Between urbanization encroaching on their habitat and pesticides that alter their behavior, bumblebees have had a hard go of late, which is why scientists are intrigued by the sudden return of a North American species that all but vanished from roughly half of its natural range.
Spotted for the first time in over a decade just last year, the Bombus occidentalis, or western bumblebee, is beginning to pop up among flower beds in a park north of Seattle, indicating that the insect may be making a recovery.
"It's a pretty big deal," Rich Hatfield, a biologist for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, told Reuters. "It gives us hope that we can do some conservation work, and perhaps the species has a chance at repopulating its range."
Hatfield's optimism is a cautious one, however, since the handful of sightings don't necessarily prove that the creature has returned in force or is destined for survival.
Still, as self-described "bee nerd," Will Peterman told the news outlet that scientists are "almost giddy" about the new development.
Easily identified via a white stripe around their rump, the western bumble was once common throughout the western United States and Canada. Bee biologists first began noticing a steep decline in the abundance of both it and other bumblebee species in the late 1990s, however, and until recently mourned it as all but gone from the region stretching from southern British Columbia to central California.
As a key pollinator of greenhouse tomatoes and cranberries, in the past they have also contributed to the success of plants such as alfalfa, avocado, apples, cherries, blackberries and blueberries.
Anyone who believes they may have information on the critter is asked to contact the Xerces Foundation at rich@xerces.org.