Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society (BWARS) are running an interesting look survey through the winter:

Aims

Over the last dozen years or so, entomologists and naturalists have noted winter activity of Bombus terrestris (the Buff-tailed Bumblebee). Workers have been seen foraging at a wide range of winter-flowering plants, and males have been reported flying in February. What is quite clear is that a small proportion of mated queens will establish nests in the Autumn, and these can exploit the increasing amount of forage resources available throughout the winter in our gardens, parks and amenity areas.

BWARS is working closely with Dr Tom Ings of Anglia Ruskin University to gather new data on this phenomenon, to add to the information provided in the past...
http://www.bwars.com/index.php?q=con...data-gathering