10-10-2021, 03:42 AM
(This post was last modified: 10-10-2021, 09:45 PM by Michigan Swamp Buck.
Edit Reason: Added Links
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Quote:In two decades, the insect’s population has declined by nearly 90 percent due to a combination of threats, including habitat loss, pesticides and diseases
Elizabeth Gamillo Daily Correspondent October 6, 2021
. . . The species has completely vanished from eight states, including Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Idaho, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Oregon, Ben Turner reports for Live Science. The bumblebee species have declined by 99 percent in New York. In the Midwest and Southeast, population numbers have dropped by more than 50 percent.
. . . Depending on the results of a forthcoming year-long review, the American bumblebee could be legally protected under the ESA, which would provide rules and framework for saving the species from extinction, reports Live Science. Currently, only two bumblebee species, the rusty patched and Franklin's, receive ESA protection.
. . . Researchers can trace the bee's plummeting population numbers back to multiple threats, including pesticides, habitat loss, climate change, diseases and competition from non-native honeybees. States with the most significant dip in bee numbers have the largest increase in the use of pesticides like neonicotinoids, insecticides, and fungicides, per Live Science.
www.smithsonianmag.com
The domesticated European honey bee a non-native bee (obviously). I wonder how those are doing right now? Oh, and have a look at the kicker at the end of this article. I probably shouldn't say anything about the bees I might find here, or any other creepy crawly, there are some that are very usual.
Quote:If the bee is placed under federal protection, farmers or developers who harm the insects could face up to $13,000 in fines each time one is killed, Live Science reports.
I think maybe the real consideration here is not the welfare of the iconic bumble bee, but the monetary fine per bee if you are caught eliminating a nest in your awning.
Brandon needs that extra cash to fill the new budget.
