The first Endangered Species of bee has been named in the United States. There are supposedly a number of reasons why the bumblebees are disappearing, and their loss could significantly harm both agriculture and business in the United States. That said, there are already efforts being put into play to reverse the current population trend of the bee.
The number of states the bee is known to live in has also been decreasing
The bee in danger of becoming extinct has been identified as the Rusty Patched Bumblebee and is the first bee native to the United States to be in this situation. Colonies of the bumblebee have diminished by nearly 90 percent since the 1990's. Having once flourished in over half of the United States, as well as in parts of southern Canada, the bumblebees are only known to currently live in thirteen states. These states include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin, in addition to at least one Canadian province.
Reportedly, proposals to list the bee as being close to extinction were being processed as early as September 2016.
Eric Lee-Mäder, who serves as the pollinator program co-director at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, has warned that the lessening number of bees can be harmful to plant-life in the United States. In addition to wildflowers, he reported that crops of “squash, melon, blueberry, cranberry, clover, greenhouse tomato and greenhouse pepper” throughout North America could be harmed by the loss of the bees, who are needed for pollination. In addition, the loss of these crops can also cause financial issues for the United States.
Why this is happening and what can be done to stop the trend?
Serina Jepson, who serves as director of Endangered Species and Aquatic Programs for the Xerces Society, said that disease and pesticides were likely the two biggest reasons for the lessening numbers. Reportedly, insecticide and its widespread use may also likely be an issue. That said, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has said that they are currently unaware of what could be causing the bees to become endangered.
In a released statement, Lee-Mäder said that the agricultural community have been helping to protect the remaining number of the bees, as well as trying to preserve the natural habitat of the bees. Ultimately, it was said that "providing a landscape" in urban and rural places, including efforts from "private residents" will play a large part in saving the bee.