Bumble bees of Kanawha County, WV, with statewide trends over the last century.

Abstract

The goal of our research is to assess the overall diversity of and to evaluate the presence and relative abundance of declining bumble bee species (e.g., Bombus affinis, B. pensylvanicus and B. terricola), in Kanawha County, WV. We collected bees locally from a variety of field sites to establish local population numbers and community structure. Additionally, to determine whether the community structure of bumble bees has changed over time, we compiled museum collection data to calculate community structure data from the last 95 years. Our local data indicated suggested that the bumble bee community of Kanawha County is dominated (~95% of total specimens collected) by three species (B. impatiens, B. bimaculatus and B. griseocollis); a pattern of diversity similar to that found in other regions of North America that have been similarly surveyed. Additionally, our data suggested very weak populations of bumble bees in the subgenera Thoracobombus and Bombus (sensu strictu). Our statewide data indicated that species of bees that are experiencing declines in other parts of North America are also declining in WV and that the bees that are replacing those declining species are predominantly those in the subgenera Pyrobombus and Cullumanobombus.

This study undoubtedly contributes to our understanding of the local diversity of these insects, but perhaps more importantly, it will provide valuable data regarding the decline of these pollinators and perhaps provide insights to the locations of refugia where otherwise declining species may occur in higher, sustainable densities.