Rare bee species reappears in biodiversity win

By Lauren Beavis

A rare "nationally scarce" bee has been spotted in Cornwall in a "triumph for insect biodiversity."

Local entomologist Paddy Saunders and Nick Holden, from the National Trust, were left "delighted" after finding the Red Bartsia Bee (Melitta tricincta) at Godrevy farm.

Previously, this bee had only been known from one other site in Cornwall - where the first Cornish record for the bee in 20 years was made back in 2022.

Experts say this discovery is likely the direct result of conservation work undertaken by Buglife’s North Cornwall B-Lines project in 2022 - where the Red Bartsia plant was introduced to the site from seed harvested from a nearby farm.

Paddy said he was impressed the small bee could immediately sniff out their host plant - particularly because there were no patches of Red Bartsia plants between that colony and Godrevy

He said: “I was extremely pleased to find Red Bartsia Bee at Godrevy National Trust this year.

"We found both males and females which was great as this indicated the bee had colonized following us sowing the foodplant."

Bee expert Will Hawkes, conservation assistant for the Buglife Project, explains how the bee is not only unique due to its relationship with the red Bartsia flower - but also how its rarity highlights the use of more intensive farming practices.

He said the unique bee has evolved to rely solely on this red Bartsia flower - because it reduces the competition - and the flower has co-evolved with the bee.

Will explained: "They really complement each other - and by doing this it means there is less competition for the bee feeding to get the nectar and the flower ensures it gets its pollination from the bee.

"The bee is quite rare because of changes in farming practices, which have become more intensive.

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"The red Bartsia flower was quite good horse food plant, but as we've moved to tractors - we've lost the red clovers and red Bartsias.

"This means all these little animals that have evolved over thousands, tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands of years - they are struggling much more.

"We think of nature being these beautiful green fields - but now they are deserts for these animals because of monoculture.

"So we have to take this responsibility to restore the habitats to what they used to be."

Will added the recent discovery of the bee points to a much wider biodiversity triumph.

He said: "We are planting wildflowers again to create a diverse environment to support our amazing wild pollinators.

"It's amazing really because we planted those red Bartsia flowers only a few years ago - and the bee was able to travel over one kilometer away - which is a really long way for such a tiny tiny creature.

"It's a really hopeful story overall and it is exciting to share positive news about such tiny lives!"

National Trust Area Ranger at Godrevy, Nick Holden, said the team are very happy to be working with Buglife to protect habitats and rare species.

Nick said: “We are absolutely delighted to be continuing the B-Lines partnership work with Buglife.

"It is inspiring to work with such a knowledgeable and dedicated organization. Working together with local landowners, schools and volunteers has delivered great results in our grasslands, enhancing species richness and increasing habitats for specialist bees that are under threat in the landscape.

"We are committed to continuing this successful project long into the future so that incredible species such as the Red Bartsia Bee may expand their range on the Cornish Coast.”

Will added: "We are looking for more land owners to transform their fields into wildflower meadows under the Kernow Wyls wildflower habitat creation project that will restore at least 25 hectares of wildflower-rich habitat along the north and south coast of Cornwall."