Study

Can commercially imported bumble bees out-compete their native conspecifics?

  • Published source details Ings T.C., Ward N.L. & Chittka L. (2006) Can commercially imported bumble bees out-compete their native conspecifics?. Journal of Applied Ecology, 43, 940-948.

Actions

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

Action Category

Reintroduce laboratory-reared bumblebee colonies to the wild

Action Link
Bee Conservation

Rear declining bumblebees in captivity

Action Link
Bee Conservation
  1. Reintroduce laboratory-reared bumblebee colonies to the wild

    Ings et al. (2006) placed seven laboratory-reared colonies of the native UK subspecies B. t. audax in field locations in Surrey, England. These colonies were left out until the founding queen died and all males and queens had emerged. They produced an average of 0.3 queens and 189 males/colony. Only two of the seven colonies produced any queens.

  2. Rear declining bumblebees in captivity

    Ings et al. (2006) reared wild-caught queens of the native UK subspecies B. terrestris audax in southern England. Queens were confined in dual compartment nest boxes at 25-28°C, 60% relative humidity, with two or three male pupae or artificial pupae made of clay. From 79 nest searching queens caught in March, 20 colonies were reared to the second brood of workers.

Output references
What Works 2021 cover

What Works in Conservation

What Works in Conservation provides expert assessments of the effectiveness of actions, based on summarised evidence, in synopses. Subjects covered so far include amphibians, birds, mammals, forests, peatland and control of freshwater invasive species. More are in progress.

More about What Works in Conservation

Download free PDF or purchase
The Conservation Evidence Journal

The Conservation Evidence Journal

An online, free to publish in, open-access journal publishing results from research and projects that test the effectiveness of conservation actions.

Read the latest volume: Volume 21

Go to the CE Journal

Discover more on our blog

Our blog contains the latest news and updates from the Conservation Evidence team, the Conservation Evidence Journal, and our global partners in evidence-based conservation.


Who uses Conservation Evidence?

Meet some of the evidence champions

Endangered Landscape ProgrammeRed List Champion - Arc Kent Wildlife Trust The Rufford Foundation Save the Frogs - Ghana Mauritian Wildlife Supporting Conservation Leaders
Sustainability Dashboard National Biodiversity Network Frog Life The international journey of Conservation - Oryx Cool Farm Alliance UNEP AWFA Bat Conservation InternationalPeople trust for endangered species Vincet Wildlife Trust