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To bee or not to bee on Mount Ashland Dr. Robbin Thorp displays a collection of bee specimens. Submitted photo Wednesday Dec 21, 2016 at 8:58 PM Dec 22, 2016 at 1:37 PM By Kristina Lefever Dr. Robbin Thorp is somewhat of a celebrity in certain circles in Ashland and Southern Oregon. A retired entomologist from University of California Davis, 85-year-old Dr. Thorp has given numerous talks and workshops and led countless field surveys in our area. I had the opportunity to participate in one of Dr. Thorp’s surveys this past June. I, along with 15 or so others (all much more qualified than me!), were there the first day, a beautiful sunny day on the slopes of Mt. Ashland. Native wildflowers were in bloom, and it was just a good day "to bee" alive. And each of us were hoping to be the one to find the missing bee. Specifically, the now-feared-to-be extinct Franklin's bumble bee. This three-day "bumble bee blitz" was organized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the hopes of finding two rare bees. Although common throughout the Western United States, the Western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis) had not been seen in our area since 2010. The Franklin’s (Bombus franklini) range is (was?) only in southwest Oregon and northern California, and not one bee has not been seen since 2006. The outcome after the three days of searching on Mount Ashland, Hobart Bluff and Grizzly Peak was both good and bad. Two Westerns were found on the last day of the survey, but no Franklin's was to be found. This month, CNN published a story and video (http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/11/us/vanishing-sutter-franklins-bumblebee/index.html) about Dr. Thorp on another one of his forays on Mount Ashland. The reporter, John D. Sutter, became quite enthralled with the "old man" and his quest. I hope Dr. Thorp has not seen the last of the Franklin's. Or the Western, for that matter. So with at least one probable extinction right in our own backyard, we need to "bee thinking" — what can we do to support the pollinators still with us? Here are some actions that will make a difference: • Plant more pollinator habitat — preferably native plants with bloom times all year long. Our bioregion is blessed with an abundance of "bee-autiful" native trees, shrubs, and flowers, many of them drought tolerant and deer resistant. Many nurseries have expanded their selections of native and non-native "pollinator-friendly" plants. • Verify the plants have not been treated with imidacloprid or one of the other six neonicotinoids (systemic pesticides that can remain in a plant's or tree’s pollen or nectar for a year or more and have been implicated in the decline of all pollinators). • Stop using all synthetic pesticides (insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides) in your yard and garden. There are alternatives, and creating a safe place for predatory insects, birds, and amphibians is part of the pesticide-free solution. If you must treat a pest problem, please consider time of day, wind and other factors. • Remember that native and bumble bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects are in our yards and gardens all year long. Their eggs and pupae overwinter in and on plant stalks and stems, under and in leaf litter, and in the ground. Leaving garden cleanup till spring is an easy way to grow more pollinators. And the next time you are outside on a sunny summer day, pause for a moment, close your eyes, think about the slopes of Mount Ashland, and wonder — is there a Franklin's bumble bee buzzing around up there? Kristina Lefever is a member of Pollinator Project Rogue Valley and Bee City USA Ashland.