Washington Bee Atlas finds 17 new state bee records; rediscovers 12 species last recorded in the state as long as 144 years ago

More trained volunteers, land access needed

OLYMPIA – After wrapping up its second full year, the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s (WSDA) Washington Bee Atlas (WABA) has collected and identified records of nearly 30 new or rare bee species in the state. Seventeen species were new state records* — meaning they are the first known records of finding the bee in Washington. WABA also found 12 species which had not been recorded in the state for at least 50 years, one of which was most recently recorded in the state in 1882.

WABA volunteers collected the new and rare bee species from 2023–2025. Volunteers submit their bees to WSDA’s Pollinator Program for identification at the end of each season, but the identification process can take months to years, depending on how rare the bee is and how difficult it is to identify. 

Why it matters

Understanding which native bee species are in Washington and how they are faring over time is important not only for scientific research and conservation, but also for the region’s food security. 

Reliance on honey bees alone puts food supplies in a precarious position as honey bees face increasing challenges. Additionally, honey bees will not pollinate certain crops, such as legumes, and crops receive better pollination and show improved fruit set when native pollinators are present. Supporting native bees helps ensure that crops will be pollinated even if honey bee populations decline. 

WABA’s effort to document the state’s native bees and their host plants will provide data necessary to conserve and help these essential pollinators thrive. The data collected will also inform plans to develop ecoregion-specific plant lists and seed mix recommendations.

New state records

WABA collected the following state record bees, which had never been recorded in Washington before. Some species were discovered in multiple counties. (Photos at end of press release.)

• Andrena vulpicolor – Grant County
• Calliopsis scitula – Douglas and Grant counties
• Coelioxys alternatus – Grant and Yakima counties
• Coelioxys apacheorum – Benton, Clark and Kittitas counties
• Coelioxys banksi – Clallam, Clark and Grant counties
• Coelioxys deani – Clark County
• Dufourea scabricornis – Stevens County
• Eucera acerba – Chelan County
• Lasioglossum obnubilum – Kittitas County
• Lasioglossum pavoninum – Clallam County
• Melissodes lustrus – Yakima County
• Perdita claypolei – Chelan, Kittitas and Yakima counties
• Perdita fallax – Stevens County
• Perdita nuda – Douglas County
• Pseudoanthidium nanum – Clark County
• Sphecodes pecosensis – Clallam, Clark, Garfield, Thurston and Yakima counties
• Stelis carnifex – Kittitas and Yakima counties 

Rare bees 

WABA collected the following rare bees, which had last been recorded in Washington before 1970. (Photos at end of press release.)

• Andrena commoda – Columbia and Yakima counties. Last recorded: 1969
• Anthidium formosum – Chelan, Grant and Yakima counties. Last recorded: 1882
• Anthophora edwardsii – Chelan, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Whitman and Yakima counties. Last recorded: 1937
• Calliopsis scutellaris – Douglas and Grant counties. Last recorded: 1920
• Calliopsis xenus – Kittitas County. Last recorded: 1949
• Ceratina sequoiae – Chelan and Walla Walla counties. Last recorded: 1919
• Ceratina micheneri – Clark and Klickitat counties. Last recorded: 1945
• Diadasia ochracea – Yakima County. Last recorded: 1903
• Heriades occidentalis – Columbia, Grant and Okanogan counties. Last recorded: 1920
• Hylaeus verticalis – Spokane County. Last recorded: 1934
• Lasioglossum leucozonium – Grant County. Last recorded: 1906
• Megachile wheeleri – Chelan, Kittitas, and Yakima counties. Last recorded: 1936  

The discovery of the new and rare bees was revealed at the annual Master Melittologist Conference in Corvallis, OR on March 14. The announcement comes just months after WABA announced 24 new and rare bee species last July. The Washington Bee Atlas is discovering large numbers of new and rare bees because it is the first statewide effort to sample for them since the early 1900s, and most areas of the state are significantly undersampled.

Partnering for success

Still in its infancy after having started in 2023 and only completing its first full field season in 2024, the Washington Bee Atlas has experienced dramatic expansion and success thanks to state funding for the program, close partnerships with Oregon State University (OSU) and Washington State University (WSU), and due to the program’s rapidly growing number of enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers. 

“Oregon State University built the framework for what a Bee Atlas can look like. Their training and data systems allowed us to get off the ground running here in Washington,” Karen Wright, WSDA’s pollinator taxonomist, said. 

At the conference, WABA awarded Washington State University’s M.T. James Entomological Collection its Partner Recognition Award. “WSU’s collection and the entomology staff have been critical for the Washington Bee Atlas. The specimens they maintain for the community provide not only a historic record of bees and other insects, but we couldn’t identify many of the bees we are finding today without the collection and world-class taxonomists at WSU,” Wright said.

The public has also shown extensive support for the project. So far, over 150 volunteers have completed the WABA training, collected, and submitted bees for identification. 

Land access crucial for documenting bees

WABA volunteers may only collect on property where the landowner has given the program permission to do so. Numerous public and private landowners have granted volunteers this permission. The new and rare bees announced this month were found on land owned by the following entities: 

• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
• Washington Department of Natural Resources
• Cowiche Canyon Conservancy 
• U.S. Bureau of Land Management
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Washington State Parks
• U.S. Forest Service (USDA)
• Benton County Parks
• Clark Public Utilities
• Clark College
• City of Vancouver
• Washington State Department of Transportation
• Clallam County Parks
• National Park Service
• Other private land owners

“Without access to land, we wouldn’t be able to complete our mission of documenting Washington’s bees. We are grateful to everyone who has granted us the ability to collect on their land,” Wright said. 

State, county and city landowners who would like to permit WABA volunteers to survey for native bees on their property can email pollinators@agr.wa.gov for more information. 

Bee-lovers wanted 

The Washington Bee Atlas is seeking volunteers to continue to grow the program and document Washington’s native bees and their host plants. 

“These discoveries are really just the tip of the iceberg,” Wright said. “Washington is a large state, and it is going to take many people and lots of time to really sample the entire state throughout the seasons. This will establish a baseline for how native bees are doing in our state. If you care about pollinators and pollination, this is an exciting time to join the program, as bees are understudied in Washington. There are lots of opportunities to discover or rediscover bees.” 

Volunteers undergo training through OSU’s Master Melittologist Program. The program is similar to the Master Gardener Program, but the focus is on native bees. Because most bees cannot be identified to species from photos, volunteers learn to capture, preserve, and pin museum-quality specimens and document their host plants. They receive all the training and supplies they need to collect and pin the bees.

Those who do not want to collect bees but who are interested in learning more about and supporting native bees can visit WSDA’s native bees webpage and the Washington Native Bee Society. 

* The new and rare bee records are determined by reviewing scientifically-verified and databased collection records at the time that WABA identified the specimens. 

Some specimens were collected under a cooperative agreement between Oregon State University and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for inventory and monitoring of bees on National Wildlife Refuges in the Pacific Northwest.

View photos of new the new and rare bees listed above here.

Press release published in partnership with the Washington State Department of Agriculture.