Rusty Patched Bumble Bee vs. Other Bumblebees: Understanding Canada’s Most Endangered Pollinator
The rusty patched bumble bee is not a separate category from bumblebees; it’s one of 46 bumblebee species native to North America, distinguished by a rust-colored patch on the second segment of its abdomen and its critically endangered status as the first bee species in the continental United States to receive federal protection. For anyone who has spotted a bumblebee in their garden or heard about the rusty patched’s 2017 endangered listing, understanding this distinction matters because conservation efforts depend on accurate identification, and the rusty patched’s 87% population decline since the late 1990s demands …