WASHINGTON — The Washington Bee Atlas has made significant progress in documenting the state’s native bees, discovering numerous state records and rare species in its first year.
Volunteers with the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s Washington Bee Atlas collected over 17,000 bee specimens from more than 600 different host plants in 2024.
These efforts have led to the identification of several state records, including bees that had not been recorded in Washington since 1917 and species never before found in Western Washington.
Eight of the new state records were discovered in Chelan County as part of a graduate research project conducted by University of Washington student and Washington Bee Atlas volunteer Autumn Maust.
The Washington Bee Atlas aims to find and document Washington’s native bees to better understand which species are thriving and which may require conservation support.
This initiative is crucial for preserving the biodiversity of the region’s ecosystems.
While many of the collected bees have yet to be identified, the discoveries made so far highlight the diversity of bee species in Washington. The findings include 15 species that had never been collected in the state before, showcasing the potential for further significant discoveries as the project continues.
The new or rare species the volunteers have found so far include:
- Anthophora crotchii – a charismatic and rare digger bee previously only known from a small population near the Tri-Cities – collected in both Kittitas and Grant counties.
- Ashmeadiella sculleni – a state record collected in Yakima and Grant counties.
- Atoposmia abjecta abjecta – a state record collected in Chelan County.
- Biastes fulviventris – a state record and rare kleptoparasitic bee – meaning it sneaks into the nests of other bees to lay its eggs – with two forks on its abdomen, collected in Chelan, Kittitas and Okanogan counties.
- Calliopsis personata – a rare mining bee collected in Grant County.
- Coelioxys funerarius – a state record of a kleptoparasitic bee collected in Chelan County.
- Diadasia australis – a state record collected in Yakima County.
- Diadasia nitidifrons – a rare specialist on globemallow, collected in Yakima County. This bee was last documented in Washington in 1919. The possibility remains that this could also be an undescribed species.
- Dianthidium cressoni – a state record collected in Chelan County.
- Dianthidium singulare – a state record collected in Chelan County.
- Dioxys aurifuscus – a state record* collected in Grant County.
- Dufourea dilatipes – a state record collected in Chelan and Douglas counties.
- Eucera mohavensis – a state record collected in Grant County.
- Melissodes dagosus – a rare and unusual sunflower specialist collected in Grant and Kittitas counties. This species was last documented in the state in 1973.
- Melissodes nigracauda – a state record* collected in Chelan County and a vast range extension. The next closest records of this species are in California.
- Melissodes saponellus – a rare bee collected in Grant County.
- Osmia cara – a rare mason bee collected in Okanogan County.
- Osmia cyaneonitans – a state record collected in Chelan County.
- Osmia rawlinsi – a rare mason bee collected in Yakima and Grant counties.
- Osmia trifoliama – a rare mason bee collected in Thurston County.
- Osmia vandykei – a rare mason bee with clubbed antennae collected in Grant and Kittitas counties.
- Panurginus ineptus – a rare bee collected in Chelan County.
- Stelis heronae – a state record collected in Chelan County.
- Stelis laticincta – a rare bee collected in Clark County.
- Stelis subcaerulea – a rare bee collected in Pierce and Yakima counties. This is the first record of this species in Western Washington.
- Xylocopa virginica – a very large carpenter bee and state record* collected in Benton County.
The Washington Bee Atlas’s discoveries underscore the importance of ongoing research and conservation efforts to protect native bee populations in Washington. With continued volunteer support, the project is poised to make even more impactful contributions to understanding and preserving the state’s biodiversity.
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