US lists first bumble bee species as endangered

Rusty patched bumble bee population plunged nearly 90% since the late 1990sThe rusty patched bumble bee, a prized but vanishing pollinator once familiar to much of North America, was listed on Tuesday as an endangered species, becoming the first wild bee in the continental United States to gain such federal protection.One of several species facing sharp declines, the bumble bee known to scientists as Bombus affinis has plunged nearly 90% in abundance and distribution since the late 1990s, accord