US Puts Bumblebee On the Endangered Species List For First Time (npr.org) 130
For the first time for a bumblebee and a bee species in the U.S., the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated the bumblebee an endangered species. The protected status goes into effect on February 10, and includes requirements for federal protections and the development of a recovery plan. NPR reports: "Today's Endangered Species listing is the best -- and probably last -- hope for the recovery of the rusty patched bumble bee," NRDC Senior Attorney Rebecca Riley said in a statement from the Xerces Society, which advocates for invertebrates. "Bumble bees are dying off, vanishing from our farms, gardens, and parks, where they were once found in great numbers." Large parts of the Eastern and Midwestern United States were once crawling with these bees, Bombus affinis, but the bees have suffered a dramatic decline in the last two decades due to habitat loss and degradation, along with pathogens and pesticides. Indeed, the bee was found in 31 states and Canadian provinces before the mid- to late-1990s, according to the final rule published in the Federal Register. But since 2000, it has been reported in only 13 states and Ontario, Canada. It has seen an 88 percent decline in the number of populations and an 87 percent loss in the amount of territory it inhabits. This means the species is vulnerable to extinction, the rule says, even without further habitat loss or insecticide exposure. Canada designated the species as endangered in 2012.
Roundup backpack=bad ? (Score:4, Insightful)
Meanwhile my Dad is outside with his roundup backpack, spraying a big circle around the house...Chemical warfare against nature just isn't working out how we thought it might!
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The problem isn't with his dad, the problem is with the government not outlawing these insecticides. The government allows them knowing the negative effects they have on bees and regular joe thinks they are fine because they are allowed to be sold and bought. Not everyone reads scientific studies on the effects of these insecticides, most think that if there was something wrong with them the government wouldn't allow it, but that is unfortunately not the case.
Re:Roundup backpack=bad ? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Roundup backpack=bad ? (Score:5, Interesting)
Well. Indirectly, it does. Roundup kills many "weed" that are actually useful wild plants that bumblebees feed on. The western "green grass patch" is an ecological desert. No flowers for insects to feed on, no insects for birds to feed on...
If you let your grass grow a little wild your garden will attract many small creatures, and shortly after many birds, and mammals such as hedgehogs who feed on insects... Then you can spend a lot of fun times with family observing nature without going far away from home.
Also Roundup fumes are probably giving your dad cancer right now. Maybe you could talk him out of using this shit, no?
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There are no hedgehogs indigenous in America.
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There are no hedgehogs indigenous in America.
I found one in my yard before. We lived out in the country at the time.
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" it kills ALL plant life with almost zero exceptions."
Superweeds? They are being selected for by RoundUp as we type :)
Lobbyists (Score:4, Insightful)
.So the solution to the problem would be to put neonics on the endangered-species list, and hope they fade out of the environment before the bees do.
Then the pesticide industry will lobby the Republicans saying how it'll hurt business and jobs and profits. Eventually, there will be some sort of phase out agreed to that will take ten years for the pesticides to be stopped.
In the meantime, there will be this PR blitz stating that the science isn't in and that the scientists who study it are saying the pesticides are killing bees because that's the only way they can get grants.
Eventually, as our bees get destroyed and the skyrocketing of food prices, the EPA will be blamed for all the unnecessary regulations that caused the problem in the first place.
Cigarette smoking, Air conditioning refrigerant, lead in gasoline are just a couple of instances off of the top of my head where business has put profits above human health. What a warped society we have where it's considered a valid argument to put corporate profits above human health.
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There's no need for lobbyists any more, they're all sitting at the heads of the departments now anyway.
Drain the swamp? More like employ it.
Re:Lobbyists (Score:5, Informative)
That's exactly what DID happen when the EU banned Neonics a year or two ago. Bayer has been on a massive add-campaign ever since to try to get the ban lifted by claiming their pesticides are totally harmless to bees, bees actually like the stuff - they thrive when you spray them with it and think of all the job losses if we our massive multinational company has one less product to sell (which somehow didn't stop them from refusing to sell lethal injection meds to the US) etc. etc. etc.
Eventually they managed to raise enough dust to get the EU Safety Authority to set up a review committee to reconsider the decision. At time of writing the committee's results are not yet in... but I somehow have this idea that a lot of the committee members have been living large of late...
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they thrive when you spray them with it
Plants Crave Electrolytes
Re:Lobbyists (Score:4, Informative)
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Re:Roundup backpack=bad ? (Score:5, Interesting)
The problem is that neonicotinoids are about as close to an ideal insecticide as we could hope to have. They're effective on a broad spectrum of insects, they don't harm plants, and they're really quite safe around mammals. For example, dinotefuran has an oral and dermal LD50 in rats of > 2000mg/kg, is not known to be carcinogenic, and is not known to be a neurotoxin. It's also essentially non-toxic to birds, fish, and aquatic invertebrates (important because of chemical run-off.) I'm not saying I'd sprinkle it on my breakfast cereal, but I wouldn't get sick from it.
They just happen to be 50 times as lethal to bees as to any other insect. So even the lowest doses used to control economically damaging pests are still going to kill huge numbers of bees, because the tainted nectar and pollen that comes back with the bees feeds the colonies.
I really like the stuff for INDOOR control of greenhouse pests. Outdoors, I won't use it.
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i agree, but there is a fine balance, as these compounds are the best defense we have against WDOs like carpenter ants. I can attest that they work well in those cases.
I wonder if much stricter compliance to labeled usage would be helpful?
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Roundup isn't bad, it's been with us for over 40 years, rapidly breaks down in the environment and has long been out of patent. It may well be a suspected carcinogen but that's nothing that sensible handling procedures can't mitigate.
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GMO modifed vegatation is poison to Bumblebees. Who creates GMO modifed Vegatation and Fruits too.
This is one type; others have less decline (Score:5, Informative)
If you want information including things that you might be able to do take a look at Bumble Bee Watch (http://www.bumblebeewatch.org/ [bumblebeewatch.org]) or the Xerces Society page on bumblebees (http://www.xerces.org/bumblebees/ [xerces.org]). The University of Maine in Farmington has also been tracking the decline of several of the species native to Maine (http://mainebumblebeeatlas.umf.maine.edu/ [maine.edu]), and other state universities may have similar programs going on.
Woosh (Score:1)
I think Maritz was doing Trump sarcasm.... not actually claiming some big conspiracy to fund their research.
My guess is Trump'll blame the bumblee deaths on a conspiracy of his enemies in league with NASA and NOAA in league with other bumblebees.
If you didn't get todays Trump big conspiracy, he just said that Democrats and Republicans had conspired to make up the Russian spy claims, and its all the work of political sleazebag operatives. He promises a new report within 90 days that will totally exonerate Ru
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My guess is Trump'll blame the bumblee deaths on a conspiracy of his enemies in league with NASA and NOAA in league with other bumblebees.
If you didn't get todays Trump big conspiracy, he just said that Democrats and Republicans had conspired to make up the Russian spy claims, and its all the work of political sleazebag operatives. He promises a new report within 90 days that will totally exonerate Russia.
Sad to see the bumblebee endangered, but it is equally unpleasant to witness the near extinction of respectable politicians. I'm not a fan of Trump, but if the media had done a better job of delivering news instead of trying to influence opinion, we wouldn't be in this wagon.
Repeated attempts to spin everything positive or negative, depending of the sphere of intended influence, has worn thin on folks and made the crooked press a mud-slinging that sticks.
Re: Woosh (Score:1)
Umm, the current Monsanto infiltrators of the Department of Agriculture were appointed by Obama.
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I guess what I have must not be this rusty bee.
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Are you sure they are bumblebees? Digging holes is something I'd expect from hornets or wasps.
In late summer (although not last summer), I get yellow jackets digging holes in my yard. I used to think they were hornets but they are wasps. Anyhow, running over a nest hole with the lawn mower generally unleashes the Horde from Hell and they don't stop stinging until you more or less assicate the area and kill those that came along as you run for your life.
I found the cure. They like to sleep in in the early mo
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Carpenter Bees. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
I had them burrow into the fascia for my deck when I lived in Virginia. If you sit on the deck, you can hear them chewing away.
[John]
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I had them burrow into the fascia for my deck when I lived in Virginia. If you sit on the deck, you can hear them chewing away.
I caught one boring a whole in my deck. They can chew quite fast. I happened to have a garden spade in my hand, so I chopped it in half while it's head was embedded in the wood. Those are ones you don't want to let go of, or you'll have a massive problem.
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I get yellow jackets digging holes in my yard. I used to think they were hornets but they are wasps. Anyhow, running over a nest hole with the lawn mower generally unleashes the Horde from Hell and they don't stop stinging until you more or less assicate the area and kill those that came along as you run for your life.
Those yellow jackets are nasty little bastards. I didn't have any luck with the traditional bee sprays. I spoke to a bee keeper and he recommended the pellet type insecticide that you use to kill ants and grubs and such. That was the only way I could get rid of them. I had three nests in my yard last summer. None of them were where I could directly run over them with a lawn mower, but they stung the hell out of me if I got within 20 feet of the nest. I hadn't been stung by a bee in at least thirty years pri
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Get them early, they get really aggressive as fall approaches.
A bucket and 10lbs of dry ice will wipe out a nest. In the evening (just prior to sundown), watching from a distance, note the location of the nest openings.
In the morning (before dawn) put a block of dry ice on each opening, cover with an upside down bucket, you will asphyxiate the whole nest.
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The dry ice method will leave you with edible vegetables grown nearby and works better.
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Especially when the fumes catch and set your ass on fire. Post video on youtube for $0.001 per view, you'll make dozens of dollars.
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I usually hit the entrance(s) to the nest with wasp killer (usually dusk, dawn is too early), give it a day or so to work, and then jam a garden hose in the hole and turn on the faucet for a bit.
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I live in North(ish) Georgia, and have bumblebees digging holes in my deck.
Those are carpenter bees and not bumble bees. The males don't even have a stinger. Only the females do.
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Just to note, this is not all bumblebees, it's the Rusty Patched bumblebee that's been put on the endangered list.
Libertarians will simply claim that this is the Free Market at work.
Obviously no one wanted those dang Rusty Patched bumblebees and so they're dying off. They just weren't popular enough or couldn't get their message out or whatever.
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Has it been determined if this is actually a species, or just localized markings like with the so-called spotted owl?
thanks Monsanto ! (Score:1)
thanks Monsanto !
Re:thanks Monsanto ! (Score:5, Insightful)
Things like "noxious weed acts" which destroy plants that support bumblebee populations. Pushed by environmentalists in big cities to get rid of flowering plants which cause allergies. That in turn allowed herbicide spraying to kill or keep them under control. That leads to widespread destruction of flowering areas for the sake of green grass/reduce air allergens. Need another example? Monarch butterflies. Mass population decline, what's the strong correlation? Same noxious weed acts which banned/required destruction of milkweed. Most places have rescinded that. But it wasn't more then a year or two ago in most of north america you could be fined for having it growing on your property because it was considered a weed..
WTF have you been smoking? Envrionmentalists don't push noxious weed acts or anything that sacrifices plants for reduced air allergens. Most of North America you could be fined for having milkweed growing on your property? I've lived in four states and 9 houses in my time, and I've never lived in one of your alleged exclusion zones.
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WTF have you been smoking?
Reality. What have you been snorting where you don't realize this has been happening? You can be fined for it. [google.ca] That environmentalists push for it. That the favorite blame game is "Monsanto" [therivardreport.com]. That the brainchild was the environmentalism of the 70's and 80's, and is such a bad problem that provinces and states now actively encourage planting it. [thestar.com] Want to bury your head in the sand? Feel free. The reality is far different, and is probably one of the best examples of environmentalism running amok to the
Re:thanks Monsanto ! (Score:5, Interesting)
That environmentalists push for it.
You certainly have a point that many cities have created environmental problems by banning "natural" and "native" plants.
On the other hand, it's interesting that the sentence I quoted ("The environmentalists push for it") is one with no citation. You seem to be from Canada; I'm not as familiar with environmental politics there. But the U.S. at least, weed ordinances in cities are hardly pushed by environmentalists as that term is commonly understood in the U.S. The laws may be pushed by local busybodies worried about their neighbor who doesn't keep a monoculture lawn precisely mowed and instead chooses to let wildflowers and such grow more freely -- which some people consider "unkempt." Those people may be concerned about their neighborhood "environment" in the sense that they believe that some mid-20th century suburban ideal of the well-kept lawn is the only possible plantlife that should be seen in the city. But I really doubt anyone calls them "environmentalists" except ironically.
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WTF have you been smoking?
Reality. What have you been snorting where you don't realize this has been happening? You can be fined for it. [google.ca] That environmentalists push for it. That the favorite blame game is "Monsanto" [therivardreport.com]. That the brainchild was the environmentalism of the 70's and 80's, and is such a bad problem that provinces and states now actively encourage planting it. [thestar.com] Want to bury your head in the sand? Feel free. The reality is far different, and is probably one of the best examples of environmentalism running amok to the point where it actively damages the environment. Hell if you dig hard through provincial records for example here in Ontario from the 1980's you can find environmental groups actively pushing for the use of broad-spectrum herbicides in order to control particular plant species and stating that the destruction and loss of native species outweighs the bad in controlling others.
A few reports of particular cities banning weeds over a certain height does NOT support your claim that not more than a year or two ago in most North America you could be fined for growing milkweed. And no support for "environmentalists pushing" for such weed laws.
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Things like "noxious weed acts" which destroy plants that support bumblebee populations. Pushed by environmentalists in big cities to get rid of flowering plants which cause allergies.
[citation needed]
Specifically, you will need to show that the bulk of support for such initiatives comes from environmentalists. Good luck!
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It's been along time (1981) since I wrote my pesticide ticket but it was pretty simple which weeds got on the noxious weed list. Invasive plants that interfered with industry. Things like Siberian Knapweed that devastated the ranchers range land and things like buttercups that fuck with haying and general farming.
Now they've been adding plants like Japanese Knotweed that are very invasive and majorly damage property and then there's that one I can't think of the name of that makes you very photosensitive if
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Since you said most of NA, please list a few examples.
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Since you said most of NA, please list a few examples.
This isn't new news. [nationalgeographic.com] Neither are the fines. [google.ca]
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The Natgeo link doesn't refer to fines at all, and the fine links seem to refer to the same few cases so apparently it isn't a widespread problem
Also the anti-weed ordinances seem to be about "appearance" and weren't supported by actual environmentalists.
So, yet another Mashiki right wing echo chamber strawman argument
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find the nearest wall, and please direct your head at it repeatedly, until all the stupid falls out.
Bald Eagle population, early 20th century": ~500,000, in the lower 48 (wasn't called the lower 48 at time; wasn't even 48 states at the time)
Bald Eagle population, 1950s: 412 nesting pairs in the ENTIRE lower 48 states. Alaska saw similar declines, and so did Canada
Bald Eagle population, late 90s: each state had at least 100 breeding pairs, total population in US est at ~100,000.
Due to biomagnification DDT a
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish. (Score:1)
...errr pollen.
Not so endangered (Score:2)
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Carpenter bees bore into wood. Bumblebees are typically ground dwelling and dig holes in soft soil.
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What if.... (Score:2)
Re:What if.... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:What if.... (Score:4, Funny)
To be fair, they would have to sing "bringing home a baby rusty patched bumblebee..."
Just hope it's not on your property! (Score:2)
Sure you'll go to jail and probably lose your right to vote if you swat at a bee now, but the big thing is you better hope it's not at your house. If an endangered species decides to visit your property, your house becomes property of the bee. You lose all rights to use your property as you need to, because rust bubble bees are far more important than people. Of course that doesn't excuse you from paying the mortgage - you still owe the bank. The EPA isn't going to pay off your mortgage for you, theyv jus
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Ideally, the creatures' presence does not impact you, and you do not affect them, so you can both go about your business as usual. If this is not feasible, then you must relocate them without harming them. There are companies that specialize in this kind of thing, and the place that my wife worked for contracted such a company for their purposes. After the creatures have been evacuated, you are generally permitted to use any passive measures you desire to discourage reincursion. You are categorically *NOT
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unintened consequences (Score:1)
Now when a landowner (farmer) sees any natural beehive they will destroy it quietly and remove all evidence it was there. There is enough history to know that once an endangered species appears on your land it effectively is not your land any more. Nobody is going to take the chance that they now have to grow bee food.
Nobody admits to this of course but SSS applies here in full.
If the EPA is worried about this species of bees not surviving, seed them on every piece of public land in their natural habitat.
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I don't think you understand. The bees don't live IN the actual field, they live AROUND it so you're seeing a problem where there isn't one.
I blame (Score:2)
the Decepticons. They're bringing the Age of Extinction!
This is (Score:1)
A Buzzworthy story.
So what kind of fine do you pay.... (Score:2)
Why are only good animals endangered? (Score:2)
Why can't the mosquito or Lyme disease tick be endangered?
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Because mosquitos and ticks are admired by Monsanto.
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Because mosquitos and ticks are admired by Monsanto.
Unsurprising that the sociopath executives running the joint admire themselves
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I am guessing they could be, actually. It is just that the thing that makes these animals "bad" is their quantity.
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A great question indeed. As a biologist, this would be my guess. Non-parasitic organisms are usually quite specific in their needs, i.e. in terms of what they eat, and habitat needs. Like an honest employee or a businessman would need a civilized society and infrastructure to survive and thrive. On the other hand, animal parasites (e.g. mosquitoes and ticks) are like thieves. They are non-specific and get away easily.
'Bumblebee' on endangered species list (Score:2)
A bit of scientific background here (Score:5, Interesting)
Bumble bees disappearing is alarming, and it could have a number of causes but no one is quite yet sure exactly what is the main cause or if several causes are combining (likely). I've been to several research presentations lately from scientists researching bee health and bee loss. They know that neonics kill bees (they kill lots of insects). But the thing you have to realize is that very few farmers apply neonics as a spray where it kills indiscriminately. Almost all neonic use is in seed treatments that go underground and make the plants toxic to insects that would eat them. Also, bees (but not bumblebees) are doing quite well in areas that have high use of neonic seed treatments, like Alberta.
In other areas the situation is not nearly as good for many bee species. And neonics are suspected to play a role, though neonics are usually not sprayed. What it could be is vacuum planters planting corn and beans are blowing neonic-laced dust into the air which is causing the damage. In Alberta, planting is largely done with air seeders which blow dust into the soil, not the air, where bees are not exposed nearly as much to it.
So things aren't as simple as the comments so far want to make it. Banning of neonic spray does make some sense. But if they were banned outright, to save the food crops farmers will have to spray more insecticides on the plants during the early growth stages, which is ultimately more harmful to everyone. Not only does that kill problem insects, it kills bumble bees and beneficials indiscriminately.
One final comment on habitat loss. This indeed could be contributing. As far as farmland goes, though, very little land is being converted from wild to farming in North America these days. Nearly all habitat loss comes from urban development. So don't go blaming farmers for habitat loss in that regard. As well, the US and Canada has quite large wilderness areas that have never been touched by agriculture, and bumble bees seem to be in decline everywhere. And it could be that climate change is playing as big a role as neonics ever did in this decline.
It's a complicated story. Likely humans play a major role, but how to fix this no on really knows.
Not to worry (Score:1)
Don't worry, this is just the start of the coming unstoppable cascade of ecosystem collapses that will lead to worse and worse effects, including overall destruction of the food supply.
The interlocking domino-effect of multiple large-scale environmental system failures will quickly kill off most plant and animal species, including those in the ocean habitats. It'll happen faster than you think.
Once the tipping point is reached the entire ecosystem will crash- interdependent flora and fauna will die off, mos
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Obsolete truism (Score:2)
In the late 1980s computer power got good enough to model bee wings that flex and they were allowed to fly again.
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Someone finally clued in the bees they are violating the Law of Aerodynamics and they're just dropping out of the sky.
Urban myth, it is well known how they fly, they USE aerodynamics.
http://www.snopes.com/science/... [snopes.com]