[PCA] NEWS:You're Worrying About the Wrong Bees

[Karen Blumer]

I’m not too strong on insects and can’t id too may bees, however I can see the despairing dearth of pollinators. On one of my cherry shrubs, that normally has had, up until this very year, thousands, literally, of ripened cherries, there are only 15  ripening berries. Nary a pollinator in sight earlier this spring and stems of withered and brown petals instead. 

And a visit to a barrier beach last Saturday provided thousands of Prunus maritima flowers with barely a pollinator.

Profoundly distressing.

Karen 

Karen Blumer
Author, LI Native Plants for Landscaping: A Source Book
   2016 Revision (barring plague and further chronic lyme obstacles)
Growing Wild Publications
15 Dickerson Drive
Shoreham, NY 11786
631-821-3337
growingwild at optonline.net
www.growingwildpublications.com





> On May 20, 2015, at 5:57 PM, Addsum-Tony Frates <afrates at addsuminc.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> Right along with all of those pesky global warming lobbyists no doubt . . . and the worst of all are those aggressive and completely out-of-line Bombus proponents.
> 
> (But I imagine, Bob, that you haven't heard of Bombus franklinii, nor the plight of Bombus in the western U.S. generallly - and no doubt in the East as well, and the increasing infrequent sightings of Bombus occidentalis, none of which has anything to due with commercial bee keepers.)
> 
> 
> Tony Frates
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quoting Robert Layton Beyfuss <rlb14 at cornell.edu>:
> 
>> Interestingly, with the very obvious decline of feral honey bees in  upstate NY, we have seen a huge increase in the observed populations  of bumblebees. These bees seem to be doing a fine job pollinating  fruit trees as well as small fruit such as blueberries etc.
>> The commercial bee keeping lobby is a powerful force in Washington.
>> 
>> 
>> From: native-plants  [mailto:native-plants-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org] On Behalf  Of James, Rosalind
>> Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2015 9:20 AM
>> To: Kwong, Olivia; native-plants at lists.plantconservation.org
>> Subject: Re: [PCA] NEWS:You're Worrying About the Wrong Bees
>> 
>> Most of the losses seem to be with bumble bees.  Not a lot of losses  have been found for the solitary bees, not that we have especially  accurate measures.
>> 
>> The best documentation for bee declines are certain species of  bumble bees.  There are 49 species of bumble bees native to the US.   Well, there were.  Now is probably 48.  like Franklin?s Bumble bee  in Oregon is probably extinct.
>> 
>> 
>> Rosalind James
>> 
>> From: native-plants  [mailto:native-plants-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org] On Behalf  Of Kwong, Olivia
>> Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2015 9:48 AM
>> To: native-plants at lists.plantconservation.org
>> Subject: [PCA] NEWS:You're Worrying About the Wrong Bees
>> 
>> http://www.wired.com/2015/04/youre-worrying-wrong-bees/
>> 
>> You're Worrying About the Wrong Bees
>> Gwen Pearson
>> Date of Publication: 04.29.15.
>> 
>> "Save the Bees!" is a common refrain these days, and it's great to  see people interested in the little animals critical for our food  supply around the globe. But I have one quibble: you're talking  about the wrong bees.
>> 
>> Honey bees will be fine. They are a globally distributed,  domesticated animal. Apis mellifera will not go extinct, and the  species is not remotely threatened with extinction.
>> 
>> The bees you should be concerned about are the 3,999 other bee  species living in North America, most of which are solitary,  stingless, ground-nesting bees you've never heard of. Incredible  losses in native bee diversity are already happening.
>> 
>> See the link above for the full article text.
>> 
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> 
> 
> 
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