Bee not seen in the St. Louis Region in more than a century photographed in Belleville, Ill.
The bee world is suddenly abuzz with excitement following a Belleville, Ill., resident’s unique find.
According to a release by Webster University in St. Louis, Ned Siegel, a volunteer for the Shutterbee Citizen Science Project, captured a photograph of the rare Lemon Cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus citrinus) in his home garden. This created a wave of excitement among biologists worldwide because the Lemon Cuckoo is primarily found in the Northeast United States. Historical records indicate that the last time a Lemon Cuckoo was positively identified in the St. Louis Region may have been before the Civil War.
