Any time anything is added to the endangered species list, it is a very sad situation. We have seen a lot of animals added to the list in recent years, including the northern spotted owl, the grizzly bear and the gray wolf. Unfortunately, there is now another addition to the ever-growing list of endangered species, and this time it is the bumblebee.
When most of us think about the endangered species list, we automatically think about animals. There have been many that were, at one time, on the list but now have disappeared forever from the planet. At other times, however, something being added to the list helps to raise awareness of the need to do something and they have even improved the population to the point where it is no longer endangered. Which direction will be bumblebee go? It’s difficult to say.
Here is the information from National Geographic:
“The rusty-patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis), once a common sight, is “now balancing precariously on the brink of extinction,” according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Once thriving in 28 states and the District of Columbia, but over the past two decades, the bee’s population has plummeted nearly 90 percent.
There are more than 3,000 bee species in the United States, and about 40 belong to the genus Bombus—the bumblebees.
Advocates for the rusty-patched bumblebee’s listing are abuzz with relief, but it may be the first skirmish in a grueling conflict over the fate of the Endangered Species Act under the Trump administration.”
Here’s more information from a research entomologist and bumblebee ecologist, James Stranger:
“There are a few little spots where we know they are. But only a really few spots.”
The scientific name for the bumblebee is Bombus affinis, after the red patch on the abdomen. Originally, it was planned to be added to the endangered species list in February 2018 but only recently got added.
Sarah Jepson, a Xerxes Society director of endangered species added the following:
“We are thrilled to see one of North America’s most endangered species receive the protection it needs.
Now that the Fish and Wildlife Service has listed the rusty-patched bumble bee as endangered, it stands a chance of surviving the many threats it faces — from the use of neonicotinoid pesticides to diseases.”
This comes from the US Fish and Wildlife Service:
“Bumblebees are among the most important pollinators of crops such as blueberries, cranberries, and clover, and almost the only insect pollinators of tomatoes.
The economic value of pollination services provided by native insects (mostly bees) is estimated at $3 billion per year in the United States.”
One of the reasons why bumblebees have been on the decline is because of human encroachment and the loss of their natural habitat.
A senior conservation biologist from the Xerxes society, Rich Hatfield said the following:
“While this listing clearly supports the rusty patched bumble bee, the entire suite of pollinators that share its habitat, and which are so critical to natural ecosystems and agriculture, will also benefit.
This is a positive step towards the conservation of this species, and we now have to roll up our sleeves to begin the actual on-the-ground conservation that will help it move toward recovery.”
Many plants grown in America depend upon pollinators, including the bumblebee. Since the populations have declined, additional reliance on herbicides and pesticides becomes necessary.