Our bee ‘species on the edge’ need your help!
A vital part of the work we’re doing to support our ‘species on the edge’ is collecting data. The more we know about our priority species – where they are, how many here are, how many are breeding etc – the more informed, more targeted and more effective our conservation action can be.
However, there are just too many bees, too many islands, and too many miles of shoreline to leave this task of collecting data to the professionals. So, we’re asking the public to help! Don your citizen science caps and help us help our ‘species on the edge’!
There’s many different ways of getting involved; whether you’re a beeginner or a bumblebee buff, there’s a citizen science opportunity for you. Explore below, or get in touch for help with finding the opportunity for you: sote@nature.scot
Bee-based citizen science opportunities
BeeWalk | Bumblebee Conservation Trust
What: BeeWalk is the national recording scheme which monitors the abundance of bumblebees across Britain.
How: BeeWalkers identify and count the bumblebees that they see on a fixed walking route of around 1 to 2km. Each BeeWalk route is walked at least once a month from March to October. Sightings are then submitted to the BeeWalk website.
When: March to October
Find out more: www.speciesontheedge.co.uk/help-bumblebees-by-going-on-a-beewalk/
UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme | UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
What: This monitoring scheme focuses on a range of flower-visiting insects and can measure trends in wider pollinator populations across the UK.
How: You can contribute data to the scheme the scheme either by carrying out short Flower-Insect Timed Counts (watch a patch of flowers for 10 minutes and see what turns up) or by monitoring a 1km square.
When: April – September
All the information: www.ukpoms.org.uk
