Extinct bumblebee reintroduced to UK
A species of short-haired bee, missing from the UK countryside since 1988, is now being reintroduced.
The short-haired bumblebee, which has not been seen in the UK for a quarter of a century was once widespread across the south of England. The loss of this particular species of bee (Bombus subterraneus) was caused by a vast decline of the wildflower meadows in which the bee used to thrive. After the Second World War, farming and agriculture increased to feed the growing population resulting in the decline of these meadows and the loss of the bee.
However, a stock of bees will be bought over from Sweden in order to start a new colony in the UK. The RSPB’s Dungeness reserve in Kent will be receiving around 50 queen bumblebees and, after two weeks in quarantine at Royal Holloway University of London, releasing them into the reserve. The team at the University’s School of Biological Sciences has screened for four different parasites to ensure these will not be introduced into the UK and risk harming the bee population already established here.
Nikki Gammans, from the Short-haired Bumblebee Project, said: "Normally, extinction means a species is gone forever.
"But it is magnificent that we can bring back this bee species and give it a second chance here in the UK."
BSAVA is to partner with BVA Live (11-12 June 2026) to champion clinical research.
