The Bees of Grand Staircase-Escalante: What will happen to them?
Trump reduced the size of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Now what will happen to the bees?
Photo: Joe Wilson
It’s been fourteen years since Olivia Carril completed a sweeping and bold survey of the bees of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. And the results of that survey, published just this year, are astounding: this slice of Utah is approximately the size of Delaware but is home to nearly as many species of bees as the entire United States east of the Mississippi River — over 600 species. The bee community and diversity in this remote desert landscape is truly astounding.
But a year ago this week, President Trump decided to reduce the size of this monument and carve it into three separate units.
What do these changes mean for the future of this unique collection of bees? And why should any of us care?
I had the privilege of working with Olivia Carril and Joseph Wilson to answer these questions. We compared the results of Olivia's original survey with the new boundaries. Here's what we found...
Reducing protected lands in a hotspot of bee biodiversity: The bees of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Neonicotinoid exposure disrupts bumble bee nest behavior, social networks, and thermoregulation
Photo: Matt Kelly
Using an innovative robotic platform to observe bees’ behavior, the authors showed that, following exposure to the pesticide, bees spent less time nursing larvae and were less social than other bees. Additional tests showed that exposure impaired bees ability to warm the nest, and to build insulating wax caps around the colony.
Why biological collections need to be preserved for future generations
Photo: Matt Kelly
“In 200 years, we have no idea what technology will be available and what people will be able to use these specimens for," says Emily Meineke, a postdoctoral researcher working in the lab of Charles Davis, professor of organismic and evolutionary biology and director of the Harvard Herbaria. "They contain a wealth of hidden data that we might not even understand exists in our lifetime, so there’s a practical element to keeping and preserving them.”