Appeal for Worcestershire winter bee sightings

Winter sightings of bumblebees have become more common in recent years

People are being asked to track changes in the behaviour of bumblebees.

The Worcestershire Wildlife Trust said in the last couple of years bumblebee colonies in the county have started becoming active during winter.

It said this could be because of milder winter weather, but it wants to understand more about the behaviour.

Until now there have been "scattered reports" of sightings and the trust wants people to document them online during January and February.

Nick Packham, one of the Wildlife Sightings team, said: "Counties in southern England have had the joy of seeing bumblebees during the winter months for a little while now but this is a relatively new phenomenon here in Worcestershire."

He said colonies normally break down in the late summer or early autumn and the newly-emerged queens find somewhere safe to spend the winter.

But he said in mild autumns and early winters, increasing numbers of queen buff-tailed bumblebees have chosen to attempt to raise the next generation rather than hiding away.

Mr Packham added: "With our changing climate, our wildlife is changing too and it's important for us to be able to understand what is happening so that we can work out how best to help our beleaguered wildlife."

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