Michigan Bumble Bees
Multiple species of Bumble bees are in decline across Michigan, prompting appropriate conservation actions at the State and Federal Level. In 2016, Bombus terricola (Yellow Banded Bumble Bee) was listed in the USFW Service 7-year National Listing workplan, and in 2017 B. affinis (Rusty Patched Bumble Bee) was added to the Endangered Species list. Both species are listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in the Michigan Wildlife Action Plan. MNFI is actively engaged in the long-term monitoring of at-risk bumble bee species in Michigan in an effort to understand and describe range shifts, and aide in the conservation efforts for these species.
Explore Michigan Bumble Bees
MNFI manages a statewide long-term data set of bumble bee occurrences across Michigan. The data shown here include historic and current observations from museum, academic, personal, and citizen science sources. Over 12,000 bumble bee records are included in the interactive map.
Our database is ever-growing. All data is available for use and can be obtained for research or general purposes. If you have bumble bee data and would like to share in this collaborative effort, please contact Logan Rowe at Roweloga@msu.edu.
For more information, please read our recent report titled: Assessing Bumble Bee Diversity, Distribution, and Status for the Michigan Wildlife Action Plan.
Get Involved - Michigan Bumble Bee Atlas
The Michigan Bumble Bee Atlas is a community science project led by Michigan Natural Features Inventory to train community scientists to engage in the collection of valuable bumble bee data on species presence and habitat associations.
Michigan's Listed Bumble Bees
Michigan's Bumble Bees
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Global Rank | State Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bombus affinis | Rusty-patched bumble bee | G2 | SH |
| Bombus auricomus | Black-and-gold Bumble Bee | G4G5 | S2 |
| Bombus bimaculatus | Two-spotted Bumble Bee | G5 | S4 |
| Bombus ashtoni | Gypsy Cuckoo Bumble Bee | G3G5 | SH |
| Bombus borealis | Northern Amber Bumble Bee | G4G5 | S3 |
| Bombus citrinus | Lemon Cuckoo Bumble Bee | G4 | S3 |
| Bombus fervidus | Yellow bumble bee | G3G4 | S3 |
| Bombus fernaldae | Fernald's Cuckoo Bumble Bee | G5? | SH |
| Bombus fraternus | Southern Plains Bumble Bee | G2G4 | SH? |
| Bombus frigidus | Frigid Bumble Bee | G5 | SH? |
| Bombus griseocollis | Brown-belted Bumble Bee | G5 | S5 |
| Bombus impatiens | Common Eastern Bumble Bee | G5 | S5 |
| Bombus insularis | Indiscriminate Cuckoo Bumble Bee | G3 | SH |
| Bombus pensylvanicus | American bumble bee | G3G4 | S1 |
| Bombus perplexus | Confusing Bumble Bee | G5 | S3S4 |
| Bombus rufocinctus | Red-belted Bumble Bee | G4G5 | S3S4 |
| Bombus sandersoni | Sanderson's Bumble Bee | G4G5 | S2S3 |
| Bombus ternarius | Tri-colored Bumble Bee | G5 | S4 |
| Bombus terricola | Yellow banded bumble bee | G3G4 | S2S3 |
| Bombus vagans | Half-black Bumble Bee | G4 | S4 |