2024 was the worst year on record for bumblebees in the UK, according to a report by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.
Across Britain, bumblebee numbers declined by almost a quarter compared to the 2010-2023 average according to results from Beewalk.
BeeWalk is the standardised bumblebee monitoring scheme active across Great Britain, running since 2008. Volunteers survey a fixed-route transect once a month between March and October, recording the abundance of each bumblebee species seen.
Across all 24 species, an average of 8.75 bumblebees were seen per kilometre walked, down from 11.77 in 2023 and a high of 13.6 in 2015.
Expanding conservation efforts, a greater emphasis on habitat restoration, and continued monitoring are all key to safeguarding their future.
The immediate cause of the 2024 declines is likely to have been the cold and wet conditions from late April through June.
The charity said that poor spring and early summer weather severely impacted many species in their most vulnerable period, the colony establishment stage, where queen bumblebees function as single mothers and must feed themselves and their growing larvae while also incubating the nest.
As weather conditions improved in July and August, bumblebees were able to stage a partial recovery, but 2024 still had the second-worst July and August counts on record.
Numbers of England and Wales’ rarest bumblebee, the Shrill Carder bumblebee, were up 74%. However, this was driven mainly by good numbers being recorded in the Thames Estuary population. The Shrill was not recorded at all in two of its five remaining populations.
Dr. Richard Comont, science manager at the Bumblebee Conservation Trust said: “The 2024 results from BeeWalk highlight just how vulnerable our bumblebee populations are to shifting climate and environmental conditions.
“With another challenging year behind us, monitoring in 2025 will be crucial to understanding how – and whether – these species can recover.”
Dr. Amy Plowman, head of conservation and science at the Bumblebee Conservation Trust said: “Sadly, this year’s results show the worst counts on record, with particularly worrying drops in numbers for the white-tailed and red-tailed bumblebee.
“These findings highlight the urgent need for action to protect our vital pollinators.
“We are incredibly grateful to our dedicated BeeWalkers whose commitment to citizen science allows us to track their populations, and we need everyone to help us to secure their future,” she added.
