The American Bumblebee Could be Declared Endangered
The iconic species has declined by nearly 90% over the past two decades. Now, scientists are worried the American Bumblebee could be completely wiped out.
The American bumblebee population has dropped by 89% and could soon be officially listed as endangered, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The agency says that there is “substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned actions may be warranted" and will now conduct a one-year-review, after which the species could become protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)
The review comes in response to a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and an Albany Law School student group called Bombus Pollinator Association of Law Students.
“This is an important first step in preventing the extinction of this fuzzy black-and-yellow beauty that was once a familiar sight,” said Jess Tyler, a Center scientist, and petition co-author. “To survive unchecked threats of disease, habitat loss, and pesticide poisoning, American bumblebees need the full protection of the Endangered Species Act right now.”
The American bumblebee was once common in open prairies, grasslands, and urban areas across most of the U.S. but has now disappeared completely from eight U.S. states - Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Idaho, North Dakota, Oregon, and Wyoming. In New York State, the American bumblebee population has declined by 99%, while in 16 other regions in the southeast and midwest, the species’ population has dropped by more than 50%, according to the CBD.
"The American bumblebee was once the most common bumblebee species in North America, but without immediate action to protect it under the ESA, it will continue its alarming decline towards extinction," the petition authors wrote.
The decline can be attributed to a series of threats, including habitat loss, pesticides, disease, climate change, and competition from (non-native) honeybees, according to the CBD. Pesticides have also reduced the population’s survival and harmed reproduction, as well as bumblebee immune systems. With weakened immune systems, the bees are more vulnerable to diseases that are spread by domesticated bumblebees and honeybee.
The loss of this once-common species could have serious consequences for ecosystems, says CBD, as their varied diet makes them a highly important pollinator, essential for wild plant life as well as for the production of cultivated crops.
The news comes just one week after 22 animals and a plant were removed from the endangered species list because of extinction. They join the list of 650 U.S. species that have likely been lost to extinction.
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