A new study examining 100 years of bumble bee records reveals that almost half of Vermont’s species, which are vital pollinators, have either vanished or are in serious decline.
After conducting the state’s most extensive search for bumble bees, and combing through historical records from museum collections, the team has concluded that four of Vermont’s 17 bumble bee species appear to have gone extinct.
The study, led by University of Vermont (UVM) and Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) researchers, was published in the Journal of Insect Conservation.
“We’re losing bumble bees even before we fully understand their benefits to our economy and well-being, or how they fit into ecosystems,” said Kent McFarland, conservation biologist at VCE.
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Image via University of Vermont.