bombus fraternus is a species of bumblebee known commonly as the southern plains bumblebee .

it is native to the united states east of the rocky mountains .

it is most often encountered in the southeast , in areas with sandy soil .

they range from new jersey to florida , north dakota , south dakota , nebraska , colorado , and new mexico .

it is uncommon today , having faced declines in population ; its estimated abundance is less than 15 % of historical numbers .

bombus fraternus

figure 10 . figures of florida bombus spp . 1 . bombus fraternus , 2 . bombus pennsylvanicus , 3 . bombus impatiens , 4 . bombus griseocollis , 5 . bombus bimaculatus , 6 . bombus griseocollis , 7 . bombus bimaculatus . photograph by division of plant industry .
for further information about this species , see 44937623 _ bombus _ fraternus . pdf .
© copyright source / photographer · 5 bombus fraternus , f , face - - - . . zs pmax
© copyright source / photographer · 5 bombus fraternus , f , back , charleston co . , sc - - - .
© copyright source / photographer · 5 bombus fraternus , f , face , charleston co . , sc - - - .
© copyright source / photographer · 5 bombus fraternus , m , back , charleston co . , sc - - - .
© copyright source / photographer · 5 bombus fraternus , m , face , charleston co . , sc - - - .
© copyright source / photographer · 5 bombus fraternus , f , ga , baker , back - - - . . zs pmax
© copyright source / photographer · 5 bombus fraternus , f , ga , baker , side - - - . . zs pmax
© copyright source / photographer · 5 bombus fraternus , f , ga , baker , face - - - . . zs pmax
© copyright source / photographer · 5 bombus fraternus , f , right side , charleston co . , sc - - - .
© copyright source / photographer · 5 bombus fraternus , m , left side , charleston co . , sc - - - .
© copyright source / photographer · 5 bombus fraternus , m , bottom and legs , charleston co . , sc - - - .
figure 5 . adult female southern plains bumble bee , bombus fraternus ( smith ) . photograph by johnny n . dell , urltoken .
yan wong marked the common name
spanish fir
in an unknown language from
bombus fraternus ( smith , 1854 )
as untrusted .
9 . malar space nearly obliterated ; eye nearly touching base of mandible . . . . . bombus fraternus 9 ' . malar space distinct ; eye somewhat removed from base of mandible . . . . . bombus griseocollis
geographic range : bombus fraternus is found in the eastern temperate forest region on the coastal plain of the southeastern united states from central florida north to new jersey , ohio west throughout the united states great plains .
subgenus cullumanobombus vogt bombus ( cullumanobombus ) vogt , 1911 : 57 , type - species apis cullumana kirby ( = bombus cullumanus ( kirby ) ) by subsequent designation of frison , 1927 : 66 bremus ( separatobombus ) frison , 1927 : 64 , type - species bombus separatus cresson ( = bombus griseocollis ( degeer ) ) by original designation bremus ( rufocinctobombus ) frison , 1927 : 78 , type - species bombus rufocinctus cresson by monotypy volucellobombus skorikov , [ 1923 ] : 123 , 149 , type - species bombus volucelloides gribodo ( ? = b . melaleucus handlirsch ) by monotypy fervidobombus ( rubicundobombus ) skorikov , [ 1923 ] : 154 , type - species bombus rubicundus smith by subsequent designation of sandhouse , 1943 : 597 alpigenobombus ( fraternobombus ) skorikov , [ 1923 ] : 156 , type - species apathus fraternus smith ( = bombus fraternus ( smith ) ) by subsequent designation of frison , 1927 : 63 alpigenobombus ( funebribombus ) skorikov , [ 1923 ] : 157 , type - species bombus funebris smith by monotypy alpigenobombus ( robustobombus ) skorikov , [ 1923 ] : 157 , type - species bombus robustus smith by subsequent designation of sandhouse , 1943 : 597 alpigenobombus ( coccineobombus ) skorikov , [ 1923 ] : 157 , type - species bombus coccineus friese by subsequent designation of sandhouse , 1943 : 539 cullumanibombus skorikov , 1938 a : 145 , unjustified emendation bombus ( crotchiibombus ) franklin , 1954 : 51 , type - species bombus crotchii cresson by original designation bombus ( brachycephalibombus ) williams , 1985 b : 247 , type - species bombus brachycephalus handlirsch by original designation bombus ( dasybombus ) labougle & ayala , 1985 : 49 , type - species bombus macgregori labougle & ayala by original designation
4 . dorsum of thorax with a conspicuous , transverse band of black pubescence between wing bases ( no . 1 ) . . . . . bombus fraternus 4 ' . dorsum of thorax without transverse black band between wing bases . . . . . 5
59 pp . , bombus ( 19 species ) and psithyrus insularis only . no images .
193 pp . contains descriptions of 20 species and subspecies of bombus and 3 species of psithyrus in colorado , also a key to males and females to colorado bombus and psithyrus . no images .
11 . segment two of abdomen entirely black pubescent . . . . . bombus impatiens 11 ' . segment two of abdomen with at least some yellow pubescence . . . . . bombus bimaculatus
figure 9 . adult female yellow - banded bumble bee , bombus terricola kirby . photograph by mardon erbland .
bombus fraternus ( smith ) 1854 , the southern plains bumble bee . its range extends from new jersey to florida , and west to north and south dakota , nebraska , colorado and new mexico . florida county records include : alachua , franklin , gadsden , levy , liberty , orange , and st . johns .
figure 1 . adult bumble bee , bombus sp . photograph by clemson university ; www . insectimages . org .
figure 6 . adult female brownbelted bumble bee , bombus griseocollis ( degeer ) . photograph by charles schurch lewallen .
6 . lateral ocellus distinctly below supraorbital line ( no . 6 ) . . . . . bombus griseocollis 6 ' . lateral ocellus at level of supraorbital line ( no . 7 ) . . . . . bombus bimaculatus
2 . hind tibia relatively slender , without corbiculae ; cleptoparasitic forms . . . . . bombus variabilis 2 ' . hind tibia with well - developed corbiculae ( pollen - collecting bombus spp . ) . . . . . 3
common name : bumble bees ( of florida ) scientific name : bombus spp . ( insecta : hymenoptera : apidae )
dl . ( 2011 ) . bombus griseocollis ( degeer , 1773 ) . discover life . ( january 2018 ) .
figure 8 . adult female american bumble bee , bombus pennsylvanicus ( degeer ) . photograph by ' skoch3 ' , wikipedia .
all of the social bumble bee species found in florida range as far north as canada ( laverty and harder 1988 ) . bumble bees are less common in southern florida . none are known from the florida keys . two species , bombus griseocollis and bombus pennsylvanicus , are known from collier county whereas a third species , bombus impatiens , has been collected in west palm county .
eol . ( october 2011 ) . bombus impatiens , common eastern bumble bee . encyclopedia of life . ( january 2018 ) .
figure 4 . adult female two - spotted bumble bee , bombus bimaculatus cresson . photograph by john baker , en . wikipedia . org .
figure 2 . a bumble bee , bombus sp . , with full pollen basket . photograph by tony wills , en . wikipedia . org .
a number of non - social bombus species lost their social behavior and the ability to collect pollen , and are now cleptoparasites on colonies of pollen - collecting bombus species . these cleptoparasitic species were previously listed as being in the genus psithyrus ( itis 2011 ) , and are now sometimes listed as a sub - genus . the parasitic species are easily distinguished by the lack of the corbicula . the most common of this group found in florida is bombus variabilis .
richardson , l . l . 2013 . bumble bees of north america : a database of specimen records for the genus bombus . data contributors available : urltoken
figure 7 . adult female common eastern bumble bee , bombus impatiens cresson . photograph by david cappaert , michigan state university ; www . insectimages . org .
full pdf abstract : i compiled data from several museum collections to map historical distributions of species of bumble bees across texas . bombus auricomus , b . bimaculatus , b . fervidus , b . fraternus , b . griseocollis , b . impatiens , b . pensylvanicus , b . sonorus , and b . variabilis were conﬁrmed from the state based on vouchered specimens . as currently understood , the bumble bee fauna of texas consists of nine documented species . warriner , m . d .
7 . hind tibia convex , densely pubescent on outer surface ; gonostylus much exceeding apex of gonocoxites ; cleptoparasitic forms . . . . . bombus variabilis 7 ' . hind tibia somewhat flattened , sparsely pubescent on outer surface ; gonostylus not much exceeding apex of gonocoxite ( pollen - collecting bombus spp . ) . . . . . 8
to cite this page : aleman , j . 2001 .
bombus fervidus
( on - line ) , animal diversity web . accessed july 09 , 2018 at urltoken
carvell , c . 2002 . habitat use and conservation of bumblebees ( bombus spp . ) under different grasslands management regimes . biological conservation 103 ( 1 ) : 33 - 49 .
5 . tergum ii of abdomen entirely black ( no . 3 ) . . . . . bombus impatiens 5 ' . tergum ii of abdomen with yellow pubescence medially at base ( no . 4 , 5
profile : historically , bombus pensylvanicus was among the broadest ranging bumblebees in north america . however , numerous studies indicate that this species has recently declined , both locally and regionally , especially in the northern parts of its range . read more
3 . posterior half of scutum and all of scutellum with black pubescence ( no . 2 ) . . . . . bombus pennsylvanicus 3 ' . posterior half of scutum and scutellum with some yellow pubescence . . . . . 4
mcfrederick , q . s . , and g . lebuhn . 2006 . are urban parks refuges for bumble bees bombus spp . ( hymenoptera : apidae ) ? biological conservation 129 ( 3 ) : 372 - 382 [ includes corrigendum ] .
colla , s . , and l . packer . 2008 . evidence for decline in eastern north american bumblebees ( hymenoptera : apidae ) , with special reference to bombus affinis cresson . biodiversity and conservation 17 ( 6 ) : 1379 - 1391 .
evans , e . , r . thorp , s . jepson and s . hoffman - black . 2008 . status review of three formerly common species of bumble bees in the subgenus bombus . the xerces society . 63 pp . accessed at urltoken
grixti , j . c . , l . t . wong , s . a . cameron , and c . favret . 2008 . decline of bumble bees ( bombus ) in the north american midwest . biological conservation 142 ; 75 - 84
10 . dorsum of thorax with a median band of black pubescence . . . . . bombus pennsylvanicus 10 ' . dorsum of thorax entirely yellow pubescent or with median patch of black hairs that do not reach tegulae . . . . . 11
geographic range : bombus franklini occurs only in the usa . it is found only from southern oregon to northern california between the coast and sierra - cascade ranges , in douglas , jackson and josephine and siskiyou and trinity counties in oregon and california respectively .
golick , d . a . , and m . d . ellis . 2006 . an update on the distribution and diversity of bombus in nebraska ( hymenoptera : apidae ) . journal of the kansas entomological society 79 ( 4 ) : 341 - 347 .
the rearing company koppert recently applied for a permit to transport the eastern species bombus impatiens to california for crop pollination . the xerces society worked with bumble bee researchers to prepare comments to the usda / aphis discouraging the movement of these bees into new areas .
all bumble bees belong to the genus bombus within the family apidae . the family apidae includes the well - known honey bees and bumble bees , as well as carpenter bees , cuckoo bees , digger bees , stingless bees , and orchid bees . b . terricola belongs to a sub - genus of bombus , bombus sensu stricto . bumble bees are important pollinators of wild flowering plants and crops . as generalist foragers , they do not depend on any one flower type . however , some plants do rely on bumble bees to achieve pollination . loss of bumble bees can have far ranging ecological impacts due to their role as pollinators . in britain and the netherlands , where multiple bumble bee and other bee species have gone extinct , there is evidence of decline in the abundances of insect pollinated plants .
grixti , j . c . , l . t . wong , s . a . cameron , and c . favret . 2009 . decline of bumble bees ( bombus ) in the north american midwest . biological conservation 142 ( 1 ) : 75 - 84 .
bombus griseocollis ( degeer ) 1773 , the brown - belted bumble bee . its range extends from quebec and maine to florida , and throughout the american west ( dl 21011 ) . florida county records include alachua , clay , collier , highlands , marion , and osceola .
stange , l . a . 1998 . the bumble bees of florida , bombus spp . document eeny - 050 , entomology and nematology department , florida cooperative extension service , institute of food and agricultural sciences , university of florida , gainesville . reviewed march 2008 . online . available : urltoken
geographic range : bombus pensylvanicus is widespread in the eastern u . s . and great plains regions , throughout the central u . s . and extreme southern canada . though absent from much of the mountain west , it is found in the desert west and adjacent areas of california and oregon .
at least in its core range this bumblebee is generally associated with remnants of native prairie vegetation and is more of a habitat specialist than most bombus species are . if it really does extend up the coast from florida to new jersey , this would be a common distribution for prairie - savanna insects .
geographic range : historically broadly distributed in western north america . bombus occidentalis occurs along the pacific coast and western interior of north america , from arizona , new mexico and california , north through the pacific northwest and into alaska . eastward , the distribution stretches to the northwestern great plains and southern saskatchewan .
bombus bimaculatus cresson 1863 , the twospotted bumble bee . its range extends from ontario to maine , south to florida , and west to illinois , kansas , oklahoma and mississippi . florida county records include : alachua , clay , franklin , highlands , lake , levy , marion , okaloosa , and orange .
super , p . e . , and a . t . moyer . 2003b . bombus affinis cresson , bumble bee - biodiversity of great smoky mountains national park . in : nps , dlia . 2007 . discover life in america , great smoky mountains national park , gatlinburg , tennessee . online . available : urltoken
hatfield , r . , s . colla , s . jepsen , l . richardson , r . thorp , and s . f . jordan . 2014 . iucn assessments for north american bombus spp . technical report for the north american iucn bumble bee specialist group . assessments completed 2014 , document updated in february 2015 . 56 pp .
bombus terricola kirby 1837 , the yellow - banded bumble bee . originally , this species extended from nova scotia to florida , west to british columbia , montana and south dakota . while once common , its has declined dramatically since 1990 ( anonymous 2011 ) . no specimens seen from florida , but recorded from florida by mitchell ( 1962 ) .
a useful reference covering california bumblebees by a well - respected authority on the subject . begins with general information on life history and ecology , followed by technical keys , and discussions of the california subgenera and species of bombus and psithyrus ( parasitic
cuckoo bumble bees
) . a pdf file of the 79 page monograph is available for free here .
williams , p . h . 2008a . bombus , bumblebees of the world . web pages based on williams , p . h . 1998 . an annotated checklist of bumblebees with an analysis of patterns of description ( hymenoptera : apidae , bombini ) . bulletin of the natural history museum ( entomology ) 67 : 79 - 152 . online . available : urltoken accessed 2008 - oct .
profile : bombus affinis has recently experienced serious declines in relative abundance , persistence and distribution across its range . despite increased awareness and survey efforts for b . affinis , numerous regional studies have reported local extirpations and declines in this species , and range - wide studies have found relative abundance declines up to 95 % , and range losses of 70 to 87 % in recent years . learn more
bombus impatiens cresson 1863 , the common eastern bumble bee . this species is native from ontario to maine and south to florida and was introduced in california and in british columbia , canada ( eol 2011 ) . florida county records include alachua , bradford , calhoun , escambia , franklin , jackson , gadsden , highlands , levy , liberty , okaloosa , orange , palm beach , polk , and santa rosa .
bombus pennsylvanicus ( degeer ) 1773 , the american bumble bee . its range extends from quebec and ontario , maryland south to florida , then west to minnesota , south dakota , nebraska , colorado , new mexico and mexico ( anonymous 2011 ) . florida county records include : alachua , bradford , collier , escambia , flagler , highlands , lake , lee , levy , marion , orange , putnam , sarasota , santa rosa .
profile : analyses suggest very high population decline range - wide , including range size reductions , persistence reductions , and relative abundance declines . the level of population decline is difficult to ascertain , with more surveys needed within this species’ historic range . this is because the species co - occurs with bombus vosnesenskii ( a very common bee that is difficult to discern from b . caliginosus in the field ) which may lead many collectors / observers to mis - identify this species . read more
until recently , bombus terricola was commonly found east of the rockies in the northern united states and into southern canada , from eastern montana and alberta , across the northern states and southern portion of the canadian provinces through to the east coast , with a southern extension along the appalachian mountains in the eastern u . s . although absent from most its range since 2000 , recently b . terricola has been found in isolated parts of its range in 2005 to 2008 . it has been primarily found in the northern and eastern parts of its range , and at lower abundances than were observed previously .
commercial bumble bee rearing may be the greatest threat to bombus terricola . in north america , two bumble bee species have been commercially reared for pollination of greenhouse tomatoes and other crops : b . occidentalis and b . impatiens . between 1992 and 1994 , queens of b . occidentalis and b . impatiens were shipped to european rearing facilities , where colonies were produced then shipped back to the u . s . for commercial pollination . bumble bee expert robbin thorp has hypothesized that these bumble bee colonies acquired a disease ( probably a virulent strain of the microsporidian nosema bombi ) from a european bee that was in the same rearing facility , the buff - tailed bumble bee ( bombus terrestris ) . the north american bumble bees would have had no prior resistance to this pathogen . dr . thorp hypothesizes that the disease then spread to wild populations of b . occidentalis and b . franklini in the west ( from exposure to infected populations of commercially reared b . occidentalis ) , and b . affinis and b . terricola in the east ( from exposure to commercially reared b . impatiens ) . in the late 1990’s , biologists began to notice that b . affinis , b . occidentalis , b . terricola , and b . franklini were severely declining .
where these bees were once very common , they were nearly impossible to find . b . impatiens has not shown a dramatic decline ; robbin thorp hypothesizes that b . impatiens may serve as a carrier of an exotic strain of nosema bombi , although it may not be as severly affected by the disease as b . affinis , b . occidentalis , b . terricola , and b . franklini . b . affinis , b . occidentalis , b . terricola , and b . franklini are closely related to each other ( they all belong to the subgenus bombus sensu stricto ) . b . impatiens is not as closely related , which may explain the difference in sensitivity to a pathogen . this hypothesis is still in need of validation , although the timing , speed , and severity of the population crashes strongly supports the idea that an introduced disease caused the decline of bees .
generally , bumble bees ( bombus spp . ) are threatened by a number of factors including habitat loss , pesticide use , pathogens from managed pollinators , competition with non - native bees , and climate change ( reviewed in goulson 2010 , williams et al . 2009 , williams and osborne 2009 , fürst et al . 2014 , cameron et al . 2011 , hatfield et al . 2012 ) . reduced genetic diversity resulting from any of these threats can be particularly concerning for bumble bees , since their method of sex - determination can be disrupted by inbreeding , and since genetic diversity already tends to be low in this group due to the colonial life cycle ( i . e . , large numbers of bumble bees found locally may represent only one or a few queens ) ( goulson 2010 , hatfield et al . 2012 , but see cameron et al . 2011 and lozier et al . 2011 ) .
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smith , f . 1854 . catalogue of hymenopterous insects in the collection of the british museum . part ii . apidae . london , uk .
antweiler , g . , arduser , m . , ascher , j . , bartomeus , n . , beauchemin , a . , beckham , j . , cromartie , j . , day , l . , droege , s . , evans , e . , fiscus , d . , fraser , d . , gadallah , z . , gall , l . , gardner , j . , gill , d . , golick , d . , heinrich , b . , hinds , p . , hines , h . , irwin , r . , jean , r . , klymko , j . , koch , j . , macphail , v . , martineau , r . , martins , k . , matteson , k . , mcfarland , k . , milam , j . , moisan - deserres , j . , morrison , f . , ogden , j . , packer , l . , richardson , l . , savard , m . , scott , v . , scully , c . , sheffield , c . , sikes , d . , strange , j . , surrette , s . , thomas , c , thompson , j . , veit , m . , wetherill , k . , williams , n . , williams , p . , winfree , r . , yanega , d . & zahendra , s .
foltz jordan , s . , hatfield , r . , colla , s . & macphail , v .
for a graph and map of relative abundance and range changes of this species over time see the supplementary material .
( 2012 ) found this species persisted in only 27 % of its re - sampled historic range , and also showed a significant decline in relative abundance . grixti
( 2009 ) located the species during a statewide study in illinois but found it had declined in distribution from the southern portion of the state .
we evaluated this species’ spatial distribution over time using a measure of change in the extent of occurrence ( eoo ; see figure 2 in the supplementary material ) and a measure of change in persistence ( analytical methods described in hatfield et al . 2014 ) . we also assessed changes in the species’ relative abundance ( see figure 1 in the supplementary material ) , which we consider to be an index of abundance relevant to the taxon , as specified by the iucn red list categories and criteria ( iucn 2012 ) . for all three calculations we divided the database into historical ( 1805 – 2001 , n = 128 , 572 ) and current ( 2002 - 2012 , n = 74 , 682 ) records . this timeframe was chosen to meet the iucn criteria stipulation that species decline must have been observed over the longer of three generations or 10 years . average decline for this species was calculated by averaging the change in abundance , persistence , and eoo . this analysis yielded the following results ( see also the graph of relative abundance and map of change in eoo over time in the supplementary material ) :
this species ' long - term downward trend in relative abundance is near significant ; if the same rate of decline in relative abundance continues , this species could potentially go extinct within 80 - 90 years . there are huge gaps in recent ( as well as historic ) collection effort , especially in oklahoma , kansas , nebraska , western texas and the dakotas , yet there has been significant range loss in the northern and southern parts of its range where collection effort has been more consistent . habitat modification over the past 10 years ( insecticide use , grassland conversion to agriculture ) has been severe in the region where this species occurs .
habitat loss due to the conversion of grasslands to agriculture is likely the major threat to this species . much its range overlaps with prime agricultural areas , particularly for corn production ( e . g . midwest usa ) . grixti
( 2009 ) found it had declined in illinois , a state with extensive natural habitat loss . pesticide exposure in suitable habitat may also be causing declines . corn seed is now almost entirely treated with neonicotinoids , a pesticide group known to negatively impact bees ( hopwood
2012 ) . parasite levels in the wild have not been studied in this species thus the threat of pathogen spillover to this species is unknown . natural wildfires and prescribed burning may benefit bees by creating open forage in otherwise unsuitable habitat . as such , the suppression of natural fires can result in habitat loss for bees and other grassland species , particularly in forested regions . in light of this , prescribed burning is frequently used as a conservation management tool to restore natural ecosystems ( e . g . grasslands ) , increase biodiversity ( particularly plant species ) , and control invasive species ( e . g . brockway
2002 ) . however , depending on fire intensity , duration , season , frequency , and patchiness , prescribed fire may result in population loss for pollinators , particularly at sites where few individuals of a species exist ( e . g . swengel 1996 ) . as such , both fire suppression and fire itself may threaten this species in some areas .
monitoring of disease levels and studying the interaction of disease and pesticide exposure is required for this species .
with the exception of the above , specific conservation and research needs for this species have not been identified . research needs for north american bumble bees ( as a whole ) are summarized in cameron et al . ( 2011 ) , the final report for the 2010 north american bumble bee species conservation planning workshop .
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due to latency between updates made in state , provincial or other natureserve network databases and when they appear on natureserve explorer , for state or provincial information you may wish to contact the data steward in your jurisdiction to obtain the most current data . please refer to
insufficient information to evaluate threats . however losss of habitat is probably more of a threat with this species than with most bumblebees . generally recognized threats to bumblebees such as loss of habitat , low population size , herbicides , and pesticides would apply locally at least . there is no evidence that this species is affected much by exotic pathogens . since this species is more of a habitat specialist than most bumblebees , loss and fragmentation of grassland habitat is more likely to be an issue with this one . also inappropriate management could be more of a threat than usual . since much of its range is heavily agricultural , impacts from drift and run off of persistent systemic biocides seem to be more of a potential range - wide concern than with more widespread north american species but actual data are needed .
it is not clear that the status as reported but hatfield et al . ( 2014 ) for 2002 - 2012 is really much different from that in the 1990s . michael arduser ( email to d . schweitzer , september 2008 ) indicates the species is not rare in the remaining prairies in missouri . see long term trend . except for grixti et al . ( 2009 ) in illinois where the species has apparently disappeared widely , most recent studies that might provide useful trend information are not from within the range of this species . pascarella ( 2006 ) reports this to be apparently among the three most common of the seven species of bumblebees in florida . the graph of hatfield et al . ( 2014 ) clearly shows a decline from in 2002 - 2012 compared to 1992 - 2001 , but interpretation is complicated by the high relative abundance during the latter period compared tto most previous decades .
the greatest decline is probably in relative abundance , but the range appears to have shrunk nothward both along the east coast and in the midwest with large gaps in records elsewhere . grixti et al . ( 2009 ) report a large decline between 1900 and 1950 , which they interpret as due to habitat loss mostly to agriculture , and they suggest relatively stable at low numbers in illinois since . however , hatfield et al . ( 2014 ) show only one 2002 - 2012 record there . the few specimen records for south dakota found by johnson ( 2009 ) are from the 1920s , despite recent surveys of prairie bees in that state .
this is not a late phenology species , which would be associated with some intrinsic vulnerability , and its subgenus is not known to be affected by recent crashes of certain other subgenera .
while not strictly a prairie obligate , this one is less generalized in habitat than most bumblebees . in the east it seems to be more or less restricted to sandy outer coastal plain and sand hill regions .
potential or actual impacts from perisitent systemic biocicdes including neonicotinoids since the 1990s need to be evaluated , but this might or might not be a serious issue where populations still occur on grassland preserves in heavily agricultural regions .
use the generic guidelines for the application of occurrence ranks ( 2008 ) . the key for ranking species occurrences using the generic approach provides a step - wise process for implementing this method .
zoological data developed by natureserve and its network of natural heritage programs ( see local programs ) and other contributors and cooperators ( see sources ) .
abbott , v . a . , j . l . nadeau , h . a . higo , and m . l . winston . 2008 . lethal and sub - lethal effects of imidacloprid on osmia lignaria and clothianidin on megachile rotundata ( hymenoptera : megachildae ) . journal of economic entomology 101 : 784 - 796 .
arkansas natural heritage commission . 2009 . arkansas bumblebee survey , 2005 - 06 . urltoken accessed 20 november , 2009 .
bhattacharya , m . , r . b . primack , and j . gerwein . 2003 . are roads and railroads barriers to bumblebee movement in a temperate suburban conservation area ? biological conservation 109 ( 1 ) : 37 - 45 .
brown , m . j . f . , and r . j . paxton . 2009 . the conservation of bees : a global perspective . apidologie 40 ( 3 ) : 410 - 416 .
byrne , a . , and u . fitzpatrick . 2009 . bee conservation policy at the global , regional and national levels . apidologie 40 ( 3 ) : 194 - 210 .
chandler , l . 1950 . the bombidae of indiana . proceedings of the indiana academy of science 60 : 167 - 177 .
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black interalar band broad and well defined . t3 black ( as opposed to yellow in auricomus and sonorus ) . t2 entirely yellow - tan ( lacking the black apicolateral corners typical of griseocollis ) .
historic records come from e us to nm ( mi ; il ; in ; oh ; ky ; nj ; md ; de ; va ; dc ; tn ; nc ; sc ; ms ; al ; ga ; fl ; ia ; mo ; ar ; la ; sd ; ne ; ks ; ok ; tx ; co ; nm ) and mexico : chihuahua .
the hosts section of its discover life species page lists known associations based on specimen records and images .
has disappeared from the northern margins of its range , with few or no records from the northernmost states where recorded historically , but still regularly encountered in its core range on the southern great plains , and still found in the southeastern united states .
24 pinned adult images plus detailed description of queen and male , distribution , seasonality , flower records ( discoverlife . org )
contributed by beatriz moisset on 28 july , 2006 - 6 : 31am additional contributions by robin mcleod , mike quinn , john s . ascher , h . go last updated 29 july , 2017 - 8 : 19am
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paul h . williams , robbin w . thorp , leif l . richardson & sheila r . colla . 2014 . bumble bees of north america : an identification guide . princeton university press , princeton , nj . 208 pp . publisher ' s page more than ever before , there is widespread interest in studying bumble bees and the critical role they play in our ecosystems . bumble bees of north america is the first comprehensive guide to north american bumble bees to be published in more than a century . richly illustrated with color photographs , diagrams , range maps , and graphs of seasonal activity patterns , this guide allows amateur and professional naturalists to identify all 46 bumble bee species found north of mexico and to understand their ecology and changing geographic distributions .
full text cameron et al . ( 2011 ) quantified dramatic range - wide population declines in b . occidentalis , b . pensylvanicus , b . affinis , and b . terricola that have occurred over the last few decades . abstract ( part ) : here , we report results of a 3 - y interdisciplinary study of changing distributions , population genetic structure , and levels of pathogen infection in bumble bee populations across the united states . we compare current and historical distributions of eight species , compiling a database of > 73 , 000 museum records for comparison with data from intensive nationwide surveys of > 16 , 000 specimens . we show that the relative abundances of four species have declined by up to 96 % and that their surveyed geographic ranges have contracted by 23–87 % , some within the last 20 y .
scroll down to the 3rd item on this web page . . . to find links for either downloading the free pdf of
bumble bees of the western united states
, or for ordering a ( color ) hard - copy of the work from the
pollinator partnership
for $ 15 . this is a nice compact guide to western bumble bees . includes discussion , photos , numerous dorsal - view color diagrams ( illustrating variation ) , host plants , etc . for each of the 30 species covered . also includes general discussion of bumble bee biology at the beginning of the text , and a key to species ( for females only ) at the end of the book .
carol ann kearns ; james thomson . 2001 . the natural history of bumblebees : a sourcebook for investigations . university press of colorado , bolder . xiv + 130 pp . official website - upc packed with information on bumblebee colonies , bee honeypots , bee development , foraging behavior , as well as instructions for maintaining bumblebees in captivity , this lively and colorful book also includes an easy - to - use photographic field guide to aid in the identification of over fifty species of north american bumblebee - virtually every known species on this continent .
by robbin w . thorp , donald s . horning , jr . , lorry l . dunning
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while all pollinators are facing significant threats , some bumble bee species are the most at - risk of extinction . better monitoring of all species will allow us to determine which populations are growing , which are shrinking , and which may already be gone . an analysis led by the xerces society , and coordinated with the iucn north american bumble bee specialist group , indicates that more than one - quarter of north american bumble bees are facing some degree of extinction risk . read the profiles below to learn about bumble bee species that are currently most at - risk in north america and their iucn red list status .
note : this list is intended to represent north american species of concern , and is not intended to represent a survey of threatened species globally .
geographic range : historically common and broadly distributed in the upper midwest and eastern north america .
profile : the population is currently decreasing drastically . areas known or suspected to be inhabited by this species were surveyed annually over nine years , some more than once . during the first three years , bees were observed at seven new sites ( where this bee had not been recorded before ) but as time went on this number decreased . the continued abundance of other bumblebees at these sites suggest that the habitat has not become uninhabitable . read more
profile : formerly common throughout much of its range , populations from central california to southern british columbia and west of the sierra - cascade ranges have declined sharply since the late 1990s . there have been significant range losses in these regions , particularly from lower elevation sites in california , western oregon and western washington . read more
geographic range : historically this species held a large range from newfoundland and the northeastern u . s . , south along higher elevations of the appalachians , west through north dakota and the canadian great plains , across much of saskatchewan and alberta , west into british columbia .
profile : numerous studies indicate that this species has declined , both regionally and locally , especially in the southern portion of its range . a recent long - term study in the northeastern united states examining historical changes in bees found that , although this species did not exhibit the rapid and drastic population declines seen in b . ashtoni , b . pensylvanicus , and b . affinis , it did exhibit significant declines in relative abundance across its northeastern u . s . range . in another study comparing current and historical distributions of eight bumble bee species in the united states using museum records and nationwide survey data , it was found that relative abundances of b . terricola had sharply declined in recent years , from 10 % relative abundance to less than 1 % , in comparison with codistributed species . read more
geographic range : this species occurs primarily in california , including the mediterranean region , pacific coast , western desert , great valley , and adjacent foothills through most of southwestern california . it has also been documented in southwest nevada , near the california border .
profile : analysis suggests sharp declines in both relative abundance and persistence over the last ten years . this species was historically common in the central valley of california , but now appears to be absent from most of it , especially in the center of its historic range . current range size relative to historic range : 74 . 67 % . read more