Decline of Franklin's Bumble Bee Not Due to Pathogens (IMAGE)

University of California - Davis

Decline of Franklin's Bumble Bee Not Due to Pathogens

Caption

A specimen of Franklin's bumblebee photographed by Robin Thorp. The rare bee, now thought to be extinct, was limited to a few counties in northern California and southern Oregon. A study of DNA from museum specimens shows that the bee's decline was likely due to population bottlenecks compounded by environmental factors rather than diseases. 

Credit

Robin Thorp, UC Davis

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