Five rarest bumblebees in Britain have made a comeback in a former stronghold, thanks to wildlife-friendly farming that aims to support an extinct bee being reintroduced from New Zealand, according to conservationists.

The five threatened species, including the shrill carder bee which is England’s rarest bumblebee, have spread their geographic range in the South East as a result of environmental schemes in Dungeness and Romney Marsh.

Around 50 farms in the area have been working since January last year to restore habitat suitable for the short-haired bumblebee, ahead of its reintroduction from New Zealand where it was taken more than a hundred years ago – and survived while becoming extinct here.

The project to bring back the species, which was transported to the other side of the world in the 19th century to pollinate red clover grown to feed sheep, was delayed after captured bees died in hibernation.

But the work to improve habitat in the area ahead of the short-haired bumblebee’s eventual release has already had a positive effect on threatened species which are still found in the area, the wildlife experts said.

The five bumblebee species – the large garden bumblebee, the shrill carder bee, the shanked carder bee, the moss carder bee and the brown banded carder bee – have all increased their ranges in Kent and East Sussex this summer after decades of decline.

The shrill carder bee has been seen in areas where it has not been recorded for 25 years, according to the groups running the project.

The scheme by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, bee charity Hymettus, Government conservation agency Natural England and the RSPB has involved local farmers and other landowners in creating habitat for bees under agri-environment schemes.

The measures include putting in pollen and nectar-rich flower margins to fields, growing red clover hay meadows and rotating grazing of animals on land.

Project leader Nikki Gammans said: “We embarked on this project so that we could create the right conditions to bring the short-haired bumblebee back to the UK – but an added benefit is that it has provided a real boost to these five threatened species.

“We hoped that we would begin to see results like this for these species but we really didn’t expect to see it quite so quickly. It’s a great result, and one we’re very excited about.”

She said the south of Kent used to have more species of bumblebee than any other area of the UK until populations declined in the second half of the 20th century.

The bumblebee news was particularly heartening, she said, given declines of bees in the UK as a whole and the impact that could have on pollination of crops ranging from tomatoes to peas.

Environment Minister Richard Benyon said: “These results show the benefit of agri-environment schemes and the role farmers play in protecting and improving our wildlife.”

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