The western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis), one of the focal species of the conservation strategy, is currently under review for listing under the Endangered Species Act. This specimen was collected on western mountain aster (Symphyotrichum spathulatum) at a site on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest south of Cle Elum and photographed as part of the Pacific Northwest Bumble Bee Atlas. After recording information about the bee it was released, unharmed. (Photo: Ed Lisowski.)
Am I blind or does this article never actually say what the plan is?
Here’s an idea: require all government buildings to have an apiary and sell honey to cover costs.
Bumblebees are in need of saving in this case and they don’t produce honey, nor would they nest in apiarys. (Actually honeybees are an invasive species driving the extinction of native bumble bees, but that’s not going to go away.)
Bumblebees need people to start gardening with at least 70% native plants in their yards. All new development should require a certain minimum of native plantings, since these bees are often specialists on native plants. We could replace the majority of lawn on public land with native plants. Leave just as much lawn as people actually USE. They’ve simply lost too much habitat to human development, but theres no reason why our habitat cant still be their habitat too. We could also legislate against leaf blowing and/or removal of leaf litter from planting beds, since bumblebees need to nest overwinter under leaves. We can initiate public education programs starting in elementary school teaching kids about the life cycles of native bumble bees, mason bees and carpenter bees…as well as teaching kids how best to create habitat for these animals, and why that’s so important. Putting the western bumble bee on the endangered species list would help the state and advocates protect habitat where these bees live from further development, so that possibility finally being explored is what’s being celebrated in this article.