Dr. Sam Droege

Everyone has heard about bee declines, but with so much attention focused on domesticated honeybees, someone has to speak up for the 4,000 species of native bees in North America. Natural history photographer Clay Bolt is on a multi-year quest to tell the stories of our native bees, and one elusive species – the Rusty-patched Bumble Bee – has become his white whale. Traveling from state to state in search of the Rusty-patched, he meets the scientists and conservationists working tirelessly to preserve it. Clay’s journey finally brings him to Wisconsin, where he comes face to face with his quarry and discovers an answer to the question that has been nagging him: why save a species?

There are over 4,000 species of native bees in North America, many of which are in decline due to factors such as urbanization and habitat destruction. Their plight is overshadowed by the invasive but agriculturally significant honeybees. “Save the Bee” campaigns have grown in popularity, but they focus on domesticated honeybees, while the native bees, so critical to our ecosystems are lacking conservation attention. This film explores the tension between efforts to save native bees and their habitat and our dependence on the invasive honeybees.