Rusty Patched Bumblebee

Introduction

B. Affinis, commonly known as the rusty patched bumblebee, is an arthropod that has been found in the eastern United States and the Upper Midwest, and extending into southern Canada. They spend most of their time foraging, and visit a variety of plants.

Reproduction and Development

B. affinis constructs their hives in the same method that most bee species do, with a queen laying all the eggs, and reproductive suppression on the workers. Drones are in the hive, and will only leave the hive for nuptual flights. Hives are usually built underground, and are limited by the availability of open grasslands.

Decline

In 2017, B. affinis was the first bee species registered to the Endangered Species Act, due to population decline and an 87% reduction in their distribution. Due to the generalist foraging method that the bee uses, little is known about how much resource limitation or shifting floral communities played in the decline of the bee. Efforts are currently being made to restore the bee to a healthy population.

Works Cited

Simanonok, M. P., Otto, C. R. V., Cornman, R. S., Iwanowicz, D. D., Strange, J. P., & Smith, T. A. (2020, November 11). A century of pollen foraging by the endangered rusty patched Bumble Bee (Bombus affinis): Inferences from molecular sequencing of museum specimens - biodiversity and conservation. SpringerLink. Retrieved December 5, 2022, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10531-020-02081-8

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Saveblackwater-org.nyc3.cdn ... (n.d.). Retrieved December 6, 2022, from https://saveblackwater-org.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/production/app/uploads/2020/02/RPBB-Draft-Recovery-Plan-093020193.pdf

Evans, E., Thorp, R., Jepsen, S., Hoffman Black, S. Status Review of Three Formerly Common Species of Bumble Bee in the Subgenus Bombus. Retrieved December 6, 2022, from https://web.archive.org/web/20160304000902/http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/xerces_2008_bombus_status_review.pdf