Evaluating wild bumble bee colony performance across urban and rural landscapes

Urbanization and agricultural intensification have driven significant changes in land use globally, impacting numerous species including insect pollinators. Bumble bees (Bombus species), which play important ecological and economic roles, have suffered notable population declines during recent decades. Although habitat loss is a known factor in these declines, variability in bumble bee reproductive success among different land use types remains poorly understood. Here, we examine how landscape context influences wild bumble bee survival, reproductive success, and colony performance. We placed colonies reared from wild-caught queens of Bombus huntii and Bombus griseocollis at sites along an urban-to-rural gradient in Fort Collins, Colorado during the summer of 2024. Throughout the season, we monitored their performance by tracking colony weight and the number of workers, males, and gynes produced. We present preliminary findings to inform conservation strategies for bumble bees in both urban and rural environments in Colorado.