image

Rusty-patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis) queen. This endangered bumblebee is endemic to North America. A queen establishes a new colony in the spring after hibernating through the winter. She lays eggs, fertilised with sperm stored from the previous year, and raises the first female worker bees. When mature the workers collect food and care for the young that the queen continues to produce. The rusty-patched bumblebee has become endangered due to habitat loss, pesticide use and the spread of pests and diseases. This specimen was collected in 1965 in Racine, Wisconsin, USA. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)