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Survey Results
Arkansas's first ever bumblebee survey is now complete. Although the survey is not comprehensive in scope, it provides some very useful information about the status of Arkansas's bumblebees. The last time anyone took a look at the state's bumblebees was in 1965. For such important insects, they have not received the attention they deserve. The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission's Arkansas Bumblebee Survey was part of an overall effort to shine the spotlight on Arkansas biodiversity.
Bumblebees are critical plant pollinators. Other insects, such as butterflies, may accidentally pick up pollen while feeding, but bumblebee actively collect and move pollen thereby facilitating pollination The bumblebee is also more likely to feed on the same species, plant to plant, and therefore spread pollen more successfully than other insects that randomly feed on several plant species.
All surveys in 2006 were conducted in gardens; no surveys from natural sites were reported. A total of 32 garden surveys were completed in 2006. Most surveys took place in Pulaski County, followed by White County. As in 2005, data from the 2006 survey effort cited the two-spotted bumblebee (Bombus bimaculatus) and the impatient bumblebee (B. impatiens) as the most frequently observed species. Only a few long-tongued species were observed.
What clues does this information give us about bumblebee and plants in our landscape? Both the two-spotted bumblebee and the impatient bumblebee have short tongues which mean they are adapted to feed on plants with short floral tubes. Long-tongued bumblebees specialize on plants with long floral tubes such as foxglove or bee balm. These second year results suggest that resources for long-tongued bumblebees may be very limited in urban or surburban settings. Limited resources could explain their rarity in these landscapes. Similar patterns have been noted for long-tongued bumblebees in the United Kingdom.
Research regarding Arkansas's bumblebees does not stop here. The golden northern bumblebee (Bombus fervidus) will be added to the state's official list of species of conservation concern this fall. This bumblebee had not been observed in Arkansas for 90 years until it was rediscovered on two ANHC natural areas (Baker Prairie and Cherokee Prairie Natural Areas). Field surveys to locate other populations of the golden northern bumblebee are ongoing. Work will also continue on defining the ranges of Arkansas's other bumblebee species.
Materials for the survey are available online through the ANHC's website. Additional observations are always welcome. Even if the materials are not used for formal surveys, they are still available to anyone who wants to identify the bumblebees they meet. Results of the bumblebee survey were covered online by media outlets both within and outside of Arkansas, including ABC News and CBS News. Following this coverage, requests were received from as far away as California for bumblebee materials.
