Peter Soroye: Bumble bee declines and a new method for assessing the risk of local extinction
This week on the podcast I have a conversation with Peter Soroye, a Ph.D. student at the University of Ottawa and the lead author of a recent paper in Science Magazine that provides evidence of rapid and widespread declines in bumble bee populations across North America and Europe. This work received plenty of news coverage, and you may have seen some of the headlines that painted a rather grim picture.
However, the real purpose of this research by Peter, Tim Newbold and Jeremy Kerr, was to test a new method for assessing the risk of local extinction for a species – which, ideally, would lead to the creation of more effective conservation efforts through a better understanding of what animals are at the greatest risk in different locations.
Many thanks to Peter for talking the time to talk about his work. Here is our conversation.
The Bee Report Podcast is available on all major podcasting platforms such as Apple and Spotify. Give it a listen and let me know what you think!
Do you have tips, comments, questions or ideas for collaboration? Please send them to tbr at bymattkelly dot com.
Conservation
How warming winters are affecting everything
(Michigan Radio) Winters are warming faster than other seasons across much of the United States. While that may sound like a welcome change for those bundled in scarves and hats, it's causing a cascade of unpredictable impacts in communities across the country – impacting pollinators and the plants they’re connected with. Temperatures continue to steadily rise around the globe, but that trend isn't spread evenly across the map or even the yearly calendar.
'There have been new developments in the issue of honeybees on public lands.'
(Twitter, Zach Portman @zachportman) "This information is not publicly available, but Freedom of Information Act requests by the Grand Canyon Trust have revealed permits for 4,000 beehives on public land, with applications for 10–15k more. And this only covers the area around the grand canyon."
'Buzz off honey industry, our national parks shouldn’t be milked for money'
(The Conversation) "Native pollinator populations have been decimated in burned areas. They will only recover if they can recolonise from unburned areas as vegetation regenerates. Since the fires, Australia’s beekeeping industry has been pushing for access to national parks and other unburned public land... But our native pollinators badly need these resources – and the recovery of our landscapes depends on them. While we acknowledge the losses sustained by the honey industry, authorities should not jeopardise our native species to protect commercial interests."
Economics
Why the next threat to bees is organized crime
(The Guardian) Pollination has become big business, and thieves are now targeting hives with growing sophistication in the U.S. The heists are often undertaken in the dead of night using forklifts and trucks. Hives are regularly split open or dismantled, interventions that can kill tens of thousands of the kidnapped bees. The problem has become severe enough in California that certain police officers now specialize in hive crime.
‘Bee-washing’ hurts bees and misleads consumers
(The Conversation) As awareness increases about native bee death, some companies are taking advantage of public concern by touting their products as bee-friendly or making other claims. This marketing strategy, called bee-washing by critics, uses the plight of bees to mislead consumers.
Property taxes can be lowered by keeping bees in Texas
(The Sealy News) Texas law allows bees and beehives to qualify for reducing property taxes on plots ranging from five to 20 acres similar to livestock or raising hay.
Policy/Law
Minnesota cities could get power to ban pesticides as bee populations fall
(The Star Tribune) Lawmakers may give cities throughout Minnesota the authority to ban some widely used pesticides – including neonicotinoids – as native bumble bee and pollinator populations continue to collapse. The recently-introduced measure would grant each city the choice to issue a blanket ban on a group of pesticides that the Minnesota Department of Agriculture has labeled as lethal to pollinators.
Maine bill would limit use of neonicotinoids
(Maine Public) A bill making its way through the Maine Legislature seeks to restrict and limit the use of four specific pesticides: clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam. Under the bill, the named pesticides would no longer be available for home and landscape use, and would require certification for use.
(British Ecological Society) Researchers from Scotland’s Rural College joined forces with 22 pollinator experts from across Europe to evaluate how different Ecological Focus Area options varied in their potential to support insect pollinators such as bumble bees, solitary bees and hoverflies. Despite significant investment in EFAs, the study found they are failing to provide all the resources insect pollinators require.
Science
Bumble bees can create mental imagery, a 'building block of consciousness'
(ABC) Humans are one of very few animals known to be able to recognize objects across senses. This ability exists at least partly because we are able to imagine the object in our brain. Researchers from the U.K. and Australia now report they have evidence that bumble bees can also create mental imagery.
Bees forage less efficiently in high winds
(The Guardian) A controlled experiment reveals how high wind speeds can significantly reduce the efficiency of foraging honey bees. With no wind, the bees on average took nectar from 5.45 flowers during their 90-second time trial. When wind speeds were increased, this fell to an average of 3.73 flowers. Over the course of a day, a bee’s capacity to supply its colony with food would be significantly curtailed.
Technology
British scientists look to bees to develop drone technology
(Financial Times $) The researchers are carrying out different experiments to “reverse engineer” bee brains with the goal of designing navigational software for future drones. Bees optimize the distances flown from one point to another. Bee brains can multitask, adapt to new scenarios and learn very fast.
One More Thing…
From Wild Friends NM (@WildFriendsNM) on Twitter: "Want a Pollinator Protection License Plate with your lucky number? We will host a special online auction of the first 100 plates! Open to all, including folks outside NM. Proceeds benefit our educational programs. Auction will be held mid-March--stay tuned for details!"