We’ve teamed up with bee expert Ian Beavis to find out about the diversity of bees on the Isles of Scilly, the state of their habitats and what we can do to help bees thrive across the Islands. Ian has been exploring the islands, including some of the uninhabited islands which are thought to harbour some of Scilly’s rarer bee species. These rarities include the charismatic ‘Scilly Bee’, a species of bumblebee not sighted on the Isles of Scilly for over a decade.
The Isles of Scilly harbour diverse habitats for bees many species thrive in sunny, open areas rich in flowers. Ideal bee habitats include abundant flowers for feeding and foraging, suitable nesting sites, and mating areas. The Isles of Scilly is situated 28 miles from Land’s End, Cornwall, consisting of 5 inhabitant islands and an array of small uninhabited islands all rich in coastal grasslands and heathland – most vital for wild bees as well as meadow fields and tropical gardens.
Ian describes the bee populations across the islands as ‘dynamic’ with the current bee species tally at 52 species including species of bumblebees, solitary bees and mining bees. However, not all off these species can be found on Scilly now, indicative of the ever-changing bee population effected by new species colonising and others become extinct – effectively the winners and losers of changing climate and land management practices over the decades. But is our elusive ‘Scilly Bee’ one of these losers?
Winners
- Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae), a recent arrival on Scilly, first recorded in 2016.
- Chalk Yellow-face Bee (Hylaeus dilatatus) surveyed for the first time during the June 2023 survey.
- Ashy Mining Bee (Andrena cineraria), recent colonist on Scilly since 2021.
- Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum) first recorded in 2002, most records from inland sites such as gardens.
Losers
- Hawksbeard Mining Bee (Andrena fulvago). Long extinct species likely as a result of the decline of flower-rich coastal habitats.
- Heath Bumblebee (Bombus jonellus) once fairly common but declined since 1970, most likely seen in flower-rich coastal grassland and heathland.
- Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidaries) again, once a common species on Scilly, but since the late 1990s and early 2000s has gone into rapid decline and is now rarely seen.
The Scilly Bee (Bombus muscorum scyllonius), a subspecies of the Moss Carder Bee, a distinctively ginger, fluffy bumblebee, has faced a decline over the last few decades and potentially extinct on the islands. Once widespread across the British Isles’ coastal regions, its numbers dwindled by the 1980s, with the last reliable sighting on Scilly in 2012. The loss of this bee is linked to the reduction of open, flower-rich habitats, a result of decreased coastal grazing. In 2020 Grace (Wildflower Collective) and Jilly (Scillonian Bee project) started the Big Scilly Bee Hunt to try to find the Scilly Bee and support bee diversity and habitat actions across the islands, enlisting the expertise of Ian Beavis a perennial visitor to the islands. Ian had been recording bee species ad hoc for decades but hadn’t visited the uninhabited islands since the early 2000s. Despite Ian’s survey efforts, including our 2023 survey, no recent sightings can confirm it’s still present on Scilly, marking a sad conclusion to our Big Scilly Bee Hunt.
‘Although there is still some surviving flower-rich habitat on the uninhabited islands, sadly this may have not been enough to sustain a population of Scilly Bees’ Dr Ian Beavis, Bee Expert
The Isles of Scilly still have a rich bee diversity, with unique species adapted to its isolated environment. Recent years have seen new species arrive, but traditional practices like grazing and bracken cutting have declined over the last decades, leading to habitat loss and the endangerment of species like the Scilly Bee and Heath Bumblebee that rely on flower-rich coastal habitats. The loss of one charismatic species can be indicative of the fate of many other species relying on the same resources e.g. flower rich coastal habitats.
Although a disappointing result in terms of finding the Scilly Bee in 2023, Ian’s hard work has provided a valuable overview of the conditions of existing habitat and highlighted the need to take action to protect the wild bee biodiversity across the Islands to reduce the risk of future extinctions. It is also clear that we need to keep up the survey effort to effectively monitor bee diversity across all the islands.
Ian’s top 3 recommendations to help wild bees thrive across the Isles of Scilly
- Coastal habitats – To support bee populations, restoration efforts should focus on coastal grasslands and heathlands, to maintain flower-rich habitats from spring to autumn.
- Consistency – Consistent management across the islands is crucial for this conservation effort. Adopting island-wide bee-friendly practices, such as appropriate mowing regimes to allow flowers to bloom and seed and the protection of existing wildflower meadows.
- Collaboration – Public education and community engagement in conservation efforts is important to help preserving and enhancing flower-rich habitats for pollinators in various settings, including agricultural lands, public gardens, churchyards, and private gardens.
Ian’s report comes at a critical time and recent initiates across the islands are putting these recommendations into action, the Scillonian Bee Project are working with beekeepers and the community to help create more habitat for wild and managed bees the Duchy of Cornwall Estates are appointing new staff to help reconnect wildflower and insect rich habitat and the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust are managing coastal grazing initiatives in collaboration with local farmers. All these initiatives are working together to support the important bee biodiversity and habitats across the islands. Although a disappointing result for the ‘Scilly Bee’, our Big Scilly Bee Hunt has highlighted what can be done when communities come together to help nature thrive.
Ian’s report details a comprehensive survey of wild bees and their habitats on the Isles of Scilly, conducted in June and September 2023 and building upon decades of insect surveys across the islands.
You can read the full report here.
We are thankful for the support from the Duchy of Cornwall Estates, the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust, Tresco Estate, the Scillonian Bee Project and the hard work and dedication from the communities of the Isles of Scilly to help wild bees thrive.
The survey was initiated by Grace Twiston-Davies (University of Exeter and Wildflower Collective CIC), and Jilly Halliday (Tresco Estate and the Scillonian Bee Project) in partnership with the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust and the Tresco Estate. Funding for boat trips to the uninhabited islands was kindly provided by the Duchy of Cornwall and the Wildlife Trust’s breeding seabird survey, supported by Natural England and the Isles of Scilly National Landscape partnership. Ian Beavis generously provided his expertise and time to conduct and write up the surveys.