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Subject: Good News For A Change About Bumbles

Unfortunately the news about the short haired bumble bee Bombus subterraneus isn't good at all. It was once quite common in England but was declared extinct there in 2000. It became established here in the South Island of New Zealand over 100 years ago from queens imported from England. and several years ago an effort was made to re-introduce the species from New Zealand to England. However the 6-month seasonal difference between the northern and southern hemispheres imposed major difficulties. In any case more recent research showed that because the New Zealand population was founded by from just 2 to no more than 5 queens (a genetic bottleneck),the population in Sweden was more closely related to the original English population than the bees in New Zealand.

So for the last 2 northern springs queens have been imported from southern Sweden where the population is said to be healthy, to Dungeness in southern Egland, and a third liberation has just been made. Last summer a couple of workers were seen several km apart, which suggested that at least 2 queens had founded nests, but no new queens were seen.

Here in New Zealand the species is now far less common than it was 40 years ago, and a similar decline is said to have occurred over Europe apart from southern Sweden.

The question is: why did the species become extinct in England, and why has it declined in New Zealand and Europe apart from Sweden? Will the Swedish population begin to decline?

Do we have a canary-in-the- mine situation, i.e. something is changing that we cannot sense, but which may eventually impact us and other species  adversely?

Are we witnessing a type of bumble bee CCD?

Regards,

Barry J. Donovan
Lincoln
New Zealand.=
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