝 Old bumblebees have: ☀️ Faded fur colouring from time in the sun. ⚫ A bald spot, especially on top of the middle, where hairs have rubbed off. 〰️ Uneven wing edges. These are signs of everyday wear and tear, not just age-related issues 🪧

Two Orkney nature reserves have been recognised for their vital role in protecting the Great Yellow bumblebee 💛 Liam McArthur MSP recently joined the Trust and RSPB Scotland in search of this rare bumblebee. Read the story: https://ow.ly/E81X50ZrYME RSPB Scotland Nature Champions Liam McArthur

This summer’s heatwave is putting extra pressure on bumblebees already fighting to survive. As flowers dry up and they struggle to fly without overheating, it becomes harder for them to find enough food. But you can be their lifeline. Donate today: https://ow.ly/ZrRX50Zscag

New BeeWalk data shows that extreme temperatures can cause bumblebee colonies to decline and populations to shrink the following spring. With more intense heatwaves on the horizon, some of our most cherished species could be pushed to the brink. Read more: https://ow.ly/JMNs50ZqHir

It’s #BeesNeedsWeek and we want to hear how YOU help bumblebees 🐝 What have you planted recently? Have you created a nesting spot in your garden? Are you a member of the Trust? However you help, we would love to hear from you 💛 Donate to our appeal: https://ow.ly/SnOe50ZgZb4

These bumblebees are carrying out a spot of summer cleaning. Their nest may have recently had a minor disturbance: the bumblebees appear to be gathering moss and arranging it over the nest 🐝🛠️ 🎥 Andy Barker

How do we explain to children that we were the generation that let bumblebees disappear for good? Help put flower-rich meadows back on the map. Donate today: https://ow.ly/In6250Zhu0R

In July, the Big Eight UK bumblebees are joined by our rare and less common species 💛 👑💼 For most species, queens and their worker daughters will be joined by new males 🚹 Donate to our appeal to bring bumblebees back to your community: https://ow.ly/B5sJ50ZlCGJ

Imagine a world where seeing a bumblebee was a novelty. If we don’t act now, that world could become a reality. Donate to our appeal to put flower-rich meadows back on the map and bring bumblebees back to your community: https://ow.ly/vpaM50ZgSg7

Name one plant you would recommend for feeding bumblebees 🪻🐝 Help your local bumblebees with our top bumblebee-friendly plants: https://ow.ly/jKCG50Zb1El

July is a special month for the Big Eight 🎱🐝 Of the UK’s 24 bumblebee species, these eight are the most common. This month, queens and workers (females) will be joined by new males 👋 🔎 Brush up on your bumblebee identification skills: https://ow.ly/lAUS50Zb2ko

Woah! We’ve been spotted. Smile until the human scrolls on, ladies 👋 🔎🐝 Tree bumblebees