We shouldn't assume all bumblebees are equally affected by climate change. Geographical distribution, dispersal capability, colony size and tongue length (which determines range of host plants) influence susceptibility to a warmer world. Athayde's blog: scottishpollinators.wordpress.com

Time for a little fun. Heading off to Europe soon ? Wondering how to ask about bumblebees on the continent? Perhaps this short list of names will prove handy. Do you have any you can add ?

Good to hear of pollinator-friendly practices in South Lanarkshire. Highlights include = reduction in intensively managed grassland, and wildflower-rich push in East Kilbride pilot with Glasgow & Clyde Valley Green Network / Clyde Grasslands project. southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200166/ge…

The UKPoMS survey season in 2024 started on 1 April and runs to 30 September - so there is still plenty of time to get involved. Find out more @ ukpoms.org.uk

A few more splashes of colour from Dundee, this time near the airport. Dundee City Council currently manages 49ha of naturalised grassland and 10ha of biodiversity grassland across 27 parks in the city. Add 3.5ha of perennial wildflower meadows and things are shaping up nicely.

I'd an interesting visit recently to Jock's Road which links Glen Clova to Braemar. Lots of bumblebees about, on the heather around the path going up to Davy’s Bourach, and on ragwort down in Glen Clova itself. Another highlight = good numbers of fritillaries.

Excellent read here from the GCV Green Network team ... great work helping nature and people. 💮🐝🪲🦋

A bit of a fun photo for Friday, the 'giant ants' of Porto near the famous Casa da Música. However, as Athayde's blog explains there are sometimes interesting links between real ants and pollination for some plants in some habitats. scottishpollinators.wordpress.com/2024/01/08/vas…

It's been a #LazySunday for these male #bumblebees in the #garden today. Typical male bumblebee behaviour! Have you spotted any bumblebees this weekend? Don't forget to add your sightings to iRecord ☺

Knapweed is a real favourite with pollinators at this time of year. Best known as a meadow wildflower, it flowers throughout July and August. Often a good place to spot male bumblebees.

In Aug-Sep, our scarce species recording focus shifts to late-emerging bumblebees: Broken-belted (Bombus soroeensis) & Moss Carder (Bombus muscorum), but early-season priority, Blaeberry bumblebee (Bombus monticola) still pops up occasionally, like this beauty in Ballater today.

Garden for Life is a partnership of organisations working in Scotland to support action by gardeners for the benefit of Scotland's biodiversity, and promote the benefits of gardening for health and well being. Find out more @ keepscotlandbeautiful.org/our-communitie…

Achamore Gardens, on the beautiful Isle of Gigha, looked lovely at the weekend. Lots of bumblebees, Red Admirals and Peacocks on the wing. In community ownership, the gardens are fascinating and being methodically restored and developed.

It’s #AsianHornetWeek! Asian hornets (also known as yellow-legged hornets) are predators of #HoneyBees & cause significant losses to bee colonies & other native insects. Find out how to identify these pests and why it's important to report them at: nationalbeeunit.com/diseases-and-p…

Broken-belted bumblebee (Bombus soroeensis) reports are coming in thick & fast just now! Volunteer Robbie spotted lots of males on Lochnagar at the weekend. Want to learn more about this scarce species? Why not join one of our survey days this month? eventbrite.com/o/skills-for-b…

Ruth Quigley, a B-Lines Conservation Officer with Buglife Scotland, is our guest blogger today. She talks about working in partnership with Aberdeen City Council, creating wildflower-rich grasslands, and the joy of FIT Counts. Blog @ scottishpollinators.wordpress.com/2024/09/02/eng…

It's been a busy year for West Lothian Council. Managing 24 wildflower meadows, 7 sites of high-density bulb planting and 9 raingardens in parks is good news for pollinators. Flowering and fruiting trees have also been added to several parks. 🐝🪲🦋🍎