There's a buzz in the air with discovery of new type of bumblebee

A NEW type of bumblebee has been spotted in Scotland for the first time in 50 years. A parasitic type of bee, the southern cuckoo bumblebee, was discovered at St Abbs in Berwickshire.

More commonly found in the south of England, it is thought the bee was attracted to fly north to Scotland due to warming temperatures. It is the first time a new species of bumblebee has been seen in Scotland for five decades.

The insect was spotted by Bob Dawson, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust's conservation officer for Scotland. He said: "It's hugely exciting to discover a new species for Scotland – I'm thrilled."

He said cuckoo bumblebees could be difficult to identify: "They look similar to other bumblebees – black with yellow stripes – but males of this species have distinctive antennae."

His suspicions that the bee at St Abbs was a Southern Cuckoo Bumblebee were confirmed by Murdo Macdonald from the Highland Biological Recording Group. Many species of bumblebee are struggling in Britain due to habitat loss. Three of the UK's 27 species have become extinct.

Ben Darvill, director of the Bumblebee Conservation Group, said some good news for the insects was long overdue.

"At a time when bumblebees up and down the UK are struggling due to a lack of flower-rich habitat, it is heartening to see that at least one species is expanding its range," he said. "Sadly, many other species are threatened with national extinction, with Scotland's great yellow bumblebee in particular trouble. We very much hope it's not a case of 'one in, one out'."

He said it was too early to say whether the southern cuckoo bumblebee's arrival was due to climate change, but added that it seemed likely. There are six species of cuckoo bumblebee in the UK. They differ from other bumblebees because they have switched to a parasitic existence. The females force their way into the nests of other bumblebees, kill or evict the queen and take over her workers as her own.

The southern cuckoo bumblebee is thought to target the nests of buff-tailed bumblebees, one of the most common types of bumblebees in the UK. Despite this behaviour, Mr Darvill said its arrival in Scotland was still good news. If they were doing well, it meant their host species was also thriving, he said.

Cuckoo bees stopped collecting pollen so long ago that they no longer have pollen baskets – a concave area on their legs fringed by long hairs. The discovery of the new bee comes as Scotland enters Scottish Environment Week, which celebrates and promotes the country's environment.