Nebraskaland

54 Nebraskaland • May 2024 MIXED BAG When I thought about important native species to the Sandhills, bumble bees didn't immediately come to mind. Until last August. Given the opportunity, I tagged along with Denise Pecha and her husband, Ted Kyster, as they surveyed bumble bees at my ranch near Ellsworth, Nebraska. Ted and Denise are part of a volunteer group called Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas supported by the Xerces Society and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, a community science project aimed at gathering the data needed to track and conserve bumble bees. The survey duo worked quickly in the pasture — trapping bees, taking photos, cataloging, then releasing the bees once finished. While they worked, they answered my questions about bumble bees, and why bees and the surveys are so important. On the prairie, bumble bees are critical pollinators of grasses and wildflowers. Unlike honey bees — which aren't native to the U.S. — bumble bees can pollinate plants through a method of "buzz pollination" or sonication. Bumble bees grab hold of the anther of the flower and vibrate, dislodging pollen from flowers more efficiently. Certain plants — such as tomatoes and potatoes — benefit from buzz pollination. Bumble bees nest in the ground or on the surface, with most colony members dying in the fall. Only the newly emerged and fertilized queens live to hibernate through the winter each year. Then, in the spring, the queen lays eggs for a new colony — beginning with workers. Later in the summer, the queen produces new queens and the male drones that will mate, reproduce, and begin the next colony. Nebraska hosts 20 species of bumble bees, several of which are endangered. The duo found a two-spotted bumble bee on my ranch — a species not typically found in western Nebraska. "That's part of what we are doing," Denise explained of the changing ranges of the bees. "If it gets too hot, they will move to higher elevations and further north." Similar to birds, many factors — such as disruption of habitat, pesticide use, and climate change — may be contributing to their decline. According to Katie Lemke, endangered species conservation biologist with Xerces Society, "Six of the 20 species have not been detected during the Atlas (2019-2023), [and] many of them have not been seen in the state since the last monitoring effort in 1999-2001." Information gathered from the volunteer surveys is used to assess the status of Nebraska's bumble bees and design conservation recommendations to support them. The data may also be used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service when deciding if declining numbers on a particular species of bumble bee — like the southern plains bumble bee — warrants protection under the Endangered Species Act. Atlas is an ongoing community science project and anyone can get involved. It is important for private landowners to welcome survey volunteers like Ted and Denise, both for native pollinators like bumble bees and ourselves. For more information, visit nebraskabumblebeeatlas.org. BUMBLE BEE ATLAS By Nicole Louden Volunteers capture live bees, gather data then release them. A southern plains bumble bee — an endangered species — was found during the survey. PHOTOS BY NICOLE LOUDEN

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