10/09/2026
🐝 A refuge for the UK’s rarest bumblebee
The Thames Estuary is believed to be home to the last remaining UK stronghold of the Shrill Carder Bee, making it one of the country’s most important landscapes for bumblebee conservation.
Through the PLA Environment Fund, we’re supporting the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s ‘Seawalls for Bumblebees’ project to understand why these incredibly rare bees continue to thrive here and how their habitat can be protected for the future.
And their home might not be where you’d expect🌼
The estuary’s flower-rich seawalls, sitting alongside ports, industry and flood defences, provide an important habitat for rare bumblebees and a remarkable variety of other pollinators.
Conservation specialists and trained volunteers are surveying these habitats to build a clearer picture of where rare species are found and the conditions they need to thrive.
Read more about why the Thames Estuary has become such an important refuge for rare bumblebees ➡️ https://hubs.la/Q04x8g4v0
