How Many Bumble Bees Have You Seen This Year?

Bug Squad

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Happenings in the insect world

Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey

Published on: March 10, 2015

Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Quick! How many bumble bees have you seen so far this year?

For me, it's zero, zilch, nada.

They're out there, though. Talent insect photographer Allan Jones of Davis, shared some of his images that he captured this year.

Bumble bees, however, are declining throughout the world, and it would be "a frightening thought" if bumble bees were to go from declining to extinct, said native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis.

He and fellow bumble bee authority Sheila Colla of Eastern Canada are the co-coordinators of the North American (United States and Canada) Bumble Bee Species Conservation Workgroup for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Thorp and Colla are featured in a newly released Radio-Canada video on declining bumble bees.

The six-minute version was broadcast last weekend. You'll hear the news reporter speaking French and Thorp and Colla speaking English as they talk about the declining bee population:

F___8796 Abeille Dernier Bloc_V2.5.XDCAM.mp4

Bee breeder-geneticist Michael "Kim" Fondrk of UC Davis, now retired, is featured in a segment on honey bee instrumental insemination:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByTaUv9eMDXLR0RQRWVXUnFWU2M/edit

A one-hour show, also broadcast last weekend, and more about honey bees, is at

http://ici.radio-canada.ca/tele/la-semaine-verte/2014-2015/

Thorp and Colla are two of the four co-authors of the newly published book, Bumble Bees of North America: an Identification Guide (Princeton University Press). They and lead author Paul Williams and co-author Leif Richardson guide you, the reader, in observing and identifying bumble bees and attracting them to your garden.

"There are nearly 20,000 species of bees worldwide, of which just 250 belong to the genus Bombus, or bumble bees," they write.

Let's hope that 50 to 100 to 200 years from now we don't hear "There are nearly 20,000 species of bees worldwide, but none in the genus Bombus. They are all extinct."

The yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, on rock purslane. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A black-faced bumble bee, Bombus fervidus (formerly Bombus californicus) on a coneflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This is the Western bumble bee, Bombus occidentalis, which is declining rapidly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, with a load of red pollen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Tags: bumble bees (62), declining bumble bees (1), Leif Richardson (1), Paul Williams (1), Robbin Thorp (282), Sheila Colla (2), video (2)

Comments: 10

Comments:

by Anne E. Schellman

on March 11, 2015 at 8:08 AM

I saw one in the Arboretum on Monday. It was either a black or yellow faced bumble bee...I hope to see more.

by Kelly Toler

on March 17, 2015 at 12:34 PM

All of my peach,plum,apricot,almond,cherry and nectarine trees are in full bloom. I sat outside yesterday from 2 p.m.until sunset with the sole purpose of seeing a bee (or ANY insect) pollinating my trees. I saw nothing, not a wasp, not a butterfly, not a single insect and I was actively looking at least half of that time. My trees are all young and/or dwarfs and the tallest is about 12 feet with the average right now being about 6 feet (right at eye level for me!)...again, not a single pollinator and I've been out several times today...dry/sunny/80F/light breeze Little Rock, Arkansas...not a thing..I can smell the blooms when I step outside but no bees :(

by Andrea

on May 11, 2015 at 9:15 AM

I came across this article after an Internet search wondering why I have seen so many bumble bees this year! I am in S.W. Ohio, and have seen more this year than I have ever seen in the 10 years I've lived here. Thought it strange to see they are on a decline.

by Kirsten

on June 24, 2015 at 10:04 PM

Haven't seen a single one. Not in my mom or grandma's yard either. And both have native plants to attract them. (My mom has a huge monkey flower and a plot of poppies) I have seen honeybees, hovers flies,German yellow jackets like the plague and carpenter bees but no bumblers. Also noticed significantly less anise swallowtails and monarchs this year but did catch a glimpse of a buckeye butterfly and California sister. Hoping the family of black phoebes helps me with my German yellow jacket problem. I would like to attract more bumbles to my yard. My poppies didn't come up this year. I should have started them in containers earlier in the season. Thinking of buying some yarrow? Any suggestions would be helpful.

by Russ

on July 14, 2015 at 4:10 PM

Northwest Indiana here. Have not seen a single bee in my garden this year!!! Last year hundreds. I grow pumpkins and gourds.

by matt march

on September 23, 2018 at 7:11 AM

I live in Cross Fork, Pa. and I have seen a sharp decline in bumble bees. Also also the carpenter bees that buzz me around the house were absent this year. I grow climbing green beans and the output is way down; there are flowers but not bring pollinated. I also have bushes that flower in August and usually I can't mow around them for the amount of bees, but not this year

by matt march

on September 23, 2018 at 7:12 AM

I live in Cross Fork, PA. and I have seen a sharp decline in bumble bees. Also the carpenter bees that buzz me around the house were absent this year. I grow climbing green beans and the output is way down. There are flowers but not being pollinated. I also have bushes that flower in August and usually I can't mow around them for the amount of bees but not this year.

by Joe Rich

on May 17, 2020 at 10:18 AM

Over a dozen, One type I am confident of, the yellow-faced bumble bee. For years I have had a strip of California poppies along the front of my front yard, and I would have between 2 and 4 of the yellow-faced bumble bees. I removed the grass and this year I let the California poppies take over the yard. At times I count a dozen workers and a queen.

I also have seen a California carpenter bee and another bumble bee which may be a slightly different coloration of the California carpenter bee - seems like there is a fair amount of variation.

by Joan Kiessling

on June 4, 2021 at 5:24 PM

Last year I saw lots. This year none

by Matt

on June 11, 2021 at 9:07 PM

I was wondering why I have seen more this year than ever in my 62 years. Their low sound buzzes throughout my property.