Rusty patched bumble bee proposed for U.S. endangered species status
Sept 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday proposed listing the rusty patched bumble bee, a prized but vanishing pollinator once widely found in the upper Midwest and Northeastern United States, for federal protection as an endangered species.
One of numerous wild bee species facing sharply declining numbers, the rusty patched bumble bee is the first in the continental United States formally proposed for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, according to the Xerces Society, which petitioned for its protection. (Reporting by Laura Zuckerman in Salmon, Idaho; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Toni Reinhold)
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