North East Bee Hunt
Thank you for sharing your sightings with the North East Bee Hunt this spring and summer. A summary of this year’s results will be published this autumn.
4,665
bee records shared
184
recorders took part
41
bee species confirmed
Every Record Counts
Bees play an important role in the environment. To protect them, we need to know where they are. We need your help to record bees across the North East.
Many species are under-recorded in the North East. Your observations hold the key to revealing the mysteries surrounding bees across the region, from the Tees to the Tweed.
Urban or rural, beginner or expert, by taking part in the North East Bee Hunt, you’ll not only increase knowledge and understanding of these amazing insects but help protect bees for years to come.
Discover the North East Bee Hunt
Explore how you can help monitor the North East’s bees this spring and summer.
Share your records
Taking part in the bee hunt is simple. Find a bee, take a photo, and submit your record to our recording form on iRecord.
Sightings of all bee species are welcome. Whether you’ve spotted one of the target species, or something else, you can share your sighting below.
Please note that only records submitted to the North East Bee Hunt iRecord activity will count towards the project.
If you have an iRecord account, you can add the Bee Hunt to your Activities by joining here and clicking on the blue ‘Join’ button. You can then access the bee recording form via your Activities page or recording form on iRecord.
Meet our target species
We need your help to record eight distinctive yet overlooked bee species across the North East.
From the bumblebee-like Fork-tailed Flower Bee to the striking Red-tailed Cuckoo Bee, all of these species are likely to be encountered in gardens and green spaces close to home.
Meet this year’s North East Bee Hunt target species and find out how to identify them below.
Help identifying bees
Download a new bee identification guide (PDF) to help you identify this year’s target species or view the target species profiles.
Records of all bee species can be submitted to the North East Bee Hunt.
The Bumblebee Conservation Trust also has a handy crib sheet (PDF) to help you identify common bumblebees.
If you’re unsure which bee you’ve seen, you can email us any time at nhsn.volunteer1@newcastle.ac.uk or contact us on social media using #NorthEastBeeHunt.
Bee basics›
When getting to grips with bee identification, it is useful to understand the basic parts that make up a bee and their life cycles.
Explore bee basics as Charlotte Rankin introduces the anatomy and life cycle of the North East’s iconic pollinators.
New to iRecord?›
iRecord is a national platform collating the observations and records of citizen scientists across the country. It helps your records get to where they need to be – informing conservation and research locally and nationwide.
New to iRecord? Here’s what you need to know to get started
Your 2020 results›
From March through to September 2020, 2,451 bee records were shared by 170 naturalists across the region.
These records stretched from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Middlesbrough, from the uplands to the coast, and reaffirmed the importance of gardens and local greenspace for bees.
More on North East bees
Delve into the world of bees and explore a range of helpful articles compiled by naturalists and bee enthusiasts across the North East.