Historically, an incomplete picture of the habitat needs and status of bumble bees has been a barrier to effective conservation and land management. To address this need, the Pacific Northwest Bumble Bee Atlas (PNWBBA) was launched in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington in 2018. This large-scale, three-year effort was specifically directed toward understanding bumble bee populations, their habitat needs, and the efficacy of various habitat management actions, with the goal of significantly improving the effectiveness of bumble bee conservation efforts. This document contains specific lessons learned from the PNWBBA project as well as a synthesis of our understanding of general bumble bee needs and a list of best practices for creating and managing habitat effectively for bumble bees.

Authors: Rich Hatfield, Kurt Merg, and Joel Sauder