'Extinct' short-haired bumblebee returns to UK - Polidicks

[URL]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18194778[/URL] [QUOTE][B]A species of bee not seen in the UK for a quarter of a century is being reintroduced to the countryside.[/B] The short-haired bumblebee was once widespread across the south of England but it vanished in 1988. However, after a healthy stock of the bees was found in Sweden, conservationists were able to collect some to seed a new UK colony. About 50 queen bumblebees are being released at the RSPB's Dungeness reserve in Kent. 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." [B] Plan bee[/B] The loss of the short-haired bumblebee ([I]Bombus subterraneus[/I]) was caused by the dramatic decline of wildflower meadows that occurred after World War II as agriculture intensified to feed the growing population. It is estimated that 97% of Britain's flower-rich grasslands, which the bees needed to forage and thrive, has vanished over the past 70 years. But in southern Sweden, the species is doing much better as fewer people live there and farming practices are more bee-friendly. Dr Gammans said: "The bee population in Sweden is expanding and growing whereas for everywhere else in Europe it has been contracting - it is either rare, threatened, or extinct like in the UK. "So Sweden was really the only place we could go to collect the bees." A team of conservationists, with the permission of the Swedish authorities, captured nearly 100 spring queens to bring back to the UK. Before the release, the bees were put in quarantine for two weeks at Royal Holloway, University of London. Dr Mark Brown, from the university's school of biological sciences, said: "We've screened for four different parasite species, which can all damage bees in different ways. "The key reason why we are looking for them is we don't want to introduce populations of these parasites from Sweden into the UK. Those with the parasites haven't been released." [B] Bee-friendly habitat [/B] The preparations for the bees' arrival in Kent have also been extensive. At the RSPB's reserve in Dungeness, the site for the bees' release, conservationists have spent the last three years preparing the land. Martin Randall, the site manager at the reserve, said: "The most important thing we've had to do to get this ready for the bees is to encourage wild flowers, like clovers and vetches. "So the first thing we did was to collect locally grown clover seed and spread it across the grasslands, and then we followed it up by grazing it sensitively with cattle and sheep." The work is already helping other endangered bee species in the local area: the shrill carder bee, which was absent from Dungeness for 25 years, was recently found there. Mr Randall said: "When you come here on a still day, this is just buzzing with bees, and we're hoping that the short-haired bumblebee will join that group." Local farmers have also been involved in the project, which has been funded by Natural England, the RSPB, Hymettus and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. By leaving margins unfarmed at the edges of their fields, flower-rich, green "corridors" are created, which will help the bees to spread out across the area. [B] Plight of the bumblebee[/B] This is the second attempt to release the short-haired bumblebee in the UK. In 2009, Dr Gammans collected bees from New Zealand, which had been introduced there from the UK in 1895 to pollinate red clover. But DNA tests found the colony lacked genetic diversity and many of the queens did not survive their hibernation once in the UK. But the ecologist is much more optimistic about the success of the Swedish bees. Dr Gammans said: "We think there will be a really good chance that it will establish, it will become self sustainable and spread." She said she expected between 20-30% of the reintroduced queen bees would survive after their release and create nests. "This is about the usual survival rate for queens. After that, we want to add further reintroductions to increase the genetic diversity and increase their chances," she explained. The team hopes the return of this species could give a boost to bee conservation. Over the past few decades, bumblebees have been in serious decline. As well as the loss of the short-haired bumblebee, another bee species - the Cullem's bumblebee ([I]Bombus cullumanus[/I]) - has also been declared extinct in the UK and others species are at risk of vanishing from the UK. Conservationists warn that the loss of the bees and other insect pollinators would be disastrous. With about 80% of Britain's plants reliant on insects for pollination, it has been estimated that these creatures contribute more than £400m a year to the UK economy. Dr Pete Brotherton, head of biodiversity at Natural England, said: "We depend upon nature in so many ways, yet across England many species and habitats are in decline. "These losses can be stopped - today is a fantastic example of what conservation organisations, the government and farmers can achieve when we work together. "Exciting projects like this one are vital in helping to turn the tide on biodiversity loss." [/QUOTE]

"Plan Bee" BBC, I feel as though you're insulting my intellect here. [editline]28th May 2012[/editline] Or should I say, BEE BEE SEE?

No, send them back. Fuck bees.

[QUOTE=alex9158;36112928]No, send them back. Fuck bees.[/QUOTE] Bees are total bros. Wasps are the dicks here, bees are cuddly and don't sting you and give you flowers and various plants and honey and shit. Wasps just fuck you up, and they fuck those bees up too.

Will they have any predators, seeing as they've been gone for years?

I'm here to protest right....because I want Britain to be about British...we got interspecies law, with the waspbee rape gangs forming in our country and trying to get their law over our country, and we...we can't stand for that. So that's why all these people are here to protest right, and it's ha-happening in other countries too. Like, like they got the Swedish law they put down on London, they're just trying to put their law down on us. Their wasp.... beee... waspbee law. There's fucking 15 year olds being stung, and that just seems wrong.

Stay away from our bees

I recall that there were many headlines about this over here; How the UK scientists stole the queens and how our own population would die off as a result. Lets hope all goes well, though.

[QUOTE=mac338;36112947]Bees are total bros. Wasps are the dicks here, bees are cuddly and don't sting you and give you flowers and various plants and honey and shit. Wasps just fuck you up, and they fuck those bees up too.[/QUOTE] I agree, fuck wasps, can't even have the windows open during spring / summer because wasps just have to go "FUCK YOU I'M GONNA FUCK YOUR SHIT AND SENSE THIS TINY FUCKING WINDOW OPENING HAH SUCK IT". automerge why

[QUOTE=soderholm13;36113026]I agree, fuck wasps, can't even have the windows open during spring / summer because wasps just have to go "FUCK YOU I'M GONNA FUCK YOUR SHIT AND SENSE THIS TINY FUCKING WINDOW OPENING HAH SUCK IT". automerge why[/QUOTE] "NO PLANTS IN HERE, MAY AS WELL STING THE FUCK OUT OF EVERYTHING I SEE"

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;36112995]I'm here to protest right....because I want Britain to be about British...we got interspecies law, with the waspbee rape gangs forming in our country and trying to get their law over our country, and we...we can't stand for that. So that's why all these people are here to protest right, and it's ha-happening in other countries too. Like, like they got the Swedish law they put down on London, they're just trying to put their law down on us. Their wasp.... beee... waspbee law. There's fucking 15 year olds being stung, and that just seems wrong.[/QUOTE] BBC is clearly biased toward the Bee Agenda. it's right there in their name twice

It's like, we have uncontrolled mass immigration of waspbees, and we need a new house to be built every 7 minutes to hold them. We have English people turned out of their homes, to make room for bees... Like it's a fucking disgrace, I had my old man who fought in the war, he lost his testicles at the age of 6 and had his arm blown off by a nazi... I won't think he did his part in the war just to let the waspbees flood our fucking country... You can't use words like "cunt" to describe them anymore.... you have to call them "PC" terms introduced by the ever encompassing bee-infiltrated British Media. @ Lankist I know its true with the BBC being Bee-biased, they are deliberately suppressing the facts to promote a pro-bee agenda. if we don't stop soon, the bees will outnumber the Englisc by 2040. already they make up a quarter of the population....

I've never been stung by a bee or a wasp I live in constant fear [editline]29th May 2012[/editline] I genuinely had a nightmare about it once

How was it ever extinct if some of the species lived elsewhere?

[QUOTE=CakeMaster7;36113138]How was it ever extinct if some of the species lived elsewhere?[/QUOTE] Extinction has various levels. There can be localized extinctions, extinction in the wild (i.e. only surviving members are in captivity) and complete extinction. For instance, if bees are extinct in your area, that might seem like an exaggeration, but your entire local ecosystem is going to suffer for it. When a species goes extinct in any given area, every organism that is dependent upon it will decline as well.

[QUOTE=Lankist;36112919]"Plan Bee" BBC, I feel as though you're insulting my intellect here. [editline]28th May 2012[/editline] Or should I say, BEE BEE SEE?[/QUOTE] I hope whoever came up with it got a raise. [editline]29th May 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=smurfy;36113119]I've never been stung by a bee or a wasp I live in constant fear [editline]29th May 2012[/editline] I genuinely had a nightmare about it once[/QUOTE] It's the worst pain imaginable. There was a woman who had a child and a wasp stung her at the same time and she said the stinging pain was worse than the pain of pushing a baby out of her vagina.

Why would you seed more bees? That's a terrible idea, the colony should've been burned to the ground.

Post a picture of the gfucking bee already

[QUOTE=Jmir 54;36113433]Post a picture of the gfucking bee already[/QUOTE] [img]http://wa2.cdn.3news.co.nz/3news/AM/2012/5/29/255902/short-haired-bee.jpg?width=460[/img]

What about giant hornets? They are so big that you can pet them, except they would probably put a hole in your hand with that sting.

[QUOTE=soderholm13;36113026]I agree, fuck wasps, can't even have the windows open during spring / summer because wasps just have to go "FUCK YOU I'M GONNA FUCK YOUR SHIT AND SENSE THIS TINY FUCKING WINDOW OPENING HAH SUCK IT". automerge why[/QUOTE] You don't have window screens?

My bumble-oid minions have returned to me, soon I will blot out the sun with my minions none shall be spared [img]https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTnquI3ZJKqkTJSzYO0P9dC3W9pfnzXePIudXcEFG37j4Vspci2[/img]

[QUOTE=DesolateGrun;36113516]My bumble-oid minions have returned to me, soon I will blot out the sun with my minions none shall be spared [img]https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTnquI3ZJKqkTJSzYO0P9dC3W9pfnzXePIudXcEFG37j4Vspci2[/img][/QUOTE] not the bees NOT THE BEES

[img]http://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/oprah-bees.gif?w=300[/img] Bees are such bros, only time I've been stung was when I sat on one by accident. Don't attack them they won't attack you, remember it's a last resort for them.

[QUOTE=jaykray;36113446][img]http://wa2.cdn.3news.co.nz/3news/AM/2012/5/29/255902/short-haired-bee.jpg?width=460[/img][/QUOTE] Why is this thing so cute.

[QUOTE=Tuskin;36113573]Why is this thing so cute.[/QUOTE] Because its colours go together well and it's furry.

bees are fucking adorable. [IMG]http://my.telegraph.co.uk/expat/files/2010/09/bee-and-flower.jpg[/IMG]

I had a wasp crawl into my swimming trunks before I put them on once. Needless to say, neither me or the wasp were happy with that state of affairs.

That bee has evil in its eyes, generations of resentment over numerous genocides of their population, justified genocides, but they shall wage a permanent war with humanity.

[QUOTE=Cows Rule;36113756]That bee has evil in its eyes, generations of resentment over numerous genocides of their population, justified genocides, but they shall wage a permanent war with humanity.[/QUOTE] Well they are the original suicide bombers.