Posts Tagged: Bombus franklini

The Buzz: Protecting Our Bumble Bees

Bumble bees--how many have you seen so far this year on the UC Davis campus? If you join the thousands of visitors at the ninth annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day on Saturday, Feb. 15--a free public event showcasing 13 museums or collections--you...

This is the Western bumble bee, Bombus occidentalis, one of four bumble bees on California's proposed endangered species list. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This is the Western bumble bee, Bombus occidentalis, one of four bumble bees on California's proposed endangered species list. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This is Crotch's bumble bee, Bombus crotchii, one of four bumble bees on California's proposed endangered species list. (Photo by Allan Jones, used with permission)

This is Crotch's bumble bee, Bombus crotchii, one of four bumble bees on California's proposed endangered species list. (Photo by Allan Jones, used with permission)

Franklin's Bumble Bee May Be Protected: A Legacy of Robbin Thorp

The late Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis,  and a global authority on bees, worked tirelessly to try to include Franklin's bumble bee (Bombus franklini) as an endangered species...

Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis, with his screensaver, an image he took of Franklin's bumble bee. He passed June 7. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis, with his screensaver, an image he took of Franklin's bumble bee. He passed June 7. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Look Out, Franklin's Bumble Bee, They're Coming for You!

Look out, Franklin's bumble bee, they're coming for you! The question is: Where are you? Have you managed to "hide" all these years or are you extinct? A “search party” of scientists and citizen scientists is forming to look for Franklin's...

Bumble bee expert Robbin Thorp of UC Davis with his computer screen showing a photo he took of Franklin's bumble bee, now feared extinct. He last saw it on Aug. 9, 2006 in a meadow near Mt. Ashland. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bumble bee expert Robbin Thorp of UC Davis with his computer screen showing a photo he took of Franklin's bumble bee, now feared extinct. He last saw it on Aug. 9, 2006 in a meadow near Mt. Ashland. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This is the Western bumble bee, Bombus occidentalis, found Aug. 15, 2012 by Mt. Shasta. It is on the endangered list. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This is the Western bumble bee, Bombus occidentalis, found Aug. 15, 2012 by Mt. Shasta. It is on the endangered list. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Robbin Thorp: Chasing Franklin's Bumble Bee

It may be extinct, but don't say the "E" word to Robbin Thorp. Thorp, a noted bumble bee expert, hasn't seen Franklin's bumble bee for 10 years, but that doesn't mean it's not there--somewhere in its small native range of southern Oregon and northern...

Robbin Thorp and his computer screen showing his image of Franklin's bumble bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Robbin Thorp and his computer screen showing his image of Franklin's bumble bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp next to an almond tree on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp next to an almond tree on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Eureka! A Western Bumble Bee

Many of us in California have never seen the Western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis) Many of us never will. Native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, emeritus professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis, worries about the declining...

Close-up of a male Western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis) found Aug. 15 at Mt. Shasta. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of a male Western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis) found Aug. 15 at Mt. Shasta. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Another view of the male Western bumble bee found on Mt. Shasta. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Another view of the male Western bumble bee found on Mt. Shasta. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Documenting the rare find. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Documenting the rare find. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp is a retired UC Davis professor, but continues his full-time research. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp is a a retired UC Davis professor, but continues his full-time research. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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