Bombus Crotchii

Bombus Crotchii: An Endangered Western North
American Bumblebee Species

WHY PROTECT THIS CALIFORNIA BEE SPECIES?
Brian Gounod- Group 4- Biology 227
Crotchs Bumblebee- WHAT IS IT?

Crotchs Bumblebee is an endangered bee species
that is predominately found in California. It is one of the
hundreds of bee species native to California; about 25 of
these are bumblebee species (Wilson 2013).
(Wilson 2012)
Like other bumblebees, Bombus Crotchii is an incredibly social and

communal species. New communities are created in nests underground and they
are first cared for by females before worker bees are spawned (IUCN 2015). This
system is similar to other bumblebees and thus they are subject to share their
nests with other bee species (Wilson 2013). This species of bumblebee can be
distinguished from others by its orange-red color markings on its tail (Iowa State
University 2016). Bumblebees are get nutrients from plant nectar and pollen and,
subsequently, many crops rely on pollination from these bees (IUCN 2015).
Crotchs Bumblebee is unique to other bee species for its native
environment including arid climate areas. It is most
commonly found today in the central valley of
California, especially in the temperate to arid regions
(IUCN 2015). Bombus Crotchii is native to the Central
Valley and Baja California, with some reports putting
smaller populations in other Western States such as
Nevada (IUCN 2015). The communities found in
California have gone through changes as a result of
habitat alteration in these subsequent areas. Hatfield
et. all reports that these bees are historically
common to the Central Valley but have been
(IUCN 2015) - Historical Distribution
depleted in the center of this area (2014).
of Crotchs Bumblebee
SEE ALSO: Iowa State Universitys full insect guide

http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740
The Importance of Protecting Crotchs Bumblebee

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) identified
Crotchs Bumblebee as endangered on its Red List in 2015 (assessed in August
2014). It was listed due to past decline of 67.51% from its historical abundance,
especially from the Central Valley (IUCN 2015).
The threats to Bombus Crotchii are multiple and cause for great concern.
This includes both the aforementioned rate of decline and the loss of this species
in over 1/4 of its historical range per IUCN. The greatest threat comes in the form
of habitat alteration/loss as a result of urban and agricultural development (IUCN

2015) as these areas are crucial in providing the resources needed for this bee
species. Crotchs Bumblebee also faces some of the same threats that bees face
that are widespread causes for concern. This includes increasing aridity, the
use of pesticides and competition from non-native bee species (IUCN 2015).
Unfortunately, all of these factors contribute greatly to the decline of Bombus
Crotchii because it is a specialized species; it is subject to the effects of low
genetic diversity and habitat alteration to a large extent.
(Q-Files 2016)
The Major threats to Bombus
Crotchii include habitat loss and
alteration due to commercial
farming
It is very important to protect Crotchs Bumblebee even as one of hundreds

of bee species in California alone. To begin, this species (and all other species of
native bees) are extremely valuable to humans for their pollination services.
Commercial agriculture often utilizes honey bees and domesticated populations
in order to pollinate crops. While these practices are effective, there is no
substitute to the services that bumblebees (such as Bombus Crotchii) provide.
As a whole, wild bee populations are responsible for $3 billion per year in
economic services for agriculture (James and Pitts-Singer 14). While not all of
this output can be attributed to Crotchs Bumblebee, it is important to maintain a
variety of bee species- both managed and wild. Furthermore, maintaining
species biodiversity of pollinating bees is beneficial to crop yields as each bee
species is unique (James and Pitts-Singer 18).
Wild Pollinators
such as the
Crotchs
Bumblebee can
increase cherry
tomato output in
California by 3X
(Xerces Society)
(Phys.org
2015)
Additionally, protecting a variety of bee species also means maintaining

the overall ecosystem diversity of the United States. California has the most
native species by state in the entire US- the region where Crotchs Bumblebee is
overwhelmingly found. Protecting this bee species means opposing the two
main causes of all habitat loss and fragmentation worldwide- agriculture and
commercial development. As a result, the efforts to protect Crotchs Bumblebee

are also effective in protecting many other species like it.
SEE ALSO: Free Pollination Services from Native Pollinators
http://agpollinators.org/source_docs/free_pollination_services.pdf
Plans for Recovery

Thus far, the plans in place to recover populations of Crotchs Bumblebee
are grouped with the general practices to save all wild bees (IUCN 2015). The
IUCN has established the following measures to help protect future Bombus
Crotchii Populations (2015)1. Restore, create and preserve natural high-quality habitats to include
suitable forage, nesting and overwintering sites.
2. Restrict pesticide use on or near suitable habitat, particularly while treated
plants are in flower.
3. Promote farming practices that increase of nitrogen-fixing fallow (legumes)
and other pollinator-friendly plants along field margins.
4. Minimize exposure of wild bees to diseases transferred from managed
bees.
5. Avoid honey bee introduction to high-quality native bee habitat.
These actions represent a combination of ensuring the existence of suitable
habitat (to provide resources and services) and protecting the ability for
populations of Crotchs Bumblebee to have high genetic diversity. High Genetic
Diversity is an important contributor to the stability of bee populations, especially
in species where population sizes are low (Cameron et. all 2010).
That being said, Bombus Crotchii still requires special attention as an
endangered species due to the aforementioned rate of habitat loss. Plans for the
future also include further research in order to gain more species-specific data
(IUCN 2015).
(Sheridan
2012)
There are many plans that are universal to
protecting all bee species- Many of which
involve curbing our current agriculture system.
SEE ALSO: Scientists Propose 10 Policies to Protect Vital Pollinators

http://phys.org/news/2016-11-scientists-policies-vitalpollinators.html#nRlv
How to Get Involved
Thankfully, there are many easy and inexpensive ways for everyday men
and women to support Crotchs Bumblebee and other pollinator species. The US
Fish and Wildlife Service explains that the three main steps to helping pollinators
such as this species are to plant gardens for bees, ensure nesting habitat, and
avoid pesticide use (2015). For Bombus Crotchii, this means planting flowering
plants native to California, providing undisturbed ground areas for nesting and
finding alternatives to chemical pesticides. For more info visithttps://www.fws.gov/pollinators/PollinatorPages/YourHelp.html
SEE ALSO: Pollinator Conservation

Resource Center
http://www.xerces.org/pollinatorresource-center/
(FWS 2012)
Works Cited
Cameron, Sydney A., Jeffery D. Lozier, James P. Strange, Jonathan B. Koch, Nils Cordes,
Leeleen F. Solter, and Terry L. Griswold. "Patterns of Widespread Decline in North
American Bumble Bees." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108.2
(2011): Web.
Crotchs Bumblebee. Bombus Crotchii, Orange Rump Bumblebee. Las Pilitas Nursery, 8 July
2012. Web.
"Free Pollination Services from Native Pollinators." Native Pollinators in Agriculture Project.
Xerces Society, n.d. Web.
James, Rosalind R. and Theresa L. Pitts-Singer. Bee Pollination in Agriculture Ecosystems. New
York: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print.
Hatfield, R., Jepsen, S., Thorp, R., Richardson, L. & Colla, S. 2015. Bombus Crotchii. The IUCN
Red List of Threatened Species 2015
Hatfield, R. 2014. Draft IUCN Assessments for North American Bombus spp. for the North
American IUCN Bumble Bee Specialist Group. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate
Conservation, www.xerces.org, Portland, OR.
Intensive Farming Practices. Farming. Q-Files, 2016. Web.
Pollinating Bee. Exposure to Pesticides and Bumblebees. Phys.org. Web.

"Pollinators: How You Can Help." Fws.gov. US Fish and Wildlife Service, 12 June 2015. Web.
Sheridan, Brooke. Bee- Bombus Crotchii. 2012. Bug Guide. Iowa State University Department of
Entomology. Web.
"Species Bombus Crotchii - Crotch's Bumble Bee." BugGuide.Net. Iowa State University
Department of Entomology, 2016. Web.
Wilson, Bert. "Plants to Attract Bumblebee and Other Interesting Native Bees." Bumblebees. Las
Pilitas Nursery, 6 June 2013. Web.

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Bombus Crotchii: An Endangered Western North

American Bumblebee Species

Crotchs Bumblebee- WHAT IS IT?

Like other bumblebees, Bombus Crotchii is an incredibly social and

SEE ALSO: Iowa State Universitys full insect guide

The Importance of Protecting Crotchs Bumblebee

of habitat alteration/loss as a result of urban and agricultural development (IUCN

It is very important to protect Crotchs Bumblebee even as one of hundreds

Additionally, protecting a variety of bee species also means maintaining

commercial development. As a result, the efforts to protect Crotchs Bumblebee

Plans for Recovery

SEE ALSO: Scientists Propose 10 Policies to Protect Vital Pollinators

How to Get Involved

SEE ALSO: Pollinator Conservation

Pollinating Bee. Exposure to Pesticides and Bumblebees. Phys.org. Web.

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