Bumble Bee Added to the Endangered Species List

On January 11, the Rusty Patch Bumble Bee (Bombus affinis), with an estimated aggregate value as a pollinator at $3 billion, became the first of its kind to be listed on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service endangered species list. It is native to Illinois and other states, but has experienced a 90 percent decrease in population over the last 20 years.

            Few species in the U.S. are suffering as greatly as bees, and the Rusty Patch face many threats nationally and across the Chicagoland area. Suspected culprits include loss of essential grassland habitat, increased use of toxic pesticides (especially neonicotinoids), reduced nesting grounds and a changing climate with extreme weather patterns such as early snowmelt, drought and high temperatures. According to the Xerces Society, the largest remaining populations of this species are concentrated in Wisconsin, Minnesota and western and southern Illinois.

            According to Chicago Wilderness (ChicagoWilderness.org), this pollinator bee is essential to our food supplies and is considered a keystone species in that “it helps ecosystems thrive by pollinating local flowers that support an array of wildlife.” The Rusty Patch Bumble Bee is one of 12 Priority Species identified by Chicago Wilderness and an alliance of conservation groups across Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan.

To take action and help Chicago Wilderness support bee habitat in our region, visit Crowdrise.com/rusty-patched-bumble-bee. For more information about the Rusty Patch Bumble Bee, visit Xerces.org.