Evidence for Bombus Occidentalis (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Populations in the Olympic Peninsula, the Palouse Prairie, and Forests of Northern Idaho

Authors

Paul R. Rhoades, University of Idaho
Jonathan B. Koch, University of Hawaii, Hilo
Lisette P. Waits, University of Idaho
James P. Strange, Utah State University
Sanford D. Eigenbrode, University of Idaho

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Journal of Insect Science

Volume

16

Issue

1

Publisher

Library of the University of Arizona

Publication Date

2016

First Page

1

Last Page

5

Abstract

Since the mid-1990s, Bombus occidentalis (Green) has declined from being one of the most common to one of the rarest bumble bee species in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Although its conservation status is unresolved, a petition to list this species as endangered or threatened was recently submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. To shed light on the conservation situation and inform the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision, we report on the detection and abundance of B. occidentalis following bumble bee collection between 2012 and 2014 across the Pacific Northwest. Collection occurred from the San Juan Islands and Olympic peninsula east to northern Idaho and northeastern Oregon, excluding the arid region in central Washington. B. occidentalis was observed at 23 collection sites out of a total of 234. With the exception of three sites on the Olympic peninsula, all of these were in the southeastern portion of the collection range.

Comments

https://academic.oup.com/jinsectscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/jisesa/iev155

Recommended Citation

Rhoades, P.R., Koch, J.B., Waits, L.P., Strange, J.P., Eigenbrode, S.D. Evidence for Bombus occidentalis (Hymenoptera: Apidae) populations in the olympic peninsula, the palouse prairie, and forests of Northern Idaho (2016) Journal of Insect Science, 16 (1), art. no. 20, .