How many species of bumble bee are there?
Bumble bees are temperate climate insects and there are about 300 species in the temperate zones of the world. The UK had 25 species but 3 are already extinct and many more are threatened. Bumble bees, like many species, are under threat because of changes in farming practices, pesticides and destruction of their nest sites. These insects are important pollinators and should be conserved. In the UK, of the 254 species of wild bee (solitary and bumble bees), 25% are in the Red Data Book of endangered species.
