This data is far from perfect as it was not obtained in any sort of systematic fashion; it is limited both geographically and time-wise (should be interpreted with a whole shaker of salt). But, hey, it’s all we have.

The mid-summer peak in males does coincide with what is being seen right now in terms of male American bumblebee observations. I just wonder if we will actually see a similar peak this fall.

I have printed an 11″x17″ poster featuring the nine bumblebee species known from Texas.  The posters are printed on a sturdy card stock.  The total cost for one poster is $4.00 which includes shipping costs. If you want more than one poster, additional copies are 75 cents each.

If you use PayPal, e-mail me at warriner.md@gmail.com and I can provide my PayPal ID. If you want to send a check you can mail it to:

Michael Warriner
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Wildlife Diversity Program
4200 Smith School Road
Austin, TX 78744

Be sure to include your preferred mailing address.

The Xerces Society has produced Conserving Bumble bees: Guidelines for Creating and Managing Habitat for America’s Declining Pollinators.

PDF copies are available for free download at The Xerces Society.

The Pollinator Partnership has also developed a poster of the Bumble Bees of the Eastern United States.  The poster depicts the 21 species that occur east of the Great Plains.  Posters are available for purchase from The Pollinator Partnership.

As European honeybees are a non-native species and potentially dangerous, I steered them toward native solitary bees. One way to help native bees in urban areas is to construct and erect bee nesting blocks. These blocks are used by native solitary bees. These bees do not live in colonies but rather lone female bees do all the work of establishing and provisioning nest sites for their larvae. They are also non-aggressive and do not defend their nest sites so these nesting blocks can be placed in urban and suburban yards with no worries of colony defending worker bees.

Typically, these solitary bees nest in holes in dead trees but those sorts of nest sites can be rare in urban situations. Native solitary bees, like leaf-cutter bees and mason bees, will readily take up residence in nesting blocks. A single female will provision a chamber with pollen and eggs, seal it, and then move on to the next chamber. She does not stick around to provide any additional care to her offspring, hence the lack of desire to defend that nest.

The benefit of placing these nesting blocks in your yard, especially if you are a home gardener, is that native solitary bees are typically much more efficient pollinators than honeybees. In some cases, just over 200 native bees can do the same level of pollination as a hive of honeybees containing over 10,000 workers. Plus, they are safer to have around. Now is the perfect time to build and erect your own bee nesting block.

For details on how to make bee nesting blocks see The Xerces Society’s Nests for Native Bees Fact Sheet

I moved to Texas in 2009 and am now the Invertebrate Biologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.  The bumblebees of Texas were last reviewed in 1913, nearly 100 years ago.  Given robust evidence of bumblebee declines in portions of North America, I think its important to examine how these insects are doing in Texas, especially given their significant economic contributions to agriculture and critical roles in maintaining native ecosystems.