Franklin's Bumblebee

Bombus franklini

When we hear about endangered creatures, the most prominent species in the spotlight tend to be bird, mammals, and other large vertebrates. But there are certainly endangered invertebrates as well, and the Franklin's Bumblebee is one of them.

No one has actually seen one of these bees since 2006, when a survey turned up only one worker. They live in a very small range between Oregon and California, and actually have the smallest range of any Bumblebee in the world.

The decline for Franklin's Bumblebee has been swift. They were still abundant back in the 1990s, but pesticides, habitat loss, and the introduction of new diseases have been devastating. It is very possible that they are already extinct.

The Franklin's Bumblebee is not the only Bee in danger though. Colony Collapse Disorder has led to a 96% decline in Honey Bees across the United States. The spread of infected, commercially raised Bees is thought to be a major contributor to this catastrophe. Unfortunately, the Franklin's Bumblebee, due to its tiny range, may not have survived this huge drop, and could be gone forever.

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IUCN Status : Critically Endangered
Location : United States

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Hymenoptera
Family : Apidae -- Genus : Bombus -- Species : B. franklini

Image : Thorp

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Stingless Bee

Trigona carbonaria

Did you know that there are Stingless Bees out there? How awesome! Bee stings stink! ...Though the name is a little bit misleading, as these 500 or so species are not the only bees out there with reduced stingers.

Stingless Bees can be found in Tropical and Subtropical regions around the world, like in Australia, Africa, and Southeast Asia. They belong to the Tribe Meliponini, and are active year round due to their warm environment.

Stingless bees actually do have stingers, but they are reduced to the point that they can't really be used effectively for defense.

Even though they lack stingers, these Bees still are able to perform the same pollinating and honey producing functions as their stinging cousins. They also have the benefit of not being susceptible to many of the parasites and diseases that stinging bees have. And did you know that Mayans kept Stingless Bees for honey production for thousands of years?

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Location : Tropical and Subtropical Areas
Size : Varies

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Hymenoptera
Superfamily : Apoidea -- Family : Apidae -- Subfamily : Apinae -- Tribe : Meliponini

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