The Great Yellow bumblebee feeding on kidney vetch. Photo: Scottish Natural Heritage.

PEOPLE who wonder where bumblebees live, why there are fewer than there used to be and what can be done to help them will have their questions answered at a local talk.

A one-day workshop run by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust will give people an introduction to the ecology and identification of the insect. Presentations will be held on Saturday morning at the Castlehill Heritage Centre, Castletown, followed by an afternoon site visit around the gardens and heritage flagstone trail.

In the course, Bumblebee Identification for Beginners, people will find out about the ecology and life cycle of a bumblebee and learn to recognise important features that will support them in a range of habitats, including grasslands, woodlands and farmland.

Information will be given on understanding the challenges facing the species, especially the ultra-rare great yellow bumblebee, and how best to collect more data about bee populations and how to spot a queen, worker and male.

The free day will run from 10am to 3.30pm. For more information phone 07554414052

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Everybody is talking about bees and bumblebees these days, but …….

A Friendly Caution

If you are a beekeeper in the Isle of Man, you may have a fair journey to hear what promises/ed to be a very interesting talk; the article was published on Friday, 12 June in the