The decline of native bumblebees

[satyrlovesong]

It looks like the Franklin's bumblebee has gone extinct in the last five years with no one noticing.

http://www.davisenterprise.com/articles/2007/10/08/news/090new1.txt

Comments

[ribbin]

You know, it's true. I haven't seen a bumblebee in years! Granted, I no longer live in the rural and agricultural areas I used to live in, but even in Davis I've seen a few, but none recently.

[emilia_romagna]

i see bumblebees all the time crawling on the lavender at the amtrak station...

[emilia_romagna]

another thing to remember is that hive collapse disease has been going on since as early (if i remember correctly) as the 1970's, and many of the bee keepers i've read about (or read the blog of, like birdchick.com) say that the problem isn't quite as bad as the media likes to show it, but there is concern. i've planted some plants that are bee friendly, and plan to put in more to attract more bees. not much, i know, but providing just that much more for them to eat on an individual basis can't hurt.

[satyrlovesong]

So what are bee friendly plants?

[emilia_romagna]

according to redwood barn nursery, borrage, rosemary, kitchen herbs, and mustard. planting kitchen herbs and such also has the added benefit of providing free fresh herbs for cooking.

http://www.redwoodbarn.com/beneficialshandout.html

they have a *ton* of articles about all sorts of things, and i've been using them extensively when planning my garden. very helpful.

[whalejudge]

That, unfortunately, is going to be fairly common with small species, especially insects.

[brian1789]

Ow. That's a disaster... although I've seen bumblebees around here last spring.