Conducted by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, BeeWalk, the standardised bumblebee monitoring scheme, has been running across Great Britain since 2008. BeeWalkers survey a fixed-route transect once a month from March to October, recording the abundance of each bumblebee species seen – the data of which is now widely used to inform policy and conservation interventions.
According to 2025 BeeWalk Annual Report, 2024 proved to be the second year in a row, marked by notably low numbers of winged insects. Across Great Britain, bumblebee numbers declined by almost a quarter (22.5%) compared to the 2010-2023 average. Across all bumblebee species combined, 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.
Vital pollinators of crops and wildflowers, the decline of bumblebees is a major ecological concern. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust have said that conservation efforts need to be expanded with a greater emphasis on habitat restoration, and continued monitoring are all key to safeguarding their future.
The 2024 declines are likely to have been caused by the cold and wet conditions from late April through June. The 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.
The UK has 24 species of bumblebees. Of those, the species that typically reach their maximum abundance in June or July, suffered dramatically. Common species such as the White-tailed (Bombus lucorum s.l.) and Red-tailed (Bombus lapidarius) bumblebees were hardest hit, with numbers showing a 60% and 74% decline, respectively in England, Scotland, and Wales. Other species affected include:
- Tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) – 39% decline
- Southern Cuckoo bumblebee (Bombus vestalis) – 38% decline
- Garden bumblebee (Bombus hortorum) – 12.5% decline
- Buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) – 9.5% decline
According to the report, despite improved weather conditions in July and August, bumblebee numbers showed a partial recovery, but 2024 still had the second-worst July and August counts on record.
Species which usually reach their maximum abundance in August, including many rarer British species, displayed mixed trends in 2024:
- Heath bumblebee (Bombus jonellus) – 63% increase due to a strong second generation
- Brown-banded Carder bumblebee (Bombus humilis) – 13% increase
- Common Carder bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum) – 16% decline
- Moss Carder bumblebee (Bombus muscorum) – 34% decline
England and Wales’ rarest bumblebee, the Shrill carder bumblebee (Bombus sylvarum) was 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”.