How to Identify, Record and Monitor Common Irish Bumblebees

Lusk is surrounded by beautiful countryside with an abundance of flowers growing along the side of the roads. Bumblebee Monitoring volunteer, Liz Gabbett, has collaborated with the National Biodiversity Database Centre ecologists to create an online resource for all citizen scientists who want to learn (or revise) how to recognise the six most common bumblebee species found in Ireland.

This online course complements the face-to-face workshops and it will help you review the workshop information at your own pace and provide you with more information on how to record the six most common bumblebee species.

Currently, there are 21 bumblebee species found in Ireland, but if you first learn how to record the six common species, you will be able to recognise the less common species when you find them. When you find a bumblebee species you cannot identify there are more resources on the pollinators website or you can contact the Biodiversity Data Centre ecologists for assistance.

Within this online course there are activities and quizzes to test yourself on how you are getting on with your identification skills and you will get feedback on your answers. These quizzes will help you gain confidence in correctly identifying bumblebee species.

While the course is 2-3 hours long, you can log in and out at any time and resume where you left off, use the menu on the far left of the course screen to pick your section to start learning from. Our advice is to take your time doing the course and return to a unit to revise the information at your convenience. When you are doing the course it is best viewed from a computer, laptop or tablet.

To access the course please click here