Conservation Protection Sought For Bumblebees Beállítások

[Shivani Sharma]

Conservation protection is currently being sought for bumblebees. A petition was filed by the Society for Invertebrate Conservation to add several species of the bumblebee to the endangered species list. The Rusty Patched, Western, and Yellow Bumblebees have all seen drops in population in current years, in addition to the Franklin’s Bumblebee which is already considered a critically endangered species. The society hopes that the US Department of Agriculture will approve actions to measure and regulate commercial bumblebee movement between states. Diseases are killing off the bumbles, with two species (Franklin’s and Rusty Patched) nearing extinction. The petition asks that bumblebees receive certification that they are disease-free in order to be moved to non-native areas in the country.

Habitat destruction along with the use of pesticides have been major causes of bumblebee decline. With only 10% of bumblebee populations left in the U.S., there is more room for invasive species like Africanized bees to take over. Certain crops like cotton for example must be constantly sprayed with insecticides making it difficult for bumblebees. Also in our own yards, bumblebees are in danger, as we treat clover and dandelions as weeds, removing bumblebees’ necessary food supplies. Land development destroys the natural weeds and flowers that are equally important to the bumblebee. Conservationists are hoping to create wildlife sanctuaries where bumblebees can have protected access to the plants and flowers that they need. Conservation protection is desperately needed for the bumblebee. Donated to the Xerces Society of Invertebrate Conservation and their conservation protection efforts here

Want to learn more about why wildlife conservation is important? Read more here.