Celebrate World Bee Day

Native Bees are in Trouble, But You Can Help

Bees are some of the most important pollinators on Earth—but many of them are disappearing. From widespread habitat loss to pesticide use and disease, native bee populations across North America are declining at an alarming rate. Among them is the rusty patched bumble bee, one of the first native bees in the continental United States to be listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

Meet the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee

The rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) is one of 21 bumble bee species found in the U.S. Once common throughout the Midwest and Eastern states, it’s now Critically Endangered. Workers and males sport a distinctive rusty-colored patch on the second segment of their abdomen—a key identifier for this native species.

Like other bumble bees, they’re large, fuzzy and crucial to pollinating crops and wildflowers. But their numbers are dropping fast.

Why Are These Bumble Bees Disappearing?

Sightings in Indiana are especially rare. The last verified local observations were at Daubenspeck Community Nature Park in 2009 and 2010. Since then, this native bee may be locally extinct in our state due to habitat destruction, pesticide exposure and diseases sprea by non-native honeybees.

You Can Help Bring Them Back

Whether you’re a gardener, a neighbor or a visitor to the Zoo, you can make a difference:

Plant native flowers that bees depend on
Remove invasive plants that compete for space
Reduce or eliminate pesticide use in your yard
Spread the word about protecting pollinators

Learn More

If you’d like to learn more about rusty patched bumble bees, check the links below.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

A Ghost in the Making: Searching for the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee

Thank you to photographer Jim Hughes from Minneapolis, Minnesota for photographs of the rusty patched bumble bee.