Earlier this year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added another animal to the endangered species list, the rusty patched bumblebee. This was the first bee in the contiguous U.S. to be added to the list. The bee was once found in 28 different states. By the 1990s their population had dropped around 90 percent. The bees face many threats such as loss of habitat and disease. The bees are being killed off in great numbers due to farmers spraying pesticides. Due to the bee being added to the endangered list, harming it or its habitat is now illegal.
The rusty patches bumblebee is one of more than 4,000 bee species native to North America. Scientist estimate that nearly one quarter of all the bees in North America are in danger of becoming extinct. The Fish and Wildlife Service will work to develop a plan to help the bees population recover, which may include setting new rules on where pesticides can be used.
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I never would have thought that a type of bee was endangered. Hopefully, the Fish and Wildlife service starts to enforce rules that regulate pesticide use in order to save these bees. This definitely makes me wonder if pesticides have a mainly positive or negative impact because I have heard many stories where species are harmed due to pesticides, like these bees.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Maia's comment above, I wouldn't have expected a bee species to be close to extinct. At least now harming their habitats is illegal, and hopefully that will help take them off the endangered list. It would be harmful to the environment if bees went extinct since they are the primary pollinators and some plants need them to reproduce.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that the use of pesticides against this bee's habitat is now illegal. I think that this is a great way to prevent any more loss of life. The possible danger of them going extinct is incredibly sad because bees are a huge impact on the earth. As Lauren previously states, they are primary pollinators and help assist plans in reproduction. A lot of plants and crops would die off without cross-pollination.
ReplyDeleteLike the rest of the comments, I had no idea that the bee population has declined this dramatically. At least people are making this a well-known issue by raising attention to and campaigning "save the bees". I wonder what types of penalties would be faced for harming bee habitats since it is illegal.
ReplyDeleteI knew that bees were struggling, but it is incredibly unfortunate that a species have made the endangered list. Bees are so important to the survival of other species. I wonder what measures are in place around the country to protect the bees, such as restricting pesticides.
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