U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Bombus affinis The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the rusty patched bumble bee as endangered under the Act. Endangered species are and plants that are in danger of becoming extinct. Identifying, protecting and recovering endangered species is a primary objective of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s endangered species program.

What is a rusty patched bumble bee? Appearance: Rusty patched bumble bees live in colonies that include a single queen and female workers. The colony produces males and new queens in late summer. Queens are the largest bees in the colony, and workers are the smallest. All rusty Photo courtesy of Christy Stewart patched bumble bees have entirely black heads, but only workers and Reproduction: Rusty patched males have a rusty reddish patch bumble bee colonies have an annual Why conserve centrally located on the back. cycle. In spring, solitary queens rusty patched bumble bees? emerge and find nest sites, collect As pollinators, rusty patched nectar and from flowers Habitat: Rusty patched bumble bumble bees contribute to our food and begin laying eggs, which are bees once occupied grasslands and security and the healthy functioning fertilized by sperm stored since tallgrass prairies of the Upper of our ecosystems. Bumble bees mating the previous fall. Workers Midwest and Northeast, but most are keystone species in most hatch from these first eggs and grasslands and prairies have been ecosystems, necessary not only for colonies grow as workers collect lost, degraded, or fragmented by native wildflower reproduction, but food, defend the colony, and care conversion to other uses. Bumble also for creating seeds and fruits for young. Queens remain within bees need areas that provide nectar that feed wildlife as diverse as the nests and continue laying and pollen from flowers, nesting sites songbirds and grizzly bears. (underground and abandoned rodent eggs. In late summer, new queens cavities or clumps of grasses), and and males also hatch from eggs. Bumble bees are among the most overwintering sites for hibernating Males disperse to mate with new important pollinators of crops such queens (undisturbed soil). queens from other colonies. In as blueberries, cranberries, and fall, founding queens, workers and clover and almost the only males die. Only new queens go into pollinators of tomatoes. Bumble diapause (a form of hibernation) bees are more effective pollinators over winter - and the cycle begins than honey bees for some crops again in spring. because of their ability to “buzz pollinate.” The economic value Feeding Habits: Bumble bees gather of pollination services provided Illustrations of a rusty patched pollen and nectar from a variety of by native (mostly bees) is bumble bee queen (left), worker flowering plants. The rusty patched estimated at $3 billion per year in (center), and male (right) by Elaine emerges early in spring and is one of the United States. Evans, The Xerces Society. the last species to go into hibernation. It needs a constant supply and Bumble bees can absorb toxins Wisconsin to make bee-friendly diversity of flowers blooming directly through their exoskeleton conservation improvements to their throughout the colony’s long life, and through contaminated nectar land. Improvements include the April through September. and pollen. Rusty patched bumble practices of planting cover crops, bees nest in the ground and may be wildflowers, or native grasses and Range: Historically, the rusty susceptible to that persist improved management on grazing patched bumble bee was broadly in agricultural soils, lawns and turf. lands. distributed across the eastern United States and Upper Midwest, from Global climate change: Climate Research: Researchers are studying Maine in the U.S. and southern changes that may harm bumble bees and monitoring the impacts of Quebec and in Canada, south include increased temperature and GMO crops and certain pesticides to the northeast corner of Georgia, precipitation extremes, increased on pollinators. Efforts by citizen reaching west to the eastern edges of drought, early snow melt and late scientists and researchers to North and South Dakota. Its range frost events. These changes may lead determine the status of declining bee included 28 states, the District of to more exposure to or susceptibility species are underway throughout the Columbia and 2 provinces in Canada. to disease, fewer flowering plants, United States. Since 2000, this bumble bee has been fewer places for queens to hibernate reported from only 13 states and and nest, less time for foraging due to What can I do to help conserve the 1 province: , Indiana, Iowa, high temperatures, and asynchronous rusty patched bumble bee? Maine, , Massachusetts, flowering plant and bumble bee Garden: Grow a garden or add a Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, spring emergence. flowering tree or shrub to your yard. Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Even small areas or containers on Wisconsin – and Ontario, Canada. What is being done to conserve rusty patios can provide nectar and pollen patched bumble bees? for native bees. Why is the rusty patched bumble bee U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: declining? Several Service programs work Native plants: Use native plants in Habitat loss and degradation: Most to assess, protect, and restore your yard such as lupines, asters, prairies and grasslands of the Upper pollinators and their habitats. Also, bee balm, native prairie plants Midwest and Northeast have been the Service works with partners to and spring ephemerals. Don’t converted to monoculture farms or recover endangered and threatened forget spring blooming shrubs developed areas, such as cities and pollinators and pollinator-dependent like ninebark and pussy willow! roads. Grasslands that remain tend to plants. Concern about pollinator Avoid invasive non-native plants be small and isolated. declines prompted formation of the and remove them if they invade North American Pollinator Protection your yard. For more information Intensive farming: Increases in Campaign, a collaboration of people on attracting native pollinators, farm size and technology advances dedicated to pollinator conservation visit www.fws.gov/pollinators/pdfs/ improved the operating efficiency of and education. The Service has a PollinatorBookletFinalrevWeb.pdf. farms but have led to practices that Memorandum of Understanding with harm bumble bees: increased use the Pollinator Partnership to work Natural landscapes: Provide natural of pesticides, loss of crop diversity together on those goals. The Service areas - many bumble bees build nests resulting in flowering crops being is a natural collaborator because our in undisturbed soil, abandoned rodent available for only a short time, loss of mission is to work with others to burrows or grasss clumps. Keep some hedgerows with flowering plants, and conserve, fish, wildlife, and plants and unmowed, brushy areas and tolerate loss of legume pastures. their habitats. bumble bee nests if you find them. Reduce tilling soil and mowing where Disease: Pathogens and parasites Other Efforts: Trusts, conservancies, bumble bees might nest. Support may pose a threat, although their restoration groups and partnerships natural areas in your community, prevalence and effects in North are supporting pollinator initiatives county and state. American bumble bees are not well and incorporating native plants that understood. support bees and other pollinators Minimize: Limit the use of pesticides into their current activities. For and chemical fertilizer whenever Pesticides: The rusty patched example, the USDA Natural possible or avoid them entirely. bumble bee may be vulnerable to Resource Conservation Service Pesticides cause lethal and sublethal pesticides. Pesticides are used widely is working with landowners in effects to bees and other pollinators. on farms and in cities and have both Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, lethal and sublethal toxic effects. North Dakota, South Dakota, and January 10, 2017