To spot this month: keep an eye out for queen bumblebees

The normal lifecycle of most Irish bumblebees ends when the workers and males die off and the newly mated queens hibernates through the colder winter months.  Occasionally, at this time of year you can still see some bumblebee queens fattening up for hibernation. If you spot any queen bumblebees that you’re able  to identify, it’s very useful to let us know what plant it was feeding on. Last November, queens were observed feeding on Ivy and on garden plants like Mahonia, Comfrey and Hebe. Photo below is the Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Joe  Curtis).

Please submit any bumblebee sightings to the National Biodiversity  Data Centre.

To do this month: plant bare root fruit trees 

Bare root fruit trees are generally cheaper to buy than potted trees, and the time to buy and plant them is from November to March. Consider adding a small orchard to your garden, local community, business site or farm.

As well as containing some of our rare heritage fruit tree varieties, a small orchard can be valuable for biodiversity. They’re made up of several habitats, including elements of woodland, hedgerow and meadow. This mosaic of habitats is home to a range of biodiversity, including bees, butterflies, birds, bats, mosses, beetles, fungi and lichen. Windfallen fruit is also a vital source of food in autumn and winter for a whole range of wildlife. Species-rich grassland beneath the trees can be a haven for pollinators and biodiversity, especially if they contain the native, naturally occurring wildflowers.

Pollinators like wild bees, hoverflies and moths have a vital ‘pollination service’ role in orchards, with almost all fruit resulting from pollination by a bee or other insect. In turn, fruit trees provide nectar and pollen, essential for the survival of these important insects.

Tidy Towns Pollinator Award 2025

The winners of the 2025 Tidy Towns Pollinator Award have been announced. The Pollinator Award has run since 2016 as a Special Award in the annual Supervalu Tidy Towns awards. It is administrated by the local authority Heritage and Biodiversity Officer network and the National Biodiversity Data Centre. The aim of the award is to encourage and reward pollinator-friendly actions by Tidy Towns groups in line with the recommendations of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan. Each winner is awarded a prize of €1,000.

Baile Slachtmhar Bhéal an Mhuirthead/ Belmullet Tidy Towns were the overall winners this year. Inagh Tidy Towns were awarded ‘best newcomer’, and regional awards were given to Balbriggan Tidy Towns, Crinkill Tidy Villages, Ardmore Tidy Towns, Castlegregory Tidy Towns and Cavan Tidy Towns.

The quality of applications this year was so high that ten further Tidy Towns were highly commended for their work for pollinators. Huge congratulations to all the winners and highly commended towns.

New blog: Pesticide-free Towns

Our latest blog celebrates communities that have decided to go pesticide-free to protect pollinators and human health.

All  over the island of Ireland, communities are reducing their use of pesticides,  and many have eliminated them altogether. Some community groups are recognised and rewarded for their work in annual pollinator awards, including the Tidy  Towns Pollinator Award which is administered by the Local Authority Heritage  and Biodiversity Officer network and the National Biodiversity Data Centre.  This award is given to groups who have taken action for pollinators in line  with our recommendations, including reducing and eliminating pesticides.

Find out about some of the Tidy Towns groups who have scored full marks for eliminating pesticides in recent years, and how they managed to achieve it.

Free Courses on the Biodiversity Learning Platform

As things quieten down for winter, and you are missing seeing  pollinators in real life, don’t forget that we have lots of pollinator online  courses on the National Biodiversity Data Centre Learning Platform. All courses are free and can be completed at your leisure. It’s a good way to plan what actions you might take in 2026, or to begin learning about species  identification.