David S. Pilliod
Stephen Frank Spear
Matthew B B. Laramie
Akhil Kholwadwala
Amanda Jean Boone
Yer Lor
Marissa Kaminski
Jeffrey G. Everett
Michaela Ray Grossklaus
2026
<p><span>Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling is a noninvasive alternative to conventional methods of surveying insects that may be particularly useful for detecting pollinators. We developed a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay to detect the DNA of Franklin’s bumble bee (</span><i>Bombus franklini</i><span>) from flower samples and conducted an initial test of the assay using samples collected within and around the historical range of the species. We further analyzed all samples using metabarcoding. Our qPCR assay successfully amplified </span><i>B. franklini</i><span> DNA and exhibited no cross-reactivity with nontarget bumble bee DNA during in silico and in vitro testing. We did not detect </span><i>B. franklini</i><span> DNA from field-collected flower samples using either qPCR or metabarcoding. However, metabarcoding analysis revealed DNA of at least 16 other bumble bee species. This finding underscores the potential utility of eDNA sampling for surveying bumble bees. Nondetection of </span><i>B. franklini</i><span> from field-collected flower samples may be due to the extreme rarity of the species; </span><i>B. franklini</i><span> is endangered and has not been observed in the wild since 2006. Our </span><i>B. franklini</i><span> assay is among the first bee-specific qPCR assays ever developed and provides proof of concept for additional assays that may improve detection rates of rare and endangered bees.</span></p>
application/pdf
10.1139/gen-2025-0006
en
Canadian Science Publishing
Detecting bumble bees in the wild using environmental DNA: Development and validation of a qPCR assay for the endangered Franklin’s bumble bee (Bombus franklini)
article