The American Bumblebee – a species once more commonly seen buzzing around Southern Ontario – is critically endangered, according to a new study led by York University.
The American Bumblebee – a species once more commonly seen buzzing around Southern Ontario – is critically endangered, according to a new study led by York University.
The finding, published in Journal of Insect Conservation, found the native North American species, Bombus pensylvanicus, is facing imminent extinction from Canada, considered the highest and most at-risk classification before extinction. Many bumblebee species are rapidly declining across North America, but are important pollinators needed to grow Canada’s crops including apples, tomatoes, blueberries and legumes, as well as countless types of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers.
The researchers assessed the extinction risk of the American Bumblebee, ranking the risk much higher than a federal advisory committee’s most recent assessment which classifies the species’ extinction risk at special concern.
Read more at York University
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