Endangered Bee Species Secures Habitat Protection Across Six States: Discover the Locations

(NEXSTAR) — Once a frequent inhabitant across nearly half of the United States, from the northeastern state of Maine to Georgia in the south and extending westward to the Dakotas, the rusty patched bumble bee’s presence has now dwindled to a mere dozen states.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is initiating a new campaign to bolster the population of this imperiled bee species.

Known scientifically as Bombus affinis, the rusty patched bumble bee bears a resemblance to many other bees, characterized by their predominantly yellow bodies, black bottoms, and a distinct mark or band between their wings. According to the FWS, worker bees and males display an entirely yellow first abdominal segment, while queens are entirely yellow on their first segments, with the remaining segments being black.

However, this bee is uniquely distinguished by a rusty-hued patch located in the middle section near its wings, a feature exclusive to males and worker bees.

Since the turn of the millennium, sightings of the rusty patched bumble bee have been verified in only 13 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota (where it holds the title of state bee), North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin, as well as in Ontario, Canada. It earned the unfortunate distinction of being the first bee species to be officially listed as endangered in 2017.

On Friday, the Fish and Wildlife Service announced that roughly 1.5 million acres of land across five of those states – Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Virginia, and Wisconsin, plus West Virginia – had been designated as critical habitat for the rusty patched bumble bee.

The ownership of these areas is not impacted by the dedication. The move doesn’t establish new reserves or protected areas, either. Instead, the “designations may affect development or other actions that involve federal agencies in planning, permitting or implementation of those actions,” the FWS explains.

The Natural Resources Defense Council called the protections of these areas “essential to the survival of one of America’s most imperiled pollinators.” In a Friday press release, the organization said the FWS’s announcement followed a lawsuit they filed alongside the Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of Minnesota Scientific and Natural Areas.

The lawsuit came after the FWS previously decided against designating critical habitat for the rusty patched bumble bee, the press release said.

“This determination is the result of over a decade of fighting to secure protections for the rusty patched bumble bee and the areas it depends on to survive,” said Lucas Rhoads, senior attorney at NRDC. “Many of its native grasslands have been wiped out, so protecting its last remaining habitat from further destruction is just common sense. These legal protections will help give us the best chance of recovering this once-common pollinator.”

What happened to the rusty patched bumble bee?

The bee “experienced a significant and rapid decline before” being listed as endangered, the FWS explained. It’s unclear what exactly caused the rusty patched bumble bee to fall off, but it’s believed a number of factors may be to blame.

“These may include pathogens and parasites, pesticides and fungicides, habitat loss and degradation, managed bees, and the effects of climate change and small population biology,” Jay Watson, a conservation biologist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, told Nexstar in 2024.

Previously, the bee could be found in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Where has the bee been seen, and where could it spread?

The rusty patched bumble bee’s range has been cut roughly in half. Now, confirmed sightings have been limited to an area from Minnesota east to Maine, and south to Iowa and Virginia.

Earlier this month, wildlife officials updated a map that shows the bee’s current range, as well as areas where they believe the bee could return.

Areas with the highest potential of seeing the rusty patched bumble bee spread are across southern, eastern, and northeastern Wisconsin; southeastern Minnesota; northeastern Iowa; northern Illinois, and along the border between West Virginia and Virginia. Other small pockets of “high potential zones” are scattered through Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Maine.

What areas were designated as critical habitats for the bee?

Maps submitted by the FWS show regions across 33 counties are now considered critical habitats for the rusty patched bumble bee. As it has been primarily found in and around the biggest Midwest cities – Minneapolis and St. Paul, Chicago, Iowa City, and Milwaukee – so too are many of the protected areas.

The table below breaks down the counties that are now, at least partially, intended to be protected from destruction or damage that would impact the bees’ survival.

More detailed maps of these regions can be found here.

How to support rusted patch bumble bees

Helping rusty patched bumble bees recover isn’t unlike helping other pollinators.

Watson emphasized two ways to support the species: provide more floral resources and cut back on the use of pesticides. 

“The best way to attract a variety of bumblebee species and other pollinators to your yard throughout the season is having a good habitat,” Watson tells Nexstar. That includes providing a variety of native flowers that can bloom from spring to fall and nesting and hibernation locations like piles of leaves, plant stems, sticks, rodent holes, and grass mats.

Surveys have found some of the best flowers for the rusty patched bumblebee include Dutchman’s breeches, eastern bluebells, wild bergamot, Culver’s root and milkweed species. It’s worth noting that the best pollinator plants may vary depending on where you live.

“By helping rusty patched bumblebees with improving and creating more habitat, we are also helping other pollinators that are declining like the Monarch butterfly,” Watson explained.