This story was originally published on Atlas Obscura. It is part of the Climate Desk collaboration.Jessica Rykken is an entomologist at Denali National Park Preserve. "People don’t go to Alaska to see bumblebees. But they should." Although the Last Frontier state is known for its large wildlife (moose and bears), it also has a high number of bumblebees. This diversity powers entire ecosystems.According to Casey Burns, a wildlife biologist with the Bureau of Land Management Alaska, bringing in the next generation of plants that will provide habitat for caribou, moose, or other large herbivores and then the carnivores who depend on them is all tied to pollinators. They are, in my opinion, the most important wildlife group for ecological functions.Bumblebees, however, aren't the only native pollinators found in the most northern US state. Many other species of native bees are also important, as well as several species of butterfly species. Rykkenand explains that Alaska's bumblebees are unique in both numbers and diversity. While many species of bumblebees in the Lower 48 are on the decline, Alaskan Bombus members seem to be flourishing. Researchers and conservationists have embarked on an unprecedented effort in order to determine how many bees, including the bumbles, are living in their vast and unexplored state. Bumblebees are a key part of the first ever Alaskan bee atlas.Nearly 50 species of bumblebees have been documented in the United States. Four species are unique to Alaska. The bumbles are large-bodied and have thick, insulating hair. Rykken, on a Zoom call holds up a board with fat, furry, pinned specimens that is about the same size as her thumb. They also have other cold weather survival skills like twerking. Although bees can vibrate their wings to generate warmth without flying, they are particularly adept at this.Rykken says that they use their flight muscles to increase their body temperature by 30 degrees in just five minutes. This rapid heat rise allows them to fly even on snowy or cold days when other insects are stuck. While honeybees and other social bees will gather to keep their queen, brood and other members warm, bumblebees can live alone. Bombus queens can transfer heat from their flight muscles to their abdomen, keeping their eggs warm.According to Derek Sikes (entomologist and curator of the University of Alaska Museum's insect collection), they thermoregulate in a remarkable way. Sikes claims that bumblebees actually have warm blood: They produce heat, but it is not constant like in mammals. It is not from the sun, but it is internal.The Bombus species' natural life cycle fits well with Alaska's long winters, and short summers. The queen begins a long hibernation underground in August, which is when most frosts arrive. It emerges in spring and finds a nest spot. From there, it produces worker bees, including potential new queens. New queens will be able to find a place to rest during winter as they are successfully mated again in August. Rykken says that everyone else, the old queen, workers and malesdies, is included. Many other social bee species winter in large groups of thousands. However, the solo strategy of the bumblebees is less resource-intensive and more beneficial for their environment.
