Reuters: Return of long-absent bumblebee near Seattle stirs scientific buzz

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/19/usa-bumblebee-western-idUSL1N0FM02320130719

[font face=Serif][font size=5]Return of long-absent bumblebee near Seattle stirs scientific buzz[/font]

By Jonathan Kaminsky
OLYMPIA, Wash., July 19 | Fri Jul 19, 2013 7:59am EDT

[font size=4](Reuters) - A North American bumblebee species that all but vanished from about half of its natural range has re-emerged in Washington state, delighting scientists who voiced optimism the insect might eventually make a recovery in the Pacific Northwest.[/font]

[font size=3]Entomologists and bee enthusiasts in recent weeks have photographed several specimens of the long-absent western bumblebee - known to scientists as Bombus occidentalis - buzzing among flower blossoms in a suburban park north of Seattle.

"It's a pretty big deal," said Rich Hatfield, a biologist for the Oregon-based Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, which documents and reports such findings.

"It gives us hope that we can do some conservation work, and perhaps the species has a chance at repopulating its range," he told Reuters this week.

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[pscot]

1. My rhododendrons attract bumblebees in large numbers

every spring, but there are more than a dozen species found around here, so they may not be occidentalis.