A bumble bee that is quickly disappearing will finally get the protection it needs under the Endangered Species Act.
The rusty patched bumble bee, which can be identified by a rust-colored patch on its abdomen, was once a commonly seen pollinator from the midwest to the east coast. Unfortunately, scientists believe that it has disappeared from 87 percent of its historic range since the 1990s and that its population has declined by a startling 95 percent.
They are protected as Endangered under the Species at Risk Act in Canada and are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, but despite their dwindling numbers little was done to ensure their survival in the U.S.
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Photo credit: Tony Wills via Wikimedia Commons
