One of the UK's most threatened bumblebees, which has been in decline in southern England over the past century, has been spotted in East London, it was revealed today.
A shrill carder bumblebee (Bombus sylvarum), which has just six or seven populations in England and Wales, was spotted last month at Crossness sewage works, Thamesmead.
The discovery was made by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, who were advising on land management for bumblebees funded by the Co-operative's Plan Bee campaign, and experts were surprised to see the bumblebee so close to central London.
Sam Page, conservation officer at the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, who spotted the bee, said: "Two species of bumblebee have become extinct in the UK since the 1940s and several others, including the shrill carder, are at risk.
"The last sighting of this species in the area was nearly 10 years ago, so it is great to see evidence of them surviving here."
Chris Shearlock, sustainable development manager at the Co-operative, said: "According to experts, this species has been declining dramatically in the last few decades so this is an important discovery, especially so close to central London.
"As part of our ongoing Plan Bee campaign, we are providing advice to landowners on grazing management, scrub clearance and creating flower-rich habitat in order to support rare species of bee, so a sighting of this kind shows that the project is really worthwhile."
