Status Review of Three Formerly Common Species of Bumble Bee ...

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Historical records from within San Francisco, California revealed 105 B. occidentalisspecimens in the collections of the California Academy of Sciences, revealing that B.occidentalis was commonly collected in San Francisco. Collections of 3,665 bumble beesin San Francisco in 2003 and 2004 revealed zero B. occidentalis (McFrederick andLeBuhn 2006). In addition, Thorp and colleagues collected 151 B. occidentalis in a wildpark contiguous with San Francisco (San Bruno Mountain) in 1960. Revisiting the sitejust over 40 years later (2001 and 2002), he found no B. occidentalis (R. W. Thorpunpublished). Two additional years (2003 and 2004) of sampling at the same site by Q.S. McFrederick again confirmed the absence of B. occidentalis (McFrederick andLeBuhn 2006).Rocky Mountains and the Intermountain West:A collection of 3,586 bumble bee workers from 1997 to 2000 by Otterstatter, Whidden,and Owen in southern Alberta revealed that the relative abundance of B. occidentalisworkers declined during the period from 1997 to 2000. The abundance of B. occidentalisworkers relative to workers of other species of bumble bees in 1997 was 16.8%, in 1998was 17.6%, in 1999 was 10.2%, and in 2000 was 9.9%. Dr. Otterstatter stated “I can saywith certainty that B. occidentalis declined in abundance at my main study site (BarrierLake) between 1997/98 and 1999/2000.” He also reported that “the relative abundancevalue of 9.9% for B. occidentalis workers at Barrier Lake during 2000 is certainly anoverestimate; it took a far greater collecting effort to catch 10% B. occidentalis during2000 than it did during 1999” (M. Otterstatter, personal communication, March 2008;data from 1997 and 1998 was also collected by T. Whidden and R. Owen). Dr. RalphCartar reports a similar decline in B. occidentalis in southern Alberta. In 1998, a study ofbumble bees foraging on Moose Mountain revealed that 49 out of 581 bees, or 8.4%,were B. occidentalis. In contrast, in 2007 graduate student Danusha Foster collected onlytwo B. occidentalis out of 91 total bees (or 2.2%) in an area that is 50 km SE of the 1998study (R. Cartar, personal communication, April 2008). B. occidentalis is stillconsistently found at higher elevations in Colorado, although it may not be as common asit used to be (D. Inouye, personal communication, September 2007 and July 2008). In2007, B. occidentalis was found in Japanese beetle trap contents from over a dozenlocations in Utah and two traps in Spokane, WA (J. Strange personal communication,June 2008). In 2008, Dr. Strange and associates have captured B. occidentalis queensfrom two sites in northern Utah (J. Strange personal communication, June 2008).Southwestern United States:In Coconino County of northern Arizona, eighteen specimens of B. occidentalis werecollected from 2000 to 2004 (L. Stevens, personal communication, February 2008).SummaryB. occidentalis was once a common bumble bee that was widespread across 14 U.S.states and four Canadian provinces. The data and observations detailed above reveal thatthis species has undergone a dramatic decline across much of the western part of itsrange.22
RegionBritishColumbia(berry crops)Southern ORand NorthernCASurveys prior to 1999 Surveys between 1999-2008Researcher(s)/ PublicationWinston &Graf 1982Surveyyear(s)Total # ofbumblebeescollectedRelativeabundance ofB. occidentalisin collectionTable 5. Comparison of B. occidentalis relative abundance prior to 1999 and since 1999.*M. Otterstatter stated that: “the relative abundance value of 9.9% for B. occidentalisworkers at Barrier Lake during 2000 is certainly an overestimate; it took a far greatercollecting effort to catch 10% B. occidentalis during 2000 than it did during 1999”(personal communication, March 2008).Region1982 591 32% BritishColumbia(urbanbackyards)Thorp 2008 1998 848 12.03% Southern ORand NorthernCASee above See above SeeaboveSee above See above SeeaboveSee above See above SeeaboveSee above See above SeeaboveSee above See above SeeaboveSee above See above SeeaboveSee above See above SeeaboveSee above See above SeeaboveSee above See above SeeaboveSouthernAlbertaSouthernAlbertaMooseMountain,southernAlbertaOtterstatter,Whidden &Owen (pers.comm.March 2008)Otterstatter,Whidden &Owen (pers.comm.March 2008)Carter (pers.comm. April2008)- Abundant inhistoricalcollections ofthe CaliforniaAcademy ofSciences1997 322(workersonly)1998 891(workersonly)See above See above Southern ORand NorthernCASee above See above Southern ORand NorthernCASee above See above Southern ORand NorthernCASee above See above Southern ORand NorthernCASee above See above Southern ORand NorthernCASee above See above Southern ORand NorthernCASee above See above Southern ORand NorthernCASee above See above Southern ORand NorthernCASee above See above Southern ORand NorthernCA16.8% SouthernAlberta17.8% SouthernAlberta1998 581 8.4% 50 km SE of1998 Carterstudy site,southernAlberta- - SanFrancisco,CaliforniaResearcher(s)/ PublicationTommasi etal. 2004Surveyyear(s)2000-2001Total # ofbumblebeescollected1,606 0.1%Thorp 2008 1999 588 1.53%Thorp 2008 2000 2,500 0.04%Thorp 2008 2001 213 0.47%Thorp 2008 2002 2,000 0.05%Thorp 2008 2003 1,094 0%Thorp 2008 2004 1,442 0%Thorp 2008 2005 2,698 0%Thorp 2008 2006 1,438 0%Thorp 2008 2007 1,418 0%Thorp(unpublisheddata)Otterstatter,Whidden &Owen (pers.comm.March 2008)Otterstatter,Whidden &Owen (pers.comm.March 2008)Foster (R.Carter, pers.comm. April2008)McFrederick& LeBuhn2006Relativeabundance ofB. occidentalisin collection2008 >4,000 ~0.025%1999 1,618(workersonly)2000 755(workersonly)10.2%9.9%*2007 91 2.2%2003-20046,665 0%23
Page 1 and 2: Status Review of Three Formerly Com
Page 4 and 5: use as commercial pollinators. Dr.
Page 6 and 7: B. Habitat requirementsB. affinis,
Page 8 and 9: and with black hairs extending rear
Page 10 and 11: Although this species was formerly
Page 12 and 13: September 2007).RegionSouthernOntar
Page 14 and 15: B. Pollination EcologyBombus terric
Page 16 and 17: as recently as 2007, Massachusetts
Page 18 and 19: Variety 1: As nominate form above,
Page 20 and 21: the Rocky Mountains. Below are find
Page 24 and 25: VI. CURRENT AND POTENTIAL THREATS -
Page 26 and 27: impatiens to be transported into th
Page 28 and 29: equest is made to APHIS, APHIS will
Page 30 and 31: Insecticides are used in wild lands
Page 32 and 33: eetles use commercial honey bee col
Page 34 and 35: diseases by the commercial bumble b
Page 36 and 37: Brown, M. J. F., R. Schmid-Hempel,
Page 38 and 39: Fitzpatrick, U., T. E. Murray, R. J
Page 40 and 41: Holm, S. N. 1966. The utilization a
Page 42 and 43: Leonard, M. D. 1928. A list of the
Page 44 and 45: Medler, J. T. and D. W. Carney. 196
Page 46 and 47: Plowright, R. C., B. A. Pendrel, an
Page 48 and 49: 48: 543-548.Stephen, W. P. 1957. Bu
Page 50 and 51: Williams, P. H., M. B. Arau ́jo, a
Page 52 and 53: Abbreviations for museums are as fo
Page 54 and 55: Tennessee: Sugarlands, 12-Apr-1949,
Page 56 and 57: H.C. Manis, Strange, U of ID; 2: Bu
Page 58 and 59: Montrose, 5-Aug-1960, F., P., & M.
Page 60 and 61: Lick Cr. 28 mi SE Union 4280 ft, 3-
Page 62 and 63: N.E. Woodley, Strange, WSU; Richlan

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