BUMBLEBEE enthusiasts are being encouraged to take part in one of the most high-tech surveys of the species carried out in the UK.

Using ground-breaking online crowdsourcing, the public is being invited to submit photos of bumblebees to an online survey.

After taking part in a new online training tool which teaches novices how to identify them, volunteers are asked to spot the type of bumblebee in each photo.

Developed by the University of Aberdeen and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, there have been more than 9,000 photos submitted and project leaders say the process has been extremely accurate.

Dr René van der Wal, project leader at the University of Aberdeen, said: "In principle almost half could be identified by crowdsourcing, and that would allow experts to concentrate only on the submissions."

Visit bumblebeeconservation.org/get-involved/surveys/beewatch