What happens when an invasive bumble bee overwhelms an ecosystem? Counting bees needs a recalibration. Putting up parking lots put bumble bees at risk.
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Conservation
Photo: Nick Rosenberger
What happens when an invasive bumble bee overwhelms an ecosystem?
(Journal of Animal Ecology) “We live in a time where working as an ecologist is both exciting and downright terrifying... it is likely that myself and fellow co-authors were the last people to observe an abundant population of one of the world’s largest bumble bees, Bombus dahlbomii, also known as the Patagonian bumble bee or ‘flying mouse’. Only five years after our study, it is no longer possible to ask follow up research questions as dahlbomii has nearly gone extinct in Patagonia. During the past two decades, dahlbomii has suffered dramatic population declines due largely to the invasion of Bombus terrestris, the buff-tailed bumble bee. This invader spreads parasites to dahlbomii and has overwhelmed ecosystems as an aggressive competitor. Our study examined the relationship between dahlbomii and terrestris in a national park in Argentine Patagonia.”
Paving paradise: Putting up parking lots put bumble bees at risk in Toronto
(York University) A team of researchers recently examined how an urban environment can enhance the health and abundance of pollinators. They found that areas of Toronto with the most pavement, roads and concrete, and the highest density of buildings, had the fewest bumble bee colonies. Additionally, bumble bee foraging distance increased and the number of bees in each colony decreased in areas with a higher density of buildings, roads, paved surfaces, bare ground, and humans. But what surprised the researchers was that the relative density of houses was associated with shorter foraging distances, compared to areas with high density multi-level buildings. “The type of urbanization seems to matter. If there are no city parks or watershed forests, those urban areas with a higher density of single or multiple family houses, that would typically have front and backyards, seem to provide better foraging opportunities for bumblebees. It’s increasingly important to design cities in a manner that sustains and enhances biodiversity and ecosystem services.”
Urban pollinators: Opportunities and challenges for conservation
(Entomology Today) In urban settings, plant selection and landscape maintenance play a critical role in pollinator populations and the preservation of essential ecosystem services. A new open-access guide reviews case studies and identifies opportunities for future study and action in urban pollinator conservation.
Ancient prairie, home to endangered bees and rare plants, may soon be razed by airport
(National Geographic) Illinois, the Prairie State, was once dominated by 22 million acres of grasslands, home to an almost unimaginable diversity of plants and animals. But now, only one-ten-thousandth of the state’s original prairies, or roughly 2,500 acres, remain. One of the rarest grassland types, dry gravel prairie, is the most endangered: Only 18 high-quality acres remain. Now, Chicago-Rockford International Airport plans to destroy Bell Bowl Prairie, which contains five acres of this precious biome, as part of a planned expansion. But a growing coalition of environmental groups, scientists, and advocates – including local middle schoolers – are fighting to protect this habitat. Among other reasons, they point out that Bell Bowl hosts nearly 150 plant species and supports a wide variety of birds and insects, including endangered species such as the rusty patched bumble bee.
Economics
Photo: stock image, PA Wire
Wasps and bees ‘nesting in planes’ sparked flight delays at Heathrow Airport
(Evening Standard) An Air Accidents Investigation Branch found that the insects snuck into planes to make their nests while flights were running at a reduced capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic because of the travel restrictions in the U.K. and around the globe. Among other incidents, according to the AAIB report, a Virgin Airbus A330 was infested with hairy-toothed leafcutter bees.
MeliBio announces $5.7 million seed funding to make real honey without bees
(Businesswire, MeliBio) “MeliBio raised $5.7 million dollars to scale and commercialize sustainable and nutritious bee-free honey aimed at disrupting the $10 billion dollar honey industry. MeliBio’s first product was indistinguishable to traditional honey in an industry blind taste test and over 30 companies around the world signed up to be among the first to use the products. Bee-free honey addresses the looming impact of the climate crisis on the honey industry, including biodiversity loss and supply chain issues.”
Policy/Law
Photo: Wm. Glasheen, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Wisconsin town makes No Mow May a permanent part of its culture to promote bee habitat
(Post Crescent) The Appleton Common Council voted 10-4 to incorporate No Mow May into the city’s municipal code for 2022 and beyond. No Mow May lets property owners delay lawn care during May as a way to promote the maturation of flowering plants that provide food for bees and other pollinators early in the growing season. Participation in the program is voluntary. The initiative was started on a trial basis in 2020 and was repeated last year. It required an annual review of the council, but that’s no longer the case after the recent vote.
No mowing until June? Residents of another Wisconsin city may try it to help the bees
(The Pantagraph) La Crosse is considering allowing residents to skip mowing their lawns for the month of May to better support pollination. The No Mow May initiative was approved by the Board of Park Commissioners but still needs approval from the La Crosse Common Council before it is officially in place. If approved, the program would get a trial run at a handful of city parks, too.
Science
Photo: Emma Briggs
Counting bees needs a recalibration
(NC State University) One of the first steps in any conservation strategy, whether bee or buffalo, is to know how many species and how many individuals from each species are present in an area. Bee biologists have suspected that one of the most commonly used tools to count bees is faulty, but no one knew exactly how faulty until now. A new study has quantified the bias associated with pan traps, and suggested methods to help bee biologists everywhere assess their tools in order to calculate more accurate population estimates.
How different pollinators impact population genetic structure in plants
(Twitter, Agnes Dellinger @the_kunsze) “Using RADSeq, we show that bee-pollinated populations show consistently higher differentiation than vertebrate-pollinated populations across geographic, topographic and climatic distances.” Original paper
Bumble bee research shortlisted for annual award
(Twitter, Journal of Animal Ecology @AnimalEcology) “Shortlisted for the Elton Prize #ECR award: Multiple stressors interact to impair the performance of bumblebee Bombus terrestris colonies” The Elton Prize is awarded annually to the best article by an early career researcher in the Journal of Animal Ecology. Original paper
Society/Culture
Photo: Capital Times archives
UW-Madison cut ties with an academic bully. USDA lets scientist run her own lab
(Madison.com) Students came to Johanne Brunet’s lab seeking to sharpen their skills, add to their resumes and advance up the competitive career ladder of academia. Instead many left traumatized, their career trajectories blunted, if not ruined altogether. A UW-Madison investigation found Brunet, a tenured entomology professor whose work includes pollination and bee-related research, abused her authority by bullying students and staff for more than a decade. The university’s 2018 report also referenced scientific misconduct, though the allegations fell outside the scope of UW’s investigation and drew no conclusions. Brunet agreed to resign from her unpaid university appointment in 2019 just as UW officials were weighing whether to fire her. Despite the extensive findings, which UW-Madison officials said the university started sharing with the USDA as early as fall 2017, the federal agency continues to employ Brunet as a researcher in its Madison office.
Bumble bee queen in the house?
(Twitter, Sheila Colla, Ph.D @SaveWildBees) “Have been getting some emails about overwintering bees waking up inside houses. Bumblebee queens often overwinter inside wall insulation. If you see one, just release them outside.”
One More Thing…
Bumblebee in the Basement
James Silas Rogers
When I went for a crowbar downstairs
a bee big as a wine cork
was batting the floorboards and joists,
having come through the cracks
in the limestone foundation
to nest in our musty basement.
I emptied a jar of nails, cupped
it over her buzzing form: a snow-globe
whirring with frustration.
Outside, I turned the jar over.
Captivity cast aside, the bee
rose like a spark flying upward.
She lifted toward the sky
like a balloon released
from a child’s grasp, then halted
On an apple blossom.
I stood and watched,
forgetting why I needed that crowbar.