First bumble bee protected
under the Endangered Species Act
Just
20 years ago, the rusty patched bumble bee was a common sight, so ordinary that
it went almost unnoticed as it moved from flower to flower, collecting nectar
and pollen. But the species, now balancing precariously on the brink of
extinction, has become the first-ever bumble bee in the United States -- and
the first bee of any kind in the contiguous 48 states -- to be declared
endangered.
The
endangered designation is made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the
Endangered Species Act for species that are in danger of becoming extinct
throughout all or a portion of their range. Service Midwest Regional Director
Tom Melius said, “Our top priority is to act quickly to prevent extinction of
the rusty patched bumble bee. Listing the bee as endangered will help us
mobilize partners and focus resources on finding ways right now to stop the
decline.”
Once common and abundant across 28 states from Connecticut to South Dakota, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces, the rusty patched bumble bee has experienced a swift and dramatic decline since the late 1990s. Abundance of the rusty patched bumble bee has plummeted by 87 percent, leaving small, scattered populations in 13 states and one province.
“The
rusty patched bumble bee is among a group of pollinators – including the
monarch butterfly – experiencing serious declines across the country,” Melius
said. “Why is this important? Pollinators are small but mighty parts of the
natural mechanism that sustains us and our world. Without them, our forests,
parks, meadows and shrublands, and the abundant, vibrant life they support,
cannot survive, and our crops require laborious, costly pollination by hand.”
Like
other bees, rusty patched bumble bees pollinate many plants, including
economically important crops such as tomatoes, cranberries and peppers.
Bumble
bees are especially good pollinators; even plants that can self-pollinate
produce more and bigger fruit when pollinated by bumble bees. Each year,
insects, mostly bees, provide pollination services valued at an estimated $3
billion in the United States.
Since
2000, rusty patched bumble bees have been reported in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada. Some populations are so
small that it is unclear whether they still exist.
Causes
of the decline in rusty patched bumble bee populations are believed to be loss
of habitat; disease and parasites; use of pesticides that directly or
indirectly kill the bees; climate change, which can affect the availability of
the flowers they depend on; and extremely small population size. Most likely, a
combination of these factors has caused the decline in rusty patched bumble
bees.
Melius
says there are steps the public can now take to help pollinators like the rusty
patched bumble bee.
Plant native flowers, even in small plots in urban areas,
using a variety that will bloom from spring through fall.
Limit or avoid use of
pesticides if possible, and always follow label instructions carefully.
Foster
natural landscapes and leave grass and garden plants uncut after summer to
provide habitat for overwintering bees.
The
rusty patched bumble bee once lived in grasslands and prairies of the Upper
Midwest and Northeast, but many of those areas are gone.
The bee gathers pollen
and nectar from a variety of flowering plants. It emerges in early spring and
is one of the last bumble bee species to go into hibernation in the fall.
Because it is active so long, it needs a constant supply of flowers blooming
from April through September.
Rusty
patched bumble bee colonies rely on survival of their queen bee, the only
member of the colony that survives the winter. In spring, a solitary queen
emerges from hibernation, finds a suitable nest site and lays eggs fertilized
the previous fall. Worker bees hatch, and the colony grows. New queens replace
the old, all workers die and the cycle repeats.
More
information about the rusty patched bumble bee, the rule listing it as
endangered, and ways to help this species and other pollinators is available at https://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/insects/rpbb/index.html
The
final rule listing the rusty patched bumble bee as endangered appears in the
January 11, 2017, Federal Register and takes effect on February 10, 2017. EDITOR’S NOTE: Presuming it’s not blocked by the incoming
Trump Administration.