[Pollinator] 25,000 bumblebees killed, dropping from trees in Wilsonville; pesticide suspected

[Krusac, Dennis -FS]

I don't know about the rest of the country, but it is like Silent Spring in Atlanta.  We don't have bodies to count, but pollinators of all types are almost none existent.  My garden (I use no pesticides) is in full bloom and we had a great spring as far as moisture.  In the past, I would easily have 50 or more bumble bees of various species in the garden at one time.  This spring I've seen 3 bumble bees total in my yard.  Carpenter bees used to be abundant in the garden and also were eating my house down.  This year, 1.  1 eastern tiger swallowtail.  Zero black swallowtails, monarchs, skipper, digger wasps, leafcutter bees, honey bees, and all my butterfly host plants have not been touched.  Leave a light on at night and moths are almost nonexistent.

I was at the Atlanta Botanical Garden yesterday and asked their research folks about pollinators at the garden and they said pollinators of all types are down significantly.  Their host plants have no caterpillars on them.  Two weeks ago I was in DC and walked through the Smithsonian pollinator garden morning and afternoon for 3 days.  Seven bumble bees, 2 carpenter bees, and 6 bees I couldn't identify.  That was it.  Not a single butterfly.  Large patches of milkweed and fennel were untouched.  I talked with two folks from the Smithsonian insect program in the garden one afternoon and they didn't know what was going on with the lack of pollinators.  They actually were talking about having to bring caterpillars down from the rearing facility so the public could see them in the garden.

Certainly hope someone somewhere is having a better spring then we are.

Dennis L. Krusac, Certified Wildlife Biologist
Endangered species Specialist
USDA Forest Service
1720 Peachtree Road, NW, Suite 816 N
Atlanta, GA 30309
404-347-4338 (office)
404-660-4377 (cell)
404-347-4154 (fax)



From: pollinator-bounces+dkrusac=fs.fed.us at lists.sonic.net [mailto:pollinator-bounces+dkrusac=fs.fed.us at lists.sonic.net] On Behalf Of Scott Black
Sent: Wednesday, June 19, 2013 11:53 PM
To: 'Pollinator Listserv'
Subject: [Pollinator] 25,000 bumblebees killed, dropping from trees in Wilsonville; pesticide suspected

[oregonlive.com]
25,000 bumblebees killed, dropping from trees in Wilsonville; pesticide suspected
[http://imgick.oregonlive.com/home/olive-media/pgmain/img/oregonian/photo/2013/06/-b09b23f5af8d51ac.JPG]

Elizabeth Case, The Oregonian By Elizabeth Case, The Oregonian
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on June 19, 2013 at 4:24 PM, updated June 19, 2013 at 8:01 PM
An estimated 25,000 bumblebees have been found dead in a Target parking lot in Wilsonville since Saturday, the largest known incident of bumblebee deaths in the United States, according to the Xerces Society. Preliminary information suggests pesticides may be at fault.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture received reports of bees and other insects falling out of 55 blooming European linden trees Monday from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
The bees were still dying on Wednesday. Yellow-faced bees fell from the trees, twitching on their backs or wandering in tight circles on the asphalt. Some honeybees and ladybugs were also found dead. A few dead bumblebees even clung to linden flowers, while hundreds littered the lot.
Dan Hilburn, director of plant programs at the state Agriculture Department, surveyed the damage after an earlier assessment from pesticide experts.
"I've never encountered anything quite like it in 30 years in the business," he said Wednesday outside the Argyle Square Target.
Hilburn said initial findings indicate the trees were sprayed Saturday with an insecticide called Safari. Tests to confirm what killed the bees will take at least two or three days, department officials said. The department of agriculture is also investigating other possible culprits, which may include other pesticides used in the surrounding area.
Safari is part of the neonicotinoid pesticide family. When it is sprayed on a plant, the leaves, flowers and nectar become toxic to almost all insects. The product's label on the distributor's website warns it is "highly toxic" to bees and tells applicators not to apply it "if bees are visiting the area."
"Bumblebees are the single most important natural pollinator in Oregon," said Mace Vaughan, pollinator program director for Xerces.
They play a crucial role in pollinating berries, flowers and other plants. The decline of the honeybee, whose populations have been decimated by Colony Collapse Disorder, has received much attention, but bumblebee populations are decreasing as well.
Elliot Associates Inc., the company that rents and manages the Argyle Square land, did not respond to multiple calls by The Oregonian. The landscapers that care for the grounds couldn't be reached for comment.
The Agriculture Department is working with the Xerces Society to help mitigate any further insect deaths at Argyle Square. As precautionary moves, they are considering either putting up netting around the trees, stripping off flowers and leaves or finding non-toxic repellents to keep bees and insects from eating the leaves or nectar.
Dale Mitchell, pesticide compliance program manager for the state agriculture department, said if test show pesticide is the culprit, the department will assess if the company responsible violated any state or federal laws, and if so, the severity of those violations. Fines for pesticide regulation infractions can range from $1000 to $10,000.
The bumblebee deaths marked an inauspicious start to National Pollinator Week, which runs through June 23.
-- Elizabeth Case

(c) 2013 OregonLive.com. All rights reserved.


_______

Scott Hoffman Black
Executive Director
     The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Chair
     IUCN Butterfly Specialist Group

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
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