--- description: For the first time, a bumble bee species has been listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service title: This Bumble Bee Species Is in Danger of Disappearing Forever image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Science](/section/science/) ## Science Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [animals](/tag/animals/) ## animals Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # This Bumble Bee Species Is in Danger of Disappearing Forever by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 11, 2017 7:07 PM CUT by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 11, 2017 7:07 PM CUT For the first time, a [bumble bee](http://time.com/4518064/hawaii-bees-added-endangered-species-list/ "undefined") species has been listed as [endangered](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/01/10/this-bumble-bee-was-everywhere-now-its-on-the-endangered-species-list/?utm%5Fterm=.69e45ce0f757 "undefined") by the U.S. [Fish and Wildlife Service](https://www.fws.gov/endangered/ "undefined"). The rusty patched bumble bee used to be pervasive in the American Midwest, but now experts say it is extremely difficult to find. The designation will help protect the rusty patched bumble bees’ habitat in addition to raising awareness. Bumble bees play an important role as pollinators, and the decimation of their population could have grave repercussions throughout the ecosystem. “This bee is kind of like the canary in the coal mine,” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Tamara Smith told the Washington _Post_. Its declining numbers could spell bad news for other species of bees and butterflies. > [](https://twitter.com/USFWSNews/status/818863160945938433) \[[_Washington Post_](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/01/10/this-bumble-bee-was-everywhere-now-its-on-the-endangered-species-list/?utm%5Fterm=.69e45ce0f757 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4631806/rusty-patched-bumble-bee-endangered/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4631806/rusty-patched-bumble-bee-endangered/"},"headline":"This Bumble Bee Species Is in Danger of Disappearing Forever","datePublished":"2017-01-11T19:07:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T02:40:34.315Z","description":"The rusty patched bumble bee could go extinct","url":"https://time.com/4631806/rusty-patched-bumble-bee-endangered/","keywords":["animals","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Begley","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/animals/","name":"animals"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4631806/rusty-patched-bumble-bee-endangered/","name":"This Bumble Bee Species Is in Danger of Disappearing Forever"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Honey May Be a Natural Way to Beat Bacteria","description":"In a lab, anyway","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/W31iXlE4/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-09-28T17:21:51.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/W31iXlE4.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4631806/rusty-patched-bumble-bee-endangered/","duration":"PT55S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4631806/rusty-patched-bumble-bee-endangered/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```