ON BEE-RINK OF EXTINCTION

Third of native species could be wiped out

BUMBLEBEE numbers in Ireland have crashed in recent years raising fears some native species are on the brink of extinction.

Of the 98 Irish wild bee species around one-third are threatened with complete wipe out.

It has emerged populations recorded last year fell to their lowest level since monitoring began – with large declines in native species.

Dr Tomas Murray, a senior ecologist at the All-ireland Bumblebee Monitoring Scheme, said: “For us the leading cause of declines is effectively habitat loss.

“So we’re moving the spaces where these bees normally feed and live.

“So for a really common species that are common and widespread everywhere, we’re losing them in particular areas, literally because there’s no place for them to feed or live. So the absolute number of bees is going down.

“And like that then for those rarer species, those species that may be more sensitive to agriculture insensification or anything like that. They’re largely being shifted to places where agriculture isn’t so intense.”

The 21 critical native species here are very important in terms of pollinating wild flowers and crops and researchers examined eight from 2012 to 2017. The monitoring took place at more than 100 sites and the findings were revealed yesterday. A startling one third of the 98 species here are at risk of extinction.

The data also provides a unique insight into how more common bumblebees are doing. It revealed the large carder bee, which is threatened by extinction across Europe, has seen a 23 per cent fall in population since 2012.

Meanwhile, the great yellow bumblebee and the shrill carder bee, which makes a high pitched buzz, can only be found now in the northwest and the west of Ireland and in small numbers.

There are several reasons for population decline inclusing habitat loss, pesticide poisoning, climate change and hunger due to a fall in wildflowers.

IN PERIL Bumblebee