Project Bumble Bee In the late 1990′s, bee biologists started to
notice a decline in the abundance and distribution of several
wild bumble bee species. Five of these species (western bumble
bee, rusty patched bumble bee, yellowbanded bumble bee and the
American bumble bee) were once very common and important crop
pollinators over their ranges. Franklin’s bumble bee was
historically found only in a small area in southern Oregon and
northern California, and it may now be extinct. Recent research
indicates that additional species of bumble bees may be in
decline. Wild bumble bees face many threats including habitat
alteration, pesticide use, management practices, and pathogens.
Recent reports are troubling, but there is much you can do to
help! To read more about recent declines see the Threats section
below. What you can do! Download our new publication: Conserving
Bumble Bees. Guidelines for Creating and Managing Habitat for
America’s Declining Pollinators. •Participate in our citizen
science project: We are v