Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Added to Endangered Species List
The Rusty Patched Bumble Bee getting pollen | Photo Courtesy of beespotter.org

Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Added to Endangered Species List

Wisconsin is now one of the few places in the world in which the rusty patched bumble bee can be found.

A map showing records of the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee | Photo Courtesy of xerces.org

A map showing records of the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee | Photo Courtesy of xerces.org

Previously the bee’s population spread over 28 states. In the last 10 years the bees’ range has declined over 87 percent and now rusty patched bumble bees can only be found in 12 states.

The Xerces Society and other organizations created a petition which gathered enough signatures to be submitted for congressional review in 2013. After four years, the rusty patched bumble bee was placed on the list Jan. 11, 2017.

The rusty patched bumble bee can be identified from other species from a small rust-colored patch on the middle of the bee’s back.

The rusty patched bumble bee is an important species because it is a pollinator.

The loss of the species would harm forests, prairies and agriculture. Despite their small size, rusty patched bumble bees and other pollinators have a huge effect on crops.

Emily Crook senior history and political science major said, “Bumble bees are an important part of our agricultural development as a country. Without the protection of them, we could eventually see a major downfall in our production of agriculture.”

While the bumble bees provide farms with a necessary service, agriculture is partially believed to be causing declines in all bee populations.

In their petition to get the bee listed as endangered, the Xerces society said, “Possible causes of its decline include pathogens, habitat loss or degradation, pesticide use, and climate change.”

The agricultural industry is a culprit of the loss of the rusty patched bumble bee. This is due to the industry’s heavy use of insecticides on crops. Sprayed crops then come into contact with the rusty patched bumble bees when they pollinate.

By listing the bumble bee on the Endangered Species List, the United States government is required to take certain actions to assist in helping the populations.

With federal protection, bees are prioritized in any federal project. New government projects must conform to the conservation plans set in place to protect the bees.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service states that by listing the bees on the Endangered Species List, the Service is required to prepare a recovery plan.

On the agency website, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service states, “A recovery plan identifies and prioritizes actions needed to conserve and recover a species. Non-governmental agencies, universities, tribes and other federal and state agencies often carry out conservation actions identified in recovery plans.”

Kaira Kamke, senior water resources major, said, “I think putting the bumblebee on the endangered species list will provide additional attention to this critical species.”

Adding the rusty patched bumble bee was a huge step forward in its protection which will not only benefit the bees themselves, but their protected status may also assist with the production of agriculture and consumers.

 

Genevieve Adamski

Environment Editor

gadam590@uwsp.edu

About pointer

Avatar

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*