Bumblebee nests spotted in Scotland during winter

Environmentalists say bumblebees are starting to build nests in late winter due to climate change.

Charity Buglife said active worker bees were spotted in Aberdeen doing most of the work in their nests amid mild weather over the Christmas holidays.

The report said a previous survey recorded bumblebees and honeybees across the UK, including in the Highlands, over the Christmas and New Year period.

Buglife said there was a “high risk” of hive failure due to a shortage of flowers for bees to collect nectar and pollen, and the risk of cold weather.

Scientists have previously said that climate change is causing Widespread bumble bee disappearance All over the world.

These insects are important pollinators and typically hibernate until spring.

Christmas period unusually mildBut since then, it has been cold and snowy for days.

Buglife says at least two of the UK's 25 species of bumblebees are thought to start nesting very early.

Paul Hetherington, of the charity, said: “In 2019, Buglife carried out a bee survey between Christmas and New Year and to our surprise, we found that from Jersey to Thurso Bees and bumblebees.

“This year one of my colleagues in Aberdeen discovered active worker bumblebees during the Christmas holidays.

“The fact that there are active workers means not only that the queens are waking up from hibernation, but that they have reached the point where they are starting to build a nest.”

Hetherington said a lack of flowers and cold weather put the hives at risk of collapse and potentially killing the bees.

He added: “If this happens, no new queens will be produced, meaning there will be far fewer queens emerging in the spring, further exacerbating known bumble bee population declines.”

Mild conditions also lead to encounters with a less popular invertebrate species: ticks.

This tiny parasitic spider-like creature is usually active from early spring to late fall.

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that can cause a range of health problems and can be transmitted to humans through tick bites.

Inverness is one of the places where the pest has been found to be active, with one species discovered in woodland in the Castle of Nice area of ​​the city on December 28.

During the winter, adult ticks do not hibernate, but instead take refuge from cold temperatures in long stretches of vegetation.

Mr Hetherington said: “This means they are still potentially active, and with the period around December 28 being relatively warm for this time of year, one possible consequence of climate change is an increase in the timing of tick activity. , just like the bumblebees that will be spotted flying over Scotland this December.”

Lyme disease charities said the situation was worrying.

A spokesman said: “A longer period of time when ticks are active means a longer period of time when they are infected with tick-borne diseases.”