American bumblebees have vanished from 8 U.S. states; could soon be protected under Endangered Species Act
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Will bees be gone for good?
American bumblebees, whose populations have vanished in eight U.S. states in the past 20 years, could soon be protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Experts say that Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Idaho, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Oregon each have zero or close to zero American bumblebees left.
Earlier this year the Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit that works to protect endangered species, and the Bombus Pollinator Association of Law Students of Albany Law School filed a petition calling for the bee to be placed under ESA protection before it's too late.
Late last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the once-abundant species may indeed warrant ESA protection, kicking off a one-year assessment of the status of, or threats to, the American bumblebee.
"Once the most commonly observed bumblebee in the United States, the American bumblebee has declined by 89% in relative abundance and continues to decline toward extinction due to the disastrous, synergistic impacts of threats including habitat loss, pesticides, disease, climate change, competition with honey bees, and loss of genetic diversity," the petition, which was submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Feb. 1, stated.
Without "immediate action" to protect the bee under the ESA, what was once the most common species of bumblebee in North America "will continue its alarming decline towards extinction," the petition warned.
"In sum, the American bumblebee has become very rare or possibly extirpated from 16 states in the Northeast and Northwest; it has experienced declines of over 90% in the upper Midwest; and 19 other states in the Southeast and Midwest have seen declines of over 50%," the petition stated.
The American bumblebee population has plummeted 89% in just 20 years and it has already vanished from at least 8 states. States with the largest declines are the same states that have seen the largest quantified increase in pesticide use. https://t.co/05RMtQPxcu — Center for Bio Div (@CenterForBioDiv) October 10, 2021
After a 90-day review conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency found substantial evidence that the listing of the American bumblebee under the ESA might be necessary.
"This is an important first step in preventing the extinction of this fuzzy black-and-yellow beauty that was once a familiar sight," Jess Tyler, one of the authors of the petition, said in a statement.
"To survive unchecked threats of disease, habitat loss and pesticide poisoning, American bumblebees need the full protection of the Endangered Species Act right now," he added.
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I had read this. Sad really. I remember seeing them as a kid. I always thought they were kind of comical with their chubby bodies flying around.
I have seen a couple around here yet people have said they aren't bumble bees. They called them wood bees or something. They bore into wood.
Carpenter bees. Had them eating my deck in PA. Even treated wood.
Had to wait til they left in the morning and fill the holes with spray foam and hope it encouraged them to nest in nearby trees.
Amazing, though, watching a quarter sized bee, or larger, crawling into a dime sized hole in 2x6s.
I can't remember ever having lived someplace that I didn't see bumbles. They are easily mistaken for wood bees but are fuzzy all over and to me always had more yellow than the carpenters that I've seen.
Beside the carpenter bees, I don't remember seeing a bumble bee for years. I don't see many honey bees anymore.
Wasps are a different story.
That's weird. Yes, wasp and hornets are just plain mean. While I know they serve a purpose, it wouldn't bother me if it was their numbers decreasing instead of bees.
A couple months ago I was carrying out to the trash a bag of yard waste that had been laying around for a few days. As I started to move it a swarm of wasps jumped out of the bag and started attacking me. By the time I could get away I had been stung 12 times.
By the time all the places I was stung (arms and legs and one on the neck) were back to normal was about 10 days.
It was pretty scary while it was happening . One tried to get inside my nose but I was able to swat it away.