[Pollinator] Xerces Society report finds important bumble bee pollinators are disappearing

[Sarina Jepsen]

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NEW REPORT FINDS THAT RUSTY-PATCHED, YELLOWBANDED AND WESTERN BUMBLE BEES
HAVE UNDERGONE DRAMATIC DECLINES

An extensive review of bumble bee studies and surveys from across the U.S.
show that three formerly common bumble bee species are experiencing steep
declines.  The report compiled information from more than three dozen
scientists and citizen monitors and found that populations of the
rusty-patched, yellowbanded and western bumble bee* *have all sharply
dropped in the last decade.

The declines are especially alarming in light of the loss of honey bees to
Colony Collapse Disorder; bumble bees can be an excellent insurance policy
when honey bees are in short supply.
Read the complete Status
Review<http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/xerces_2008_bombus_status_review.pdf>>>

   - The rusty-patched bumble
bee<http://www.xerces.org/rusty-patched-bumble-bee/>(
   *Bombus affinis*) was once common and widespread across 26 Eastern and
   Midwestern U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. This study indicates that
   this bumble bee has undergone a dramatic decline across most of its former
   range.


   - The yellowbanded bumble
bee<http://www.xerces.org/yellow-banded-bumble-bee/>(
   *Bombus terricola**) *was once regularly found in 21 Eastern and
   Midwestern U.S. states and seven Canadian provinces. Although some
   individuals were found in isolated parts of its range between 2005 and 2008,
   this study suggests that this bumble bee has drastically declined in large
   parts of its range.


   - The western bumble bee
<http://www.xerces.org/western-bumble-bee/> (*Bombus
   occidentalis*) was once among the three most common bumble bees in the
   west; it was widespread across 14 western U.S. states and four Canadian
   provinces. While it is still be found in some areas in the northern and
   eastern parts of its historic range, this report reveals that the bumble bee
   has undergone a dramatic decline in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and
   California.

 While the cause of these declines is still undetermined, we conclude that
an escaped exotic disease organism carried by commercially reared bumble bee
colonies is the most likely cause of these widespread losses. The authors
believe that it is important for the USDA's Animal and Plant Heath
Inspection Service to begin regulating the movement of native bees within
the U.S. to ensure that we can prevent the unnecessary spread of disease to
these valuable pollinators.

Read the complete Status
Review<http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/xerces_2008_bombus_status_review.pdf>>>
Read more about bumble bees in decline <http://www.xerces.org/bumblebees/>>>
Browse the Xerces Society pollinator conservation
resources<http://www.xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/>
>>

ABOUT THE XERCES SOCIETY
The Xerces Society is an international, nonprofit organization that protects
wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. For
over three decades, the Society has been at the forefront of invertebrate
conservation, harnessing the knowledge of scientists and the enthusiasm of
citizens to implement conservation programs.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact Sarina Jepsen <sarina at xerces.org>, Endangered Species Coordinator,
The Xerces Society, 503-232-6639

PHOTO
Yellowbanded bumble bee (*Bombus terricola*) by Leif Richardson.

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