Bee Fest creates buzz on Marsh

Following on from the reintroduction of the short-haired bumblebee at the RSPB Dungeness nature reserve at the end of May, and despite some damp weather over the long Bank holiday weekend, visitors have been flocking to the reserve’s Bee Fest.

Young visitors and their families joined in buzzy bee walks, making bee homes and a bee trail and quiz, all to celebrate the humble bumblebee.

An ongoing project aims to reintroduce the short-haired bumblebee back to the UK from Sweden and to restore selected landscapes in the Romney Marsh area using agri-environment schemes to recreate habitat for bumblebees by working with farmers, land-owners and conservation groups.

The project also aims to raise the profile of bumblebee conservation through public outreach.