Black and Gold Bumble Bee

Transcription

1 Black and Gold Bumble Bee Scientific Name Family Name Bombus auricomus (Robertson, 1903) Apidae Triepeolus Did you know? Black and gold bumble bees (Bombus auricomus) are very similar in appearance to Nevada bumble bees (Bombus nevadensis). However, Nevada bumble bees are a western species and have not been documented in New York. Photo credits: Betsy Betros Summary Protection Not listed in New York State, not listed federally. This level of state protection means: The species is not listed or protected by New York State. Rarity G4G5, S1 A global rarity rank of G4G5 means: Apparently or Demonstrably Secure globally - Uncommon to common in the world, but not rare; usually widespread, but may be rare in some parts of its range; possibly some cause for long-term concern due to declines or other factors. More information is needed to assign a single conservation status. A state rarity rank of S1 means: Typically 5 or fewer occurrences, very few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or some factor of its biology makes it especially vulnerable in New York State. NYNHP Conservation Guide - Black and Gold Bumble Bee (Bombus auricomus)

2 Conservation Status in New York Black and gold bumble bees are known from just two New York locations (Monroe and Tompkins counties) since 1980 (Richardson 2013 and Yanega 2013). This species is only known from 8 locations overall since 1899 and appears to never have been common in NY, where it is on the northern and eastern range margin for the species. Threats to the species include habitat loss, pesticides, and urbanization (Schweitzer et al. 2012) as well as pollution and invasive species. It does not appear to be experiencing high susceptiblity to the N. bombi pathogen as with Bombus and Thoracobomus sub-genera. Short-term Trends There are two locations known since the 1990s (Richardson 2013 and Yanega 2013) and they have never been common in NY. Long-term Trends There are two occurrences in NY since 1980 (Richardson 2013 and Yanega 2013) and the species is known from 8 locations overall since 1899 and appears to never have been a common in NY. Conservation and Management Threats Threats to Bombus auricomus include habitat loss, pesticides, and urbanization (Schweitzer et al. 2012) as well as pollution and invasive species. This sub-genus (Bombias) does not appear to be experiencing high susceptiblity to the protozoan N. bombi, a pathogen attributed to playing a large role in the decline of Bombus and Thoracobomus sub-genera. Conservation Strategies and Management Practices Any efforts to protect wild bumble bee populations from pathogen exposure would benefit northern amber bumble bees. Suggested actions would include using mesh to prevent escape of bees from commercial breeding greenhouses, proper disposal of commercial bees, sanitation in greenhouses, and development of molecular screening. Tight restrictions on importing bumble bees and elimination of parasites from commercial populations has been suggested as ideal (Meeus et al. 2011, Schweitzer et al. 2012). Minimal to no exposure of black and gold bumble bee to insecticides would also benefit them. Suggested actions include avoidance of application to flowers that bumble bees are attracted to and application of solutions or soluble powders (rather than dusts or wettable powders) to the ground in calm wind and warmer tempertures during periods of dewless nights to minimize the impact to resident bumble bee populations (Schweitzer et al. 2012). Organic farming has also been suggested to benefit bumble bees. NYNHP Conservation Guide - Black and Gold Bumble Bee (Bombus auricomus) 2

3 Research Needs Habitat Further research is needed to determine more information on habitat requirements, threats, climate change effects, and insecticide effects for black and gold bumble bees. A statewide inventory to assess the distribution and abundance of this species is also needed. Bumble bees are generalist foragers and need nesting habitat in the spring, flowers for adult and larval nutrition throughout the spring and summer, and sites for queens to overwinter. This bumble bee nests underground (Colla et al. 2011). Such species often use abandoned rodent nests underground in south facing exposures. Foraging habitat should include flower abundance and species richness with overlapping blooms to ensure nectar availability throughout the growing season (Schweitzer et al. 2012). Select food plants for B. auricomus include clovers, bee balms, Solanum, Hypericum, and Eupatorium (Colla et al. 2011). Suitable sites for bumble bees to overwinter may include rotting logs, mulch, or loose soil (Schweitzer et al. 2012). Identification Comments Identifying Characteristics Black and gold bumble bee queens, workers, and males have a long-shaped face and at least some yellow hairs on the top of their head and yellow banding on the thorax. Abodominal segment one usually has at least some yellow, especially laterally. Segments two and three are yellow, with the last segments black (Colla et al. 2011). The Best Time to See Bumble bee queens hibernate over the winter, emerge in the spring, locate a nest site, and rear young (workers, males, and new queens). After new queens and males mate, all males, workers, and old queens die by the beginning of winter and new queens settle into sites to overwinter (Schweitzer et al. 2012). Active Reproducing Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Similar Species The time of year you would expect to find Black and Gold Bumble Bee in New York. American bumble bee(bombus (Thoracobombus) pensylvanicus): American bumble bees have all black hairs on the top of the head, while black and gold bumble bees have at least some yellow hairs on the top of the head (Colla et al. 2011). NYNHP Conservation Guide - Black and Gold Bumble Bee (Bombus auricomus) 3

4 Conservation Comments The scientific name for this species has not changed. However, NatureServe did not have a record of it occuring in NY. There are at least 4 occurrences since 1980 for this species that we will begin tracking. One of the records is considered "current" and post 2000 based on Richardson 2013 compiled dataset. Taxonomy Kingdom Phylum Class Animalia Mandibulates (Mandibulata) Order Insects (Insecta) Family Bees, Wasps, Ants, Sawflies (Hymenoptera) Apidae (Triepeolus) Additional Resources Links Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation NatureServe Explorer References Bachman, S., J. Moat, A. Hill, J. de la Torre, and B. Scott Supporting red list threat assessments with GeoCAT: geospatial conservation assessment tool. In: Smith, V. and L. Penev (Eds) e-infrastructures for data publishing in biodiversity science. ZooKeys 150: (Version BETA). Available online at: Cameron, S.A., J.D. Lozier, J.P. Strange, J.B. Koch, N. Cordes, L.F. Solter, and T.L. Griswold Patterns of widespread decline in North American bumble bees. PNAS. 108 (2): Colla, S., L. Richardson, and P. Williams Bumble bees of the eastern United States. Keys, Jr.,J.; Carpenter, C.; Hooks, S.; Koenig, F.; McNab, W.H.; Russell, W.;Smith, M.L Ecological units of the eastern United States - first approximation (cd-rom), Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. GIS coverage in ARCINFO format, selected imagery, and map unit tables. Meeus, I., Brown, M.J.F., DeGraaf, D.C., and G. Smagghe Effects of invasive parasites on bumble bee declines. Conservation Biology 25(4): NatureServe NatureServe Central Databases. Arlington, Virginia. USA NatureServe NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 7.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available Poole, R. W., and P. Gentili (eds.) Nomina Insecta Nearctica: a checklist of the insects of North America. Volume 2 (Hymenoptera, Mecoptera, Megaloptera, Neuroptera, Raphidioptera, Trichoptera). Entomological Information Services, Rockville, MD. Richardson, L Compilation of specimen records for Bombus species of North America from NYNHP Conservation Guide - Black and Gold Bumble Bee (Bombus auricomus) 4

5 the American Museum of Natural History, Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, among several other museums. Unpublished data. Schweitzer, D. and N. Sears. May 1, Bumble bee ranking guidelines. NatureServe, Arlington, VA. Schweitzer, D.F., N.A. Capuano, B.E. Young and S.R. Colla Conservation and management of North American bumble bees. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia, and USDA Forest Service, Washington, D.C. 17 pp. Williams, P.H., R.W. Thorp, L.L. Richardson, and S.R. Colla Bumble bees of North America: an Identification Guide. Princeton University Press. 208 pp. Yanega, D Compilation of specimen records for Bombus species of North America from the University of California Riverside Entomology Research Museum, the Essig Museum of Entomology, University of California Berkeley, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the California State Collection of Arthropods. Unpublished data. New York Natural Heritage Program 625 Broadway, 5th Floor, Albany, NY Phone: (518) This project is made possible with funding from: - New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Program - Division of Lands & Forests, Department of Environmental Conservation - New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Information for this guide was last updated on Aug 07, 2017 This guide was authored by Erin L. White NYNHP Conservation Guide - Black and Gold Bumble Bee (Bombus auricomus) 5