For 25 years, this rare bee has been found in only 13 states — until now
.png "A rare bee was spotted in a state it hasn’t been seen in for at least 25 years.")
A rare bee that’s been found in only 13 states for the past 25 years has recently been spotted in another state.
A rusty patched bumble bee was found dead near Kalamazoo, Michigan, according to an Aug. 19 Facebook post by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The bee’s history dates back to Michigan; however, since 2000, it has only been reported in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.
It also has been found in Ontario, Canada, the organization said.
The rusty patched bumble bee was declared federally endangered in 2017, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“The exact cause of the decline is unknown, but evidence suggests a synergistic interaction between an introduced pathogen and exposure to pesticides, specifically insecticides and fungicides, which was also noted in the species assessment,” the organization said.
It is one of about 21 species of bumble bees in the eastern part of the U.S. It’s a social species that survives off food from flowers from early spring through fall.
