To Catch a Queen Project

Tekapo School

There are four exotic Bumblebee species in New Zealand. One, Bombus subterraneus - the short haired bumblebee, is only found in the McKenzie Basin & parts of Southland. It is extinct in the UK and today it appears that population numbers are dwindling here in NZ.

In late 2024, a program was established by Entomologist Rudd Kleinpaste, the New Zealand Bumblebee Conservation Trust (NZBCT), and Otago University, involving primary school children and the communities of Tekapo, Twizel, and the McKenzie region. The aim is to educate about the life cycle of bumblebees and their critical importance. Projects are currently underway to support population growth in this region. Practical activities include sowing wildflower beds to provide essential food resources during critical periods, setting up live bumblebee hives for activity study, placing man-made wooden hives in school grounds to attract queens for new colony establishment, and creating ground holes and small wooden box homes to encourage hibernating queens.

Here is some of the work the children have done so far:

Bumblebee Buzz Facts

Small wooden boxes have been strategically placed on the school grounds to attract hibernating queen bumblebees.

tekapo+buzz+facts.pdf

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Project Update

In the November 2025, Geoff and Liz from the Bumblebee Trust, together with our new Science Advisor Nelson Pomeroy, NZ's own Bugman Ruud Kleinpaste and Otago University PhD student Connal Mclean, re-visited Tekapo School in the Mackenzie Basin. Activities showcased the fascinating world of bumblebees and their pollinator friends and set the stage for further hands-on learning.

In mid-December, Nelson and Connal will return to Tekapo School to help students capture and observe different species of queen bumblebees. The team will demonstrate the differences between worker and queen bumblebees, and guide students in identifying local flowers, understanding pollen and nectar collection, and observing the progression from bud to flower to seed head.

As part of the project, Nelson will install semi-underground field hives, hoping they will attract Bombus subterraneus queens. If successful, students may have the opportunity to observe a colony when school resumes. Additionally, Nelson plans to attempt captive rearing of subterraneus queens to further our research. Other schools will also become involved in 2026.