Collective Impact of Community Scientists
The Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas had a great season in 2021. We are excited to share that the Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas is now the largest bumble bee collection event in the state's history—with 5,700 bumble bee observations! Prior to the Atlas, the largest collection event in Nebraska was from UNL's Bumble Boosters program lead by an Atlas partner, Dr. Doug Golick, between 1999-2001 that yielded ~3,700 observations. This is a phenomenal milestone to have reached and we want to thank the many Atlas participants for impacting the future of bumble bee conservation.
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Summary of the Atlas (2019-2021):
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Effort by Grid Cell
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As of 2021, 68% of grid cells have been sufficiently surveyed (≥4 surveys per grid). Every grid cell has been surveyed at least once, except for NE_39.
Grids in the eastern third of Nebraska are the best surveyed (consistently high numbers of surveys that span the entire season). This is kind of pattern is seen in many community science projects—areas with larger human populations tend to yield more data, so we see more surveys, which often leads to more bumble bee observations. A goal of the Atlas is to reach more rural areas of the state to understand the bumble bee dynamics outside of our state's major cities. The northwest corner of the state (NE_79 and NE_80) was well surveyed in 2021 as part of a special search effort for the Western bumble bee. Maps display the number of surveys per grid cell (top) and the number of bee observations per grid cell (bottom). |
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Quest for the Western Bumble Bee
The Western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis) is one of Nebraska's Species of Greatest Conservation Need. This species has not been seen in Nebraska since 2001 and is experiencing sharp decline throughout much of its range. In early 2021, Xerces Society coordinated with Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the US Forest Service to plan an intentional effort to detect the Western bumble bee in Nebraska. A call to action was sent to Atlas volunteers to gather a group of folks willing to visit the Pein Ridge in northwestern Nebraska in July 2021. Within days, a group of eight people had been assembled that included Atlas volunteers and coordinators, and US Forest Service biologists. |
Western Bumble Bee (Bumble Bee Watch / J. Dammarell)
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Each member of this group took ownership of visiting last-known locations of the Western bumble bee in Dawes and Sioux counties. Surveyors visited these locations at equal intervals during July which, based off of historical records and general bumble bee biology, would be our best chance of detecting this species as colonies would likely be at peak size.
Over the five week period, the group conducted 52 surveys, equivalent to 25% of all surveys conducted in 2021, observed 629 individual bumble bees—22% of all bumble bees observed in 2021—and recorded 10 different species of bumble bees! The Central bumble bee (Bombus centralis), a western montane species that is uncommon in Nebraska, was recorded for the first time during the Atlas. Despite this extraordinary effort, the Western bumble bee was not detected.
However, the lack of detection is still valuable data for the state of Nebraska to make informed conservation decisions centered around the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project's at-risk species. In addition, the data will extend beyond our state border to assist the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in determining whether or not the Western bumble bee should be protected under the US Endangered Species Act. With the FWS review currently underway, the absence data collected by Atlas participants contributes to a modern understanding of the Western bumble bee, such as the current v. historic range, the severity of decline, and helps to identify areas of conservation priority.
Targeted monitoring efforts like this one are so valuable to the understanding of a species, including those at-risk of extinction and those that are stable. The more information we have, the deeper we are able to understand species' needs and are more equipped to shift our course of conservation action. Targeted monitoring efforts are the reason why scientists were able to detect that once-common bumble bees seemingly vanished over a short period of time. While the Western bumble bee was not detected in 2021, all hope is not lost. As more surveys are conducted in western Nebraska, our chances of detection increase while our knowledge gap of the Western bumble bee decreases. Thank you to the individuals who dedicated time and effort to search for the Western bumble bee.
Read the Western Bumble Bee's story.
Over the five week period, the group conducted 52 surveys, equivalent to 25% of all surveys conducted in 2021, observed 629 individual bumble bees—22% of all bumble bees observed in 2021—and recorded 10 different species of bumble bees! The Central bumble bee (Bombus centralis), a western montane species that is uncommon in Nebraska, was recorded for the first time during the Atlas. Despite this extraordinary effort, the Western bumble bee was not detected.
However, the lack of detection is still valuable data for the state of Nebraska to make informed conservation decisions centered around the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project's at-risk species. In addition, the data will extend beyond our state border to assist the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in determining whether or not the Western bumble bee should be protected under the US Endangered Species Act. With the FWS review currently underway, the absence data collected by Atlas participants contributes to a modern understanding of the Western bumble bee, such as the current v. historic range, the severity of decline, and helps to identify areas of conservation priority.
Targeted monitoring efforts like this one are so valuable to the understanding of a species, including those at-risk of extinction and those that are stable. The more information we have, the deeper we are able to understand species' needs and are more equipped to shift our course of conservation action. Targeted monitoring efforts are the reason why scientists were able to detect that once-common bumble bees seemingly vanished over a short period of time. While the Western bumble bee was not detected in 2021, all hope is not lost. As more surveys are conducted in western Nebraska, our chances of detection increase while our knowledge gap of the Western bumble bee decreases. Thank you to the individuals who dedicated time and effort to search for the Western bumble bee.
Read the Western Bumble Bee's story.
Bumble Bee Diversity
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This season alone, 2,765 observations were shared to Bumble Bee Watch, representing 13 different species. In total (2019-2021), the Atlas has recorded 5,700 bumble bee observations representing 13 species!
Of the 5,700 observations, 72% (4,081) include habitat data as they were recorded during a formal Atlas survey, while the remaining 28% were incidental observations. Xerces Society was able to verify 98% (5,600) of all bumble bee observations, which means that Atlas participants did a fantastic job taking high-quality photographs. The table displays the total count of each species observed in the Atlas by year, in order from most-to-least observed. |
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Species Detection Maps
Historically, there have been at least 20 bumble bee species observed in Nebraska with observations dating back to the early 1900s. Between 2019-2021, the Atlas was able to detect 13 species, and remarkably, log 88 new county records for the state of Nebraska (i.e. the first time a species has been recorded in a particular county)! The American bumble bee (B. pensylvanicus) is the only species that has been recorded in every county of Nebraska.
Each of the 20 bumble bee species is depicted in a map below, in order from most-to-least observed. The counties are shaded blue if the species was observed between 2019-2021, or dotted if the species was observed between 1900-2018. Explore your contributions by using the Bee List tool on Bumble Bee Watch.
Each of the 20 bumble bee species is depicted in a map below, in order from most-to-least observed. The counties are shaded blue if the species was observed between 2019-2021, or dotted if the species was observed between 1900-2018. Explore your contributions by using the Bee List tool on Bumble Bee Watch.
Species of Greatest Conservation Need
Nebraska has four Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): the Western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis), Southern Plains bumble bee (Bombus fraternus), Suckley’s cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus suckleyi), and Variable cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus variabilis). Of those, only the Southern Plains bumble bee has been detected so far.
The Southern Plains bumble bee was observed 15 times in 2019, 70 times in 2020, and 84 times in 2021 for a total of 169 records! Moreover, Atlas participants observed this species in 17 counties where it had not been observed prior to 2019, which is fantastic!
The Southern Plains bumble bee was observed 15 times in 2019, 70 times in 2020, and 84 times in 2021 for a total of 169 records! Moreover, Atlas participants observed this species in 17 counties where it had not been observed prior to 2019, which is fantastic!
Southern Plains bumble bee (Bumble Bee Watch/T. Kyster)
The map displays all observations of the Southern Plains bumble bee separated by collection date and shows where Atlas surveys were conducted.
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Flowering Plant Associations
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Native v. NonNative Plants
Of all bumble bee observations collected during the Atlas, 97% (5,523) were submitted with a floral host. This kind of information is so valuable for understanding which plants bumble bees utilize throughout various regions of Nebraska and throughout the seasons. As shown in the pie chart, 75% bumble bee visits were to native plants (102 genera), followed by 18% to nonnative plants (75 genera). Plants classified as "NA" were not submitted with enough information for us to classify it as native or nonnative (i.e. "Thistle" or "Salvia"). |
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Native Plant Genera
The graphic below depicts the native plants that were visited by at least 5 species of bumble bees. The plants are listed from left to right by most-to-least visited (orange bar), and the blue dot represents the number of bumble bee species that visited each plant. Mondara sp. (Beebalm) was the top-performing genus across the state, attracting the most bumble bee visits and the most species of bumble bees.
The graphic below depicts the native plants that were visited by at least 5 species of bumble bees. The plants are listed from left to right by most-to-least visited (orange bar), and the blue dot represents the number of bumble bee species that visited each plant. Mondara sp. (Beebalm) was the top-performing genus across the state, attracting the most bumble bee visits and the most species of bumble bees.
2022 Survey Season
Our primary focus for the upcoming season will be to visit grid cells that been surveyed less than 4 times, as well as "hot spot" grids where we expect a high diversity of bumble bee species. View 2022 map of priority grid cells.
Keep your eyes out in summer for new publications resulting from the Atlas!
Whether you are an experienced Atlas volunteer or jumping in for your first survey season, we are happy to have you participating in the fourth season of the Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas! This project would not be possible without the help of all of you. We invite you to stay connected with the project and other volunteers using Facebook (groups/nebumblebees) or Instagram (@nebumblebees)!
Keep your eyes out in summer for new publications resulting from the Atlas!
- A Guide to Nebraska's Bumble Bees: This identification guide will be a pocket-sized flip book covering the history of bumble bee surveys in Nebraska, bumble bee ecology, and profiles for each of the 20 species found in our state. Each species profile will be equipped with a species description, identification features, an occurrence map, photographs, and more! This guide is adapted from the Bumble Boosters flip book last published in 2002.
- Habitat Management for Bumble Bees in Nebraska: Maintaining the incredible diversity of bumble bee habitat in Nebraska is vital to the future of bumble bees in the Great Plains and depends on active management by landowners and managers. These guidelines provide general recommendations to do so.
Whether you are an experienced Atlas volunteer or jumping in for your first survey season, we are happy to have you participating in the fourth season of the Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas! This project would not be possible without the help of all of you. We invite you to stay connected with the project and other volunteers using Facebook (groups/nebumblebees) or Instagram (@nebumblebees)!
