Poster Display
Plant-Insect Ecosystems
Sharron Z. Miller
Graduate Student
Michigan State University
Lansing, Michigan
Lillyanna Widdicombe
Research technician
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan
Logan Rowe
Michigan State University
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Rufus Isaacs
Professor and Extension Specialist
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan
The American bumble bee, Bombus pensylvanicus (Hymenoptera: Apidae), is currently listed as state endangered in Michigan and there is concern about its status nationally. The current report provides an update on the distribution of B. pensylvanicus in Michigan from collections made between 2020 and 2023, including reports from at least 19 locations in 16 counties across the southern peninsula, expanding the known distribution in Michigan. These samples were from 5 monitoring programs, including community science, and we discuss the relative benefits of different sampling approaches for detecting rare bumble bee species. We provide information regarding the timing, location, and host plant associations of the new records of this bumble bee species and provide recommendations for B. pensylvanicus research to support this endangered species in Michigan.