The Fish and Wildlife Service will designate 1.5 million acres of critical habitat for the rusty patched bumblebee, offering protections to the insect that once inhabited large swaths of the eastern and midwestern U.S., according to a notice scheduled for publication Monday in the Federal Register .
The designations cover parts of Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, West Virginia and Virginia.
Having disappeared from 90 percent of its traditional habitat, the bumblebee primarily resides in the Upper Midwest and is afflicted by habitat loss, pesticides, parasites and climate change, the FWS says.
The designation — which will take effect at the end of June — means future development requiring federal funding or approvals will first have to consult with the FWS.
