IUCN Red List: Bees Threatened

Jan 28, 2021

Bees are a lifeline for our ecosystems. As pollinators bees are critical to the survival of plant species. While some plants are self-pollinating or fertilized by pollen carried by wind or water many plants rely on insects (such as bees butterflies moths beetles and wasps) and other small animals (such as birds and bats) for pollination.  Of these pollinators the bee is among the most important. Many bee species and a few species of wasps intentionally harvest pollen and nectar to feed their colony.[1] None of these pollinators deliberately pollinate flowers; instead it is the unintended result of their travels in search of food.

 

Bees Threatened 

North America has over 4400 species of bees[2] that pollinate wildflowers and food crops alongside other pollinators. Of these 28% of bumble bee species are in the IUCN Threatened Category while 50% of leafcutter and 27% mason bee species are classified as “at risk”.[3] The threats they face can vary among species though the most common are habitat destruction due to residential commercial and agricultural development; severe weather and climate change; pollution; and invasive species bringing excessive competition disease and parasites.[4] 

The chart below shows the number of at-risk species in the Hymenoptera order (bees wasps ants and sawflies): 29% of global species are either Critically Endangered Endangered or Vulnerable. Due to the incredible number of Hymenoptera species roughly 50.3% lack assessment data.[5] 

 

Bees and other pollinators are responsible for assisting the reproduction of 80% of the world’s flowering plants.[6] This includes the important crops we depend on for food like fruits vegetables nuts herbs and spices as well as feed for cattle and other livestock.[7] Pollinating is not the only ecological service these animals provide. Healthy ecosystems rely on pollinators to aid their growth which in turn stabilizes soil filters air pollution supplies oxygen and supports a rich biodiversity of wildlife.[1] 

Ecological health directly impacts our society as well. Healthy economies are built on healthy ecosystems. Honey bees “contributed to over $19 billion of crop production in 2010” in just the United States while “other insect pollinators contributed to nearly $10 billion of crop production.”[1] That’s a total of $29 billion of work our pollinators do for free! 

Effie Yeaw Nature Center

The Nature Study Area isn’t just a home for deer turkey coyote and other animals but for native pollinators as well. In addition to the approximately 100 acres of protected wild space the Effie Yeaw Nature Center maintains several small native gardens to provide food host plants and shelter to local pollinators such as butterflies. Our Butterfly Garden in particular showcases a variety of native drought-tolerant wildflowers and plants that attract pollinating insects. You can learn more about our Butterfly Garden the importance of native landscaping and a list of plants we use in our native gardens here.

The Effie Yeaw Nature Center is also a popular site for the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP) citizen science effort coordinated by the University of Minnesota involving volunteers all across the United States and Canada in monarch butterfly research.[8] The EYNC staff and volunteers maintain a few small plots of showy milkweed dedicated to supporting local monarch butterfly populations. As the monarch’s host plant milkweed is incredibly vital to their reproduction. It is the only plant where monarch butterflies lay their eggs and that their caterpillars can eat. Our MLMP volunteers visit these plots to monitor monarch eggs larva and caterpillar and then share this data online to the MLMP database where it is used by researchers and conservation managers to implement plans that protect monarchs and their habitat. 

Mary K. Hanson one of our MLMP volunteers details her experience monitoring monarchs on her blog. You can read it here!

 

How Can You Help? 

Join the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project! Become a citizen scientist and help support important projects like monitoring monarch populations. You can learn more about MLMP and how to participate here or check out their website

Create your own native garden! Use pollinator-friendly plants and flowers local to your area. Be sure to plant a variety of native plant species that have staggered bloom times from spring to fall. Reduce or eliminate pesticide use to create a healthy little habitat for our pollinators. 

Support local beekeepers and eat honey! Love honey? Buying local raw honey supports local beekeepers and their bees which in turn supports bee populations and overall environmental health. It also tastes better and is healthier for you! 

Buy sustainable pesticide-free produce if you can! By reducing consumptions of produce farmed with pesticide and fertilizer you can directly help by decreasing the amount of chemical contamination that effects many pollinator species. 

Donate to conservation and environmental non-profit organizations! If you’re able donate what you can to non-profits who preserve and safeguard habitats and wildlife like MLMP the IUCN local wildlife rehabilitation facilities and us the Effie Yeaw Nature Center. And remember you can donate both financially and by volunteering! 

 

References 

[1] "What Is a Pollinator?" National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. Web. 27 Jan. 2021.

[2] Join the Conversation about Native Bees. San Francisco: Pollinator Partnership 2010. Web. 27 Jan. 2021.

[3] "Wild Bee Conservation." Wild Bee Conservation | Xerces Society. Web. 27 Jan. 2021.

[4] Sarina Jepsen (IUCN SSC Bumblebee Specialist Group) Sheila Colla (North American Bumblebee Assessments) Portland Richard Hatfield (The Xerces Society Davis Robbin Thorp (University of California and Leif Richardson. "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species – Crotch bumble bee threats." IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 19 Aug. 2014. Web. 27 Jan. 2021.

[5] "IUCN Red List – Bee Stats." IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021. Web. 27 Jan. 2021.

[6] "U.S. Forest Service – Pollinators." Forest Service Shield. Web. 27 Jan. 2021.

[7] "Bees as Pollinators: Arkansas Pollinators." Bees as Pollinators | Arkansas Pollinators. Web. 27 Jan. 2021.

[8]  Web. 27 Jan. 2021. "Monarch Larva Monitoring Project."MJV News RSS. 

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