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Bumble Bees

A queen bumble bee looks for a spot within a thick leaf cover.
Leave the Leaves!
Up close with a yellow-banded bumble bee sitting on a sheet of lined paper. Small details are visible, like the little hooks on its toes that it uses to hold on to things.
Exciting Finds from the 2024 Bumble Bee Atlas Field Season
A bumble bee on a flower in the foreground, with a mountain range in the background, and a clear mountain lake below. The mountains are only lightly covered with sparse plants, hinting at the high elevation.
Celebrating Community Science as the Bumble Bee Atlas Expands to Five New States
Black and yellow Southern Plains bumble bee on wooly milkweed blooms
Southern Plains Bumble Bee is One Step Closer to Federal Protection
Golden-belted bumble bee on paintbrush flower
Washington State Becomes First to Adopt a Statewide Strategy to Protect Bumble Bees
Bombus fraternus on sunflower (Photo: K. Hayden)
Pollinator Week 2022: Meet Our Staff Favorites
leaf litter, overwinter, bumble bee life cycle, science, conservation
Where do Bumble Bee Queens Overwinter? Participate in Queen Quest This Fall to Help Us Find Out!
yellow, flower, dandelion, community science, Bumble Bee Watch
A Q&A with Daniel Potvin-Leduc, a Bumble Bee Watch Star from Quebec
A group of people wearing wide-brimmed hats stand with their backs to the camera, watching a man standing waist-deep in grass and flowers swings a white butterfly net.
Using Community Science to Conserve Bumble Bees: From Small Beginnings to a Continent-Wide Effort
Gently undulating rangeland stretches to the horizon. The silver-grey leaves of plants show between the green grass. In the distance a cluster of farm buildings sit in the shelter of trees. Brown and black cattle graze.
Great Plains Rangelands Are Important Habitat for Pollinators
The black hairs that cover the rear segments of this yellow-and-black bumble bee shine in the sunshine as it forages on a pink flower
What Should You Do for Pollinator Week? Go Bumble Bee Watching!
Southern plains bumble bee (Bombus fraternus) observation submitted to Bumble Bee Watch by a community scientist.
Turning Appreciation into Action Through Community Science
A yellow and black bumble bee drinks nectar from pale pink flowers of milkweed
California Court Case: Protection of Insects under the California Endangered Species Act
A man and a woman carrying an insect net walk through grass looking for bumble bees
The Power of The Pinery: Six Years of Bumble Bee Community Science at Ontario’s Pinery Provincial Park
A yellow and black bumble bee drinks nectar from pale pink flowers of milkweed
Court Decision Undermines the State of California’s Ability to Protect Insects Under its Endangered Species Act
A black and yellow bumble bee on a bright pink flower
It Takes (More Than) a Village
Although partially obscured by the wings, the distinctive rusty-colored patch is just visible on the yellow band on the back of this rusty patched bumble bee
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Fails to Designate Critical Habitat for the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee
Two women, one with dark hair and a hat, and one with bright red hair, look at a white insect net while standing in a grassy field.
Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas: Doing a Little to Impact the Whole
The cover of Dave Goulson's book, The Garden Jungle or Gardening to Save the Planet is shown. It has hand-painted illustrations of flowers and insects.
Earth Week Reading: Gardening to Save the Planet
An illustrated landscape showing changing seasons (for instance, a tree that is half bare and half covered in bright pink blooms) shows bumble bees in various stages of their life cycle, including underground nests, foraging, and larvae.
Five Ways to Support Queen Bumble Bees this Spring
A long line of people of diverse ages, genders, and races are all sporting bright yellow and black-striped bee outfits in an outdoor festival setting.
Evolution in Attitudes Leads to Greater Interest in Pollinator Conservation
A kid stands in a verdant landscape with blue sky. He is putting something into his mouth as he stands near a hedgerow with fruit and flowers on it.
Tu BiShvat, the New Year for Trees, Provides a Chance to Support Invertebrates
A woman smiles while looking at a fuzzy, black, and yellow bumble bee on her finger.
Ann Puddicombe, a Bumble Bee Watch Star
A fuzzy, yellow and black striped bee perches atop a cluster of bright yellow flowers.
Still Questing for Bee Nests
Dead bees lay scattered on asphalt. A pencil is laid alongside them to help with estimates.
To Protect Pollinators We Must Address All Risk Factors
What We're Doing to Conserve Endangered Species
Bumble Bee Conservation Resources
At-Risk Bumble Bees
Rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) in a vial.
Working Together in Iowa to Find the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee
A blue butterfly stands out against a backdrop of green foliage.
Insects Lose as Trump Administration Weakens the Endangered Species Act
A bumble bee holds tightly to a cluster of purple flowers.
Introducing Xerces’ Newest Community Science Project: Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas
A plump bumble bee with yellow and black stripes, as well as a brown patch on its back and brownish wings, pollinates a small, white flower.
5 Ways Wildlife Preservation Canada’s Bumble Bee Recovery & Conservation Initiatives Benefit from Bumble Bee Watch
Robbin Thorp, wearing an orange shirt and tan pants and a tan hat, carries a net as he walks through the hills of southern Oregon.
Honoring Robbin Thorp, a Legendary Figure in North American Bee Conservation
A woman walking across a field with a nose working dog, looking for bumble bee nests.
A woman walking across a field with a nose working dog, looking for bumble bee nests.
A Quest for Bumble Bee Nests: The Missing Link
A field of sunflowers bordering a field.
Bee Better Certified: An Evolving Standard
A tractor and some other farm equipment in the background are dwarfed by blooming plants in the foreground of this photo of an arid agricultural area.
Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – January 2019
A metallic green bee appears to be climbing headfirst into a hole in some reddish-tan wood.
Where Do Pollinators Go in the Winter?
A fuzzy bee with yellow and black stripes, as well as a rust-colored patch on its back, holds tightly to a pink flower.
Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – November 2018
Purple asters bloom against a green background.
Fall Garden Tips to Benefit Bumble Bees All Year
A bumble bee perches on a yellow flower.
The Xerces Society Seeks Endangered Species Protections for California Bumble Bees
The author stands in a field holding a net while talking during a demonstration.
Kicking Off Canadian Bumble Bee Watch Training Events!
Threats & Conservation Efforts
About Bumble Bees
A western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis) hangs upside down as it collects nectar from a yellow blossom.
Bumble Bee Conservation
Hundreds of dead bees lay across a single parking space in this photo of the Wilsonville bee kill.
Bumble Bee Die-Off Under Investigation in Virginia
A solitary bee perched on top of a capped tunnel nest
Nesting Resources
Bee City USA
Xerces Society + Bee City USA = A Match Made in Pollinator Heaven
A bee sits on top of a yellow flower.
Surprising Results from a Survey of Bumble Bee Watch Users
Leafcutter bee on a red and yellow blanketflower.
10 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day
Two women look into an insect net to see whether they have captured a bumble bee. The net has a long white bag. The woman on the left is older, with brown hair tucked under a grey hat. Her t-shirt is purple and white. The other women is younger and has red-blonde hair pulled back into a bun. She wears a red t-shirt with the words Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas.
Unblinded by Science
volunteers at survey
Wildlife Preservation Canada Continues Training “Bumble Bee Watchers”
bombus impatiens
Community Science Data Aids in Expert Testimony on Regulation of Commercially Bred Bumble Bees
bimaculatus range map
Observations by Community Scientists Expand Known Range of the Two-Spotted Bumble Bee
A bumble bee holds on to a group of small pale pink flowers on a single stem.
Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Deserves Protection, Not Delay
bombus affinis
Rusty Patched Bumble Bee: The First Bee in the Continental U.S. to be Protected Under the Endangered Species Act
baptisia
Bumble Bees and Baptisia: A Pollination Story
rusty patched
Good News for the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee
bombus occidentalis
Climate Change Driving, Not the Only Passenger; Bumble Bee Conservation in Context