How a decade of citizen science has increased our knowledge of bumblebee populations and their differing habitats.

Bumblebees are some of the best-loved insect species but much remains to be discovered about them. In this talk, we’ll hear how 10 years of citizen science monitoring data has been used to reveal the different habitat preferences among 14 British bumblebee species. Penelope will discuss the variation among species and what this means for bumblebee conservation.

Dr Penelope Whitehorn is a wildlife biologist and works as co-Chief Scientist for Highlands Rewilding. After studying Zoology and Conservation, she worked for a number of conservation organisations in the UK, Eastern Africa and the US. Her PhD, at the University of Stirling, assessed the impacts of inbreeding and parasites on bumblebees. Much of her research since then has focussed on these delightful insects, including exploring the effects of pesticides and looking into the broader ecological effects of land management and climate change, the latter with an Alexander von Humboldt research fellowship in Germany. In 2022, Penelope returned to Scotland to work for Highlands Rewilding but remains passionate about bumblebees!

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