Conserving Bumble Bee (Bombus) Biodiversity in the Appalachian Region: Techniques for Non-lethal Bumble Bee-Monitoring Surveys in the Appalachian Range of Rusty Patched Bumble Bee (B. affinis)

Mark J. Hepner*

*Metamorphic Ecological Research and Consulting, LLC, Alonzaville, VA 22644.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 31, Issue 1 (2024): 35–46

First published early online: 16 February 2024

Abstract
The current status and distributional uncertainties of some Bombus (bumble bee) species across North America has driven the need for monitoring. The central Appalachian Mountain region has historic and recent records of the endangered Bombus affinis (Rusty Patched Bumble Bee), but the species’ distribution within the region is unknown. To address the lack of knowledge on distribution of bumble bee species within the region, specifically Rusty Patched Bumble Bee, I randomly generated a network of 70 roadside transects and conducted 764 ten-minute non-lethal surveys. These surveys recorded 11 out of 14 species, including Rusty Patched Bumble Bee, thereby validating that 10-minute surveys using non-lethal techniques at randomly generated roadside locations can document the bumble bee community of the region.

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