The bumblebee has been exhibited at

• The National Botanic Garden, Wales (June-Sept 2017), 

• Dr Beynon’s Bug Farm in Pembrokeshire (Sept 2017-Dec 2018)

• Mann Gallery, Albert R. Mann Library, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York (April -sept 2019)

• National Waterfront Museum, ”Innovate” , Swansea, Wales (Oct 2019-Apr 2020)

This particular project is a collaboration between Dr Tyra Oseng-Rees and supporting artist Carly Wilshere-Butler from Swansea College of Art at UWTSD, scientist Dr Peter Graystock from Department of Entomology University of California, and Sinead Lynch from Bumblebees Conservation Trust.

Background for the project:

The project aimed to bring Art and Science together, producing creative art projects that explore and promote the crisis facing pollinators and to influence policy decision making. The focus of the wild bees project was to distinguish the variations between the twenty-six bumblebees native to UK. During early discussions it became apparent that it was important to explore, in a positive approach, the fragility of these amazing creatures and demonstrate the variety that exist among the bumblebees.

The bees are illustrating the variations of the bumblebees, and the identification markers are amongst size, colour of the banding, shapes of the antenna, pollen baskets and darker colours of the wings for solitary and cuckoo bees. Colour banding of the head, thorax (upper body) and abdomen (lower body) and tail (bottom of abdomen) is one of the features to distinguish between the variety of bumblebees. Long curved antenna belongs to males, whilst short elbow shaped antenna belongs to females. There are also some bumblebees that live a solitary life and not in a hive or a nest. These are called solitary bees or cuckoo bees, and they do as the cuckoo bird does, lays egg in other bees’ nests. They have colour and behavior that act like the social bees but can be distinguished by a darker shade on their wings and sometimes duller colours on their banding. The last disguisable sign you can look for are the pollen baskets on their hind legs. These bees are workers, live in a nest, are females and collect pollen to feed their Queen. These are called ‘social bees and is distinguished by a lump of pollen stuck at their back legs also called pollen basket. If you look carefully at the bees, you can see what colour flowers they have been foraging on. You can even see blue pollen baskets.

Dr Graystock currently focuses on how parasite transmission influences bee health, and Sinead Lynch is working to advise and support a citizen-science recording scheme and working with landowners to provide more habitat for bumblebees. As novice into the scientific challenges of preservation of bumblebees both artists have worked closely with the conservationists and scientists to develop a new approach to show the fragility of the wild bees.

Bees are responsible for most of the foods we eat, and play invaluable roles maintaining wild habitats. Alarmingly, Intensive farming, habitat destruction, and global climate change have contributed to widespread declines of these essential pollinators. There’s evidence to suggest that the ways in which pollinators are perceived and valued has a significant impact on their conservation.

One important misperception identified, was that there are few types of bee in the UK – there are 250 species! The topic for the wild bees project has therefore been to distinguish the variations between the twenty-six, bumblebees that live in UK. During discussions amongst the scientists, conservationists and artists it became apparent that it was important to explore, in a positive approach, the fragility of these amazing creatures and demonstrate to members of the public, the variety on their doorstep.