OLYMPIA, Wash. — The buzz of the native bumblebee is in danger of disappearing from the Northwest. Urban expansion and pesticides are among the culprits.
Amateur scientists in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho are now being asked to help create an atlas of the bumblebee before it's too late.
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This lavender bush on the grounds of the State Capitol was abuzz with bumblebees.
"There's at least four or five species of bumblebees in this beautiful patch of lavender," said Ann Potter, a conservation biologist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
She says the docile bumblebee, which, unlike the honeybee, is native to North America, doesn't get the full respect it is due.
"If there was a 'pollinator Olympics,' the bumblebees would get the gold, the silver, and the bronze every year because they're so good at pollinating."
And that pollination is the key to the beauty in the world.
"About 85 percent of the flowering plants in the world rely on insects and primarily on bees," said Potter.
"Bumblebees are these large, fascinating beautiful insects," says Dr. Brandon Hopkins, manager of the Washington State University Apiary Program.
But the bumblebee is under threat, he said, via Skype.
"I think it's safe to say the largest contribution to dwindling honeybee and bumblebee populations, or at least a major factor for sure, is the loss of habitat and forage," he said.
That includes urban expansion, different farming practices like farming to the edge of the roadway, and of course, pesticide use. And the health of the bumblebee and the non-native honeybee is key to growing apples and hundreds of varieties of other crops this state produces.
"We're the number one producer of blueberries for example," said Dr. Hopkins. "And it benefits in a big way from bumblebees and other native pollinators."
Olympia blueberry farmer Tom Carr says he depends on the bees to pollinate his four acre blueberry farm.
"It's like the blueberries are really well suited for the bumblebee," he said.
He still, he had no idea the bumblebee is declining.
"Because we've got a bazillion of them here when things are blooming," Carr said. "It's just like a real busy airport."
To help figure out which species of bumblebees are still buzzing around, citizen scientists are being asked to help create the nation's first-ever bumblebee atlas.
Ann Potter showed how to net the bees.
"There's a bee right down in there," she said, holding the net over a bumblebee. "And then you just do this."
Then she guided the bee into a small vial to be placed in a cooler so it goes to sleep long enough to get a picture. It doesn't hurt the bumblebee.
"Once she gets warmed up," said Potter, "she's going to go back to collecting nectar and pollen to bring back to the nest that her mother started this spring and feed the young little bee larvae that are in there."
And indeed once she warmed up, the bumblebee flew away and went back to work.
The worry is that the bee will sting. But Potter says a bumblebee has to be poked pretty hard to make it sting. So it is pretty safe to work with.
Anyone who wants to help with the region's bumblebee atlas, can find a link at www.kiro7.com.
Cox Media Group
