From inouye at umd.edu Sun Apr 1 20:10:44 2007 From: inouye at umd.edu (David Inouye) Date: Sun, 01 Apr 2007 23:10:44 -0400 Subject: [Pollinator] Bombus impatiens Message-ID: <200704020310.CQQ63935@md0.mail.umd.edu> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070401/8663e2de/attachment.html From ascher at amnh.org Mon Apr 2 11:52:38 2007 From: ascher at amnh.org (John S. Ascher) Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2007 14:52:38 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Pollinator] Bombus "impatiens" In-Reply-To: <200704020310.CQQ63935@md0.mail.umd.edu> References: <200704020310.CQQ63935@md0.mail.umd.edu> Message-ID: <1909.74.73.8.51.1175539958.squirrel@webmail.amnh.org> The photo on p. 38, the title page of the Ecological Risk Analysis, is of Bombus (Separatobombus) griseocollis, not the intended Bombus (Pyrobombus) impatiens. Liz Day brought this obvious misidentification to my attention. Note the low position of the ocelli, uniformly and deeply infuscated wings, brownish subappressed hairs on the basal terga, uniformly short and dense yellowish hairs on the unworn portion of the anterior scutum, etc. In Bombus impatiens, the lateral ocelli are distinctly below the supraorbital line; the wings are not uniformly or deeply infuscated; pale hairs on the basal terga are present only on T1 and these are elongate, erect, and never brownish; and the hairs of the anterior scutum are more elongate, not as dense, and a different shade of grayish-yellow. Numerous correctly identified photos of both species are available online at www.discoverlife.org, www.bugguide.net, and elsewhere. At discoverlife.org keys and full descriptions are also available. The exotic endoparasites of Bombus are somewhat more difficult to identify. > > > This paper is available online at > eudora="autourl"> > www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/pe/pdfs/CEQA_BumbleBee.pdf >

> Sullivan, Joseph P. 2006. An ecological risk analysis for the use of > Bombus impatiens for pollination of field crops in California. > Submitted to Koppert Biological Systems. > > > _______________________________________________ > Pollinator mailing list > Pollinator at lists.sonic.net > http://lists.sonic.net/mailman/listinfo/pollinator > -- John S. Ascher, Ph.D. Bee Database Project Manager Division of Invertebrate Zoology American Museum of Natural History Central Park West @ 79th St. New York, NY 10024-5192 work phone: 212-496-3447 mobile phone: 917-407-0378 From Ladadams at aol.com Tue Apr 3 12:06:39 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2007 15:06:39 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] NewsHour on CCD/Bees TONIGHT Message-ID: A segment on CCD is on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer tonight. The segment, which will be 9 minutes and 51 seconds, will be on about halfway into the hour. Laurie Davies Adams Executive Director Coevolution Institute 423 Washington St. 5th San Francisco, CA 94111 415 362 1137 LDA at coevolution.org _http://www.coevolution.org/_ (http://www.coevolution.org/) _http://www.pollinator.org/_ (http://www.pollinator.org/) _http://www.nappc.org/_ (http://www.nappc.org/) Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week: June 24-30, 2007. Contact us for more information at www.pollinator.org Our future flies on the wings of pollinators. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070403/0e3d4818/attachment.html From jt at coevolution.org Tue Apr 3 13:58:51 2007 From: jt at coevolution.org (Jennifer Tsang) Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2007 13:58:51 -0700 Subject: [Pollinator] Quality Hive Products & Pollinator Care Message-ID: <004901c77632$e2e06e70$4606000a@COV102> Here is a recent article about Quality Hive Products & Pollinator Care. -Peter Kevan -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: JAR Quality 2007 46159-64.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 61261 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070403/f89d7e80/attachment-0001.pdf From Ladadams at aol.com Tue Apr 3 15:08:54 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2007 18:08:54 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Flowers and pollinators Message-ID: Flowers shape themselves to guide their pollinators to the pollen Why do flowers specialize on different pollinators? For example, both bats and hummingbirds pollinate plants in tropical forests; why adapt to just one instead of using both? Biologists often assume that tradeoffs contribute to such specialization (the jack of all pollinators is master of none), yet surprisingly little evidence exists in support of this idea. Nathan Muchhala from the University of Miami explored pollinator specialization through experiments with bats, hummingbirds, and artificial flowers in cloudforests of Ecuador. In a study published in the April issue of the American Naturalist, he reports that the fit between flower and pollinator is key: bats pollinate wide flowers better, while hummingbirds transfer more pollen between narrow flowers. Videotaping demonstrated that a poor fit fails to correctly guide the pollinator while feeding. This tradeoff in adapting to bats vs. hummingbirds is strong enough to favor specialization on one or the other. Nathan says, "While all leaves tend to look similar, flowers come in a spectacular variety of shapes and colors. This study suggests tradeoffs in adapting to different pollinators may have played an important role in the evolution of such diversity." Source: University of Chicago Laurie Davies Adams Executive Director Coevolution Institute 423 Washington St. 5th San Francisco, CA 94111 415 362 1137 LDA at coevolution.org _http://www.coevolution.org/_ (http://www.coevolution.org/) _http://www.pollinator.org/_ (http://www.pollinator.org/) _http://www.nappc.org/_ (http://www.nappc.org/) Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week: June 24-30, 2007. Contact us for more information at www.pollinator.org Our future flies on the wings of pollinators. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070403/001d413f/attachment.html From km at coevolution.org Tue Apr 3 15:30:05 2007 From: km at coevolution.org (Kat McGuire) Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2007 15:30:05 -0700 Subject: [Pollinator] Help Your State With Pollinators! Message-ID: <3d6c01c7763f$a1d904c0$3c06000a@cov002> Keep up the good work! Your efforts have resulted in five states declaring Pollinator Week including Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, and Michigan. Most states require that one of their citizens make the request for an official declaration of a statewide event. Please take a moment to sign and e-mail the letter below to your governor. We've included the e-mail address for each state's Governor at http://www.pollinator.org/Governors.htm and a sample letter below. Please do this no later than next week! Your effort is making International Pollinator Week a great success! Thank you. Kat McGuire Development and Communication Coordinator Coevolution Institute 423 Washington Street, 5th floor San Francisco, CA 94111-2339 415.362.1137 phone 415.362.3070 fax km at coevolution.org www.coevolution.org www.nappc.org www.pollinator.org ********************************************************************************************************** April 3, 2007 The Honorable XXXXXXX Office of the Governor Address City, State, Zip Dear Governor XXX: As a citizen of this state, I would like to take this opportunity to request a proclamation for 'Pollinator Week' the week of June 24 through 30, 2007. The Coevolution Institute has already sent in a request with a variety of information that explains the plight of the declining number of pollinating animals, which are vital to our food supply and a key to sustainability in our world. With growing concern for pollinators, the United States Senate unanimously approved Resolution 580, which designates June 24 through June 30, 2007, as 'National Pollinator Week.' This was preceded by a proclamation by US Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns also declaring June 24-30 to be National Pollinator Week. I am writing to ask for your support in helping protect pollinating animals by declaring 'Pollinator Week' June 24 to June 30, 2007 to coincide with what has grown to be an international celebration of pollinating animals including bees, birds, butterflies, bats, beetles and others. Pollinators are vital to our ecosystems and to supporting terrestrial wildlife, providing healthy watershed, and providing significant benefits to the agriculture. Please consider joining Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, and Michigan, which have already declared Pollinator Week a statewide event, in this movement to support pollinators. Your consideration and your help are greatly appreciated. Thank you. Sincerely, Your Name -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070403/cd405c94/attachment-0001.html From Ladadams at aol.com Tue Apr 3 15:29:39 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2007 18:29:39 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Coscaron Book Released:Neotropical Simuliidae (Diptera: Insecta) Message-ID: JUST RELEASED: TITLE: Neotropical Simuliidae (Diptera: Insecta) AUTHORS: Coscaron, S & CL Coscaron Arias Pensoft Publishers, Sofia-Moscow, Aquatic Biodiversity of Latin America (ABLA Series), ISSN 1312-7276. Volume 3, ISBN 978-954-642-293-4, 165x240, many figures, keys, index, bibliography, in English, keys also in Spanish, 700 pp., hardback. Price EURO 125.00 This book is unique in coverage, summarizing all available information concerning the American simuliid fauna south of the United States. It also includes morphological diagnoses of females, males, pupae and larvae, as well as keys (in English and Spanish), illustrations of characters, mapped distributions, and bionomics. This region appears to support 359 species grouped in two tribes, 12 genera and 18 subgenera. The description of each taxon is provided with a list of the available literature, as well as all other relevant information. The book is addressed to taxonomists, limnologists, ecologists, veterinarians and biologists in general. Cover, table of contents and sample pages at: http://pensoft.net/newreleases/13750.1htm Ordering at orders at pensoft.net or pensoft at mbox.infotel.bg or fax +359-2-8704282 or phone +359-2-8704281 or through www.pensoft.net Laurie Davies Adams Executive Director Coevolution Institute 423 Washington St. 5th San Francisco, CA 94111 415 362 1137 LDA at coevolution.org _http://www.coevolution.org/_ (http://www.coevolution.org/) _http://www.pollinator.org/_ (http://www.pollinator.org/) _http://www.nappc.org/_ (http://www.nappc.org/) Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week: June 24-30, 2007. Contact us for more information at www.pollinator.org Our future flies on the wings of pollinators. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070403/c0cdb55f/attachment-0001.html From mdshepherd at xerces.org Wed Apr 4 10:23:54 2007 From: mdshepherd at xerces.org (Matthew Shepherd (Xerces Society)) Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2007 10:23:54 -0700 Subject: [Pollinator] Bombus impatiens In-Reply-To: <200704020309.BYB20947@md2.mail.umd.edu> References: <200704020309.BYB20947@md2.mail.umd.edu> Message-ID: <200704041023540015.0074EFE9@smtp.integra.net> I think it is worth pointing out that the paper on Bombus impatiens that David highlighted was one part of a proposal by Koppert Biological Systems, Inc. to allow release of B. impatiens into California for open field pollination. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) published a Notice of Intent to adopt a Negative Declaration -- i.e., that the release of the non-native bumble bee will have no impact on the environment -- and the associated initial study under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The initial study included Joseph Sullivan's paper as an appendix. This proposal was released for public comment in December of last year, and many organizations and individuals from across North America submitted comments by the late-January deadline. The comments from CoEvolution Institute were especially strong and a good model for others. In brief, the Xerces Society opposed importation of Bombus impatiens, due to the many ecological risks and unknown outcomes of importing this bee. We strongly disagreed with the finding that the prescribed risk mitigation measures adequately addressed the significant ecological risks associated with importation, and believe that the proposed mitigation measures were fraught with vulnerabilities and should not be relied upon as a basis for allowing the importation of B. impatiens. The Society urged the CDFA Division of Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services not to approve the requested permit for importing Bombus impatiens. We believe that there should instead be a focus on the ongoing effort to identify and commercialize bee species that are native to California. Robbin Thorp contributed greatly to our comments and we received good information from several other researchers, including Sarah Greenleaf and Cory Sheffield. We thank them and everyone else who assisted. Our complete comments can be download as a PDF file from our web site, www.xerces.org. Numerous people and organizations signed on to the Society's comments. In addition to Scott and myself, the signatories included: Robbin Thorp, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, University of California, Davis Claire Kremen, Ph.D, Asst. Prof of Arthropod Biodiversity, University of California, Berkeley Sarah S. Greenleaf, Ph.D., postdoctoral scientist, Department of Plant Pathology, University of California-Davis Jim Lyon, Senior Vice-President, National Wildlife Federation, Washington D.C. Gabriela Chavarria, Ph.D., Director, Science Center, Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington, D.C. Kim Delfino, California Program Director, Defenders of Wildlife, Sacramento, CA Cory S. Sheffield, Ph.D, Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, CN Gordon Frankie, Ph.D, University of California, Berkeley Peter F. Brussard, Ph.D., Department of Biology, University of Nevada Reno John Losey, Ph.D., Professor of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY Boris C. Kondratieff, Ph.D., Professor of Entomology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO Vance Russell, Landowner Stewardship Program, Audubon California, Winters, CA Amanda Jorgenson, Executive Director, California Native Plant Society, Sacramento Kieran Suckling, Executive Director, Center For Biological Diversity, Tucson Dan Silver, Executive Director, Endangered Habitats League, Los Angeles, CA Emily B. Roberson, Native Plant Conservation Campaign, San Francisco, CA Michael Klein, Entomologist, Klein-Edwards Professional Services Scott Thomas, Conservation Director, Sea and Sage Audubon, Irvine, CA Jess Morton, Treasurer, Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society, Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA Daniel R. Patterson, ecologist, Tucson AZ Dave Werntz, Science and Conservation Director, Conservation Northwest, Bellingham, WA Robert S. Jacobson, M.S., Entomologist, Lenoir, NC, San Diego, CA Erin Robertson, Senior Staff Biologist, Center for Native Ecosystems, Denver, CO. As a foot note, thanks to the efforts of everyone who submitted comments, it looks like the release of impatiens will not be allowed at this stage. CDFA has yet to officially respond to the submitted comments but the feeling is that the Negative Declaration will not be issued. The large number of submissions against the release and the significance of the issues raised in these submissions will likely mean a more detailed and extensive Environmental Impact Report will be required under CEQA. Matthew PS. My apologies to those people who are getting this email twice. I posted to both the Pollinator and Bombus lists. ______________________________________________________ The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation The Xerces Society is an international nonprofit organization that protects the diversity of life through invertebrate conservation. To join the Society, make a contribution, or read about our work, please visit www.xerces.org. Matthew Shepherd Director, Pollinator Conservation Program 4828 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland, OR 97215, USA Tel: 503-232 6639 Cell: 503-807 1577 Fax: 503-233 6794 Email: mdshepherd at xerces.org ______________________________________________________ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070404/14d4620e/attachment.html From mdshepherd at xerces.org Wed Apr 4 11:11:22 2007 From: mdshepherd at xerces.org (Matthew Shepherd (Xerces Society)) Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2007 11:11:22 -0700 Subject: [Pollinator] Christian Science Monitor -- What's happening to the bees? Message-ID: <200704041111220921.00A06874@smtp.integra.net> from the April 04, 2007 edition - http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0404/p13s01-sten.html What's happening to the bees? Suddenly, the bees farmers and growers rely on are vanishing. Researchers are scrambling to find out why. By Moises Velasquez-Manoff | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Beekeeper James Doan first began finding empty hives last fall. Entire bee colonies seemed to have up and vanished, leaving their honey behind. Noting the unusually wet fall in Hamlin, N.Y., he blamed the weather. Unable to forage in the rain, the bees probably starved, he reasoned. But when deserted hives began appearing daily, "we knew it was something different," he says. Now, at the beginning of the 2007 pollination season, more than half of his 4,300 hives are gone. "I'm just about ready to give up," says Mr. Doan from his honeybee wintering site in Ft. Meade, Fla. "I'm not sure I can survive." The cause of the die-offs has yet to be determined. Its effect on the food supply may be significant. Longer-term, it may also force a rethinking of some agricultural practices including our heavy reliance on human-managed bees for pollination. Scientists call it "colony collapse disorder" (CCD). First reported in Florida last fall, the problem has since spread to 24 states. Commercial beekeepers are reporting losses of between 50 and 90 percent, an unprecedented amount even for an industry accustomed to die-offs. Many worry that what's shaping up to be a honeybee catastrophe will disrupt the food supply. While staple crops like wheat and corn are pollinated by wind, some 90 cultivated flowering crops ? from almonds and apples to cranberries and watermelons ? rely heavily on honeybees trucked in for pollinization. Honeybees pollinate every third bite of food ingested by Americans, says a Cornell study. Bees help generate some $14 billion in produce. Research is only beginning and hard data is still lacking, but beekeepers suspect everything from a new virus or parasite to pesticides and genetically modified crops. Scientists have hastily established a CCD working group at Pennsylvania State University. Last week, the US House of Representatives' Committee on Agriculture held hearings on the missing bees. For many entomologists, the bee crisis is a wake-up call. By relying on a single species for pollination, US agriculture has put itself in a precarious position, they say. A resilient agricultural system requires diverse pollinators. This speaks to a larger conservation issue. Some evidence indicates a decline in the estimated 4,500 potential alternate pollinators ? native species of butterflies, wasps. and other bees. The blame for that sits squarely on human activity ? habitat loss, pesticide use, and imported disease ? but much of this could be offset by different land-use practices. Moving away from monoculture, say scientists, and having something always flowering within bee-distance, would help natural pollinators. This would make crops less dependent on trucked-in bees, which have proved to be vulnerable to die-offs. The stress on honeybees grew as native and wild pollinators diminished and farmers came to rely more on honeybees. We've put "all of our pollination eggs in the honeybee basket," says Mace Vaughan, conservation director of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation in Portland, Ore. "We need more baskets." An immune-system disorder? Meanwhile, beekeepers are seeing hives empty in a matter of weeks, sometimes days. The entire adult bee population vanishes, except for a few juveniles. This makes CCD difficult to study. "You have a crime scene, you know a crime happened here, but you don't really have evidence," says Medhat Nasr, provincial apiculturalist in Alberta, Canada. Eerily, the stored honey in the hive remains untouched. Raiding bees from nearby colonies never materialize, as is common. Records of suddenly empty hives go back as far as the late 1800s, but never on this scale. Beekeepers dubbed it "autumn collapse," "spring dwindle," or "disappearing disease." But Dennis vanEngelsdorp, the acting Penn State apiarist, calls this manifestation the AIDS of bees. The remaining juvenile bees appear to be rife with disease. To him, "It's clear that there is an immune suppression," he says. What might suppress a bee's immune system is anyone's guess. But many ascribe to a tipping-point theory: A variety of factors may have accumulated until a single straw finally broke the bee's back. A review of honeybee history shows many suspects. The Varroa mite, native to Asia, came to North America in the late 1980s. Since then, yearly losses of between 15 and 20 percent have become the norm. "Before the mites, you could be a bee-have-er," says Mr. vanEngelsdorp. "Now you have to be a bee-keep-er." Beekeepers are the first to acknowledge the stress of migratory pollination. Carted on flatbed trucks from wintering sites in the South, the bees crisscross the continent, first to California's almond groves, which rely entirely on honeybees for pollination, and then northward throughout the country, following the spring flowering season. Farmers have come to rely increasingly on honeybee services, says May Berenbaum, head of the department of entomology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. "Given its economic importance, beekeeping really hasn't gotten the attention it deserves," she says. Poor nutrition may be another factor, says Mr. Vaughan. To prepare them for winter, bees are fed high-fructose corn syrup and protein supplements. In the fields they've pollinated, meanwhile, more often than not they've gathered only one kind of pollen. Maybe, like other animals, they need a diverse diet, he says. "If you only ate McDonald's every day, you'd be just like that guy in 'Super Size Me,' " he says. "And he didn't feel that good." Others, like Doan, suspect pesticides. Similar problem in 1990s France In the 1990s, France experienced a precipitous honeybee decline from "mad bee disease." Honey production dropped by nearly one-third, to 25,000 tons. French beekeepers blamed a newly introduced pesticide marketed under the name Gaucho. From the same family as nicotine, the chemical targeted aphids' navigational systems. And when the honeybees weren't finding their way home, either, French beekeepers protested. The French government banned the product in 1999. Though subsequent studies haven't found a strong link, bee populations still haven't rebounded to previous levels. Others point to genetically modified crops ? specifically, those with a gene for a bacterial toxin called Bt. Initial studies indicated that it didn't affect bees. But some beekeepers argue the trials didn't last long enough to determine the long-term effects. (Doan says the same about the nicotinelike pesticides.) A German study supports this. Scientists at the University of Jena found that while Bt food had no direct effect on bees, when fed to bee populations infected with parasites, they quickly became diseased. Alone, Bt may do nothing. But in the presence of a parasite, it may facilitate infection. "Maybe these toxins weaken the immune system," says John McDonald, a retired biologist and hobby apiculturalist in Spring Mills, Pa., who wrote an editorial on the topic for the San Francisco Chronicle But the shrinking of our so-called "pollination portfolio" is of more concern to many entomologists than a die-off in commercial beehives. A 2006 National Academy of Sciences report declared that there was "direct evidence for decline of some pollinator species in North America" ? species responsible for pollinating three-quarters of flowering plants. Europeans have documented a parallel decline in their natural pollinators for years. On the US East Coast, where a more ecologically diverse farming landscape enhances species diversity, studies have shown that wild pollinators were doing about 90 percent of the pollinating anyway, says Neal Williams, an assistant professor of biology at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. "It seems a little bit silly from a whole-country perspective, even from a farmer perspective, that we would place so much emphasis on one species. We don't do that with any other part of the economy," he says. Meanwhile, a Canadian study suggests that if canola farmers leave 30 percent of their land fallow, they will increase their yields. Wild land provides habitat for native pollinators, improving pollination and increasing the number of seeds. "If we cultivate all the land, we lose ecosystem services like pollination," says Lora Morandin, lead author on the study. "Healthy, sustainable agricultural systems need to include natural land." ______________________________________________________ The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation The Xerces Society is an international nonprofit organization that protects the diversity of life through invertebrate conservation. To join the Society, make a contribution, or read about our work, please visit www.xerces.org. Matthew Shepherd Director, Pollinator Conservation Program 4828 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland, OR 97215, USA Tel: 503-232 6639 Cell: 503-807 1577 Fax: 503-233 6794 Email: mdshepherd at xerces.org ______________________________________________________ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070404/5b152916/attachment-0001.html From Ladadams at aol.com Wed Apr 4 12:32:58 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2007 15:32:58 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Fwd: Bombus impatiens Message-ID: Great summary, Matthew. Thank you so much the great update. Also wanted to mention that NAPPC partners from Mexico and Canada contributed letters against the release of Bombus impatiens in California. This has been a solid team effort, and it looks as if we will need to be ready to revisit this issue in the future. Laurie In a message dated 4/4/2007 10:31:29 AM Pacific Daylight Time, mdshepherd at xerces.org writes: I think it is worth pointing out that the paper on Bombus impatiens that David highlighted was one part of a proposal by Koppert Biological Systems, Inc. to allow release of B. impatiens into California for open field pollination. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) published a Notice of Intent to adopt a Negative Declaration -- i.e., that the release of the non-native bumble bee will have no impact on the environment -- and the associated initial study under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The initial study included Joseph Sullivan's paper as an appendix. This proposal was released for public comment in December of last year, and many organizations and individuals from across North America submitted comments by the late-January deadline. The comments from CoEvolution Institute were especially strong and a good model for others. In brief, the Xerces Society opposed importation of Bombus impatiens, due to the many ecological risks and unknown outcomes of importing this bee. We strongly disagreed with the finding that the prescribed risk mitigation measures adequately addressed the significant ecological risks associated with importation, and believe that the proposed mitigation measures were fraught with vulnerabilities and should not be relied upon as a basis for allowing the importation of B. impatiens. The Society urged the CDFA Division of Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services not to approve the requested permit for importing Bombus impatiens. We believe that there should instead be a focus on the ongoing effort to identify and commercialize bee species that are native to California. Robbin Thorp contributed greatly to our comments and we received good information from several other researchers, including Sarah Greenleaf and Cory Sheffield. We thank them and everyone else who assisted. Our complete comments can be download as a PDF file from our web site, _http://www.xerces.org/_ (http://www.xerces.org/) . Numerous people and organizations signed on to the Society's comments. In addition to Scott and myself, the signatories included: Robbin Thorp, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, University of California, Davis Claire Kremen, Ph.D, Asst. Prof of Arthropod Biodiversity, University of California, Berkeley Sarah S. Greenleaf, Ph.D., postdoctoral scientist, Department of Plant Pathology, University of California-Davis Jim Lyon, Senior Vice-President, National Wildlife Federation, Washington D.C. Gabriela Chavarria, Ph.D., Director, Science Center, Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington, D.C. Kim Delfino, California Program Director, Defenders of Wildlife, Sacramento, CA Cory S. Sheffield, Ph.D, Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, CN Gordon Frankie, Ph.D, University of California, Berkeley Peter F. Brussard, Ph.D., Department of Biology, University of Nevada Reno John Losey, Ph.D., Professor of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY Boris C. Kondratieff, Ph.D., Professor of Entomology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO Vance Russell, Landowner Stewardship Program, Audubon California, Winters, CA Amanda Jorgenson, Executive Director, California Native Plant Society, Sacramento Kieran Suckling, Executive Director, Center For Biological Diversity, Tucson Dan Silver, Executive Director, Endangered Habitats League, Los Angeles, CA Emily B. Roberson, Native Plant Conservation Campaign, San Francisco, CA Michael Klein, Entomologist, Klein-Edwards Professional Services Scott Thomas, Conservation Director, Sea and Sage Audubon, Irvine, CA Jess Morton, Treasurer, Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society, Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA Daniel R. Patterson, ecologist, Tucson AZ Dave Werntz, Science and Conservation Director, Conservation Northwest, Bellingham, WA Robert S. Jacobson, M.S., Entomologist, Lenoir, NC, San Diego, CA Erin Robertson, Senior Staff Biologist, Center for Native Ecosystems, Denver, CO. As a foot note, thanks to the efforts of everyone who submitted comments, it looks like the release of impatiens will not be allowed at this stage. CDFA has yet to officially respond to the submitted comments but the feeling is that the Negative Declaration will not be issued. The large number of submissions against the release and the significance of the issues raised in these submissions will likely mean a more detailed and extensive Environmental Impact Report will be required under CEQA. Matthew PS. My apologies to those people who are getting this email twice. I posted to both the Pollinator and Bombus lists. ______________________________________________________ The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation The Xerces Society is an international nonprofit organization that protects the diversity of life through invertebrate conservation. To join the Society, make a contribution, or read about our work, please visit _http://www.xerces.org/_ (http://www.xerces.org/) . Matthew Shepherd Director, Pollinator Conservation Program 4828 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland, OR 97215, USA Tel: 503-232 6639 Cell: 503-807 1577 Fax: 503-233 6794 Email: _mdshepherd at xerces.org_ (mailto:mdshepherd at xerces.org) ______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________ Pollinator mailing list Pollinator at lists.sonic.net http://lists.sonic.net/mailman/listinfo/pollinator Laurie Davies Adams Executive Director Coevolution Institute 423 Washington St. 5th San Francisco, CA 94111 415 362 1137 LDA at coevolution.org _http://www.coevolution.org/_ (http://www.coevolution.org/) _http://www.pollinator.org/_ (http://www.pollinator.org/) _http://www.nappc.org/_ (http://www.nappc.org/) Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week: June 24-30, 2007. Contact us for more information at www.pollinator.org Our future flies on the wings of pollinators. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070404/d29260c8/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: "Matthew Shepherd (Xerces Society)" Subject: Re: [Pollinator] Bombus impatiens Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2007 10:23:54 -0700 Size: 18277 Url: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070404/d29260c8/attachment-0001.mht From jt at coevolution.org Wed Apr 4 13:45:17 2007 From: jt at coevolution.org (Jennifer Tsang) Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2007 13:45:17 -0700 Subject: [Pollinator] Christian Science Monitor: What's Happening To The Bees? Message-ID: <009901c776fa$280646b0$4606000a@COV102> http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/04/national/main2646409.shtml What's Happening To The Bees? April 4, 2007 _____ (Christian Science Monitor) This article was written by Moises Velasquez-Manoff. _____ Beekeeper James Doan first began finding empty hives last fall. Entire bee colonies seemed to have up and vanished, leaving their honey behind. Noting the unusually wet fall in Hamlin, N.Y., he blamed the weather. Unable to forage in the rain, the bees probably starved, he reasoned. But when deserted hives began appearing daily, "we knew it was something different," he says. Now, at the beginning of the 2007 pollination season, more than half of his 4,300 hives are gone. "I'm just about ready to give up," says Doan from his honeybee wintering site in Ft. Meade, Fla. "I'm not sure I can survive." The cause of the die-offs has yet to be determined. Its effect on the food supply may be significant. Longer-term, it may also force a rethinking of some agricultural practices including our heavy reliance on human-managed bees for pollination. Scientists call it "colony collapse disorder" (CCD). First reported in Florida last fall, the problem has since spread to 24 states. Commercial beekeepers are reporting losses of between 50 and 90 percent, an unprecedented amount even for an industry accustomed to die-offs. Many worry that what's shaping up to be a honeybee catastrophe will disrupt the food supply. While staple crops like wheat and corn are pollinated by wind, some 90 cultivated flowering crops - from almonds and apples to cranberries and watermelons - rely heavily on honeybees trucked in for pollinization. Honeybees pollinate every third bite of food ingested by Americans, says a Cornell study. Bees help generate some $14 billion in produce. Research is only beginning and hard data is still lacking, but beekeepers suspect everything from a new virus or parasite to pesticides and genetically modified crops. Scientists have hastily established a CCD working group at Pennsylvania State University. Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Agriculture held hearings on the missing bees. For many entomologists, the bee crisis is a wake-up call. By relying on a single species for pollination, U.S. agriculture has put itself in a precarious position, they say. A resilient agricultural system requires diverse pollinators. This speaks to a larger conservation issue. Some evidence indicates a decline in the estimated 4,500 potential alternate pollinators - native species of butterflies, wasps. and other bees. The blame for that sits squarely on human activity - habitat loss, pesticide use, and imported disease - but much of this could be offset by different land-use practices. Moving away from monoculture, say scientists, and having something always flowering within bee-distance, would help natural pollinators. This would make crops less dependent on trucked-in bees, which have proved to be vulnerable to die-offs. The stress on honeybees grew as native and wild pollinators diminished and farmers came to rely more on honeybees. We've put "all of our pollination eggs in the honeybee basket," says Mace Vaughan, conservation director of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation in Portland, Ore. "We need more baskets." An immune-system disorder? Meanwhile, beekeepers are seeing hives empty in a matter of weeks, sometimes days. The entire adult bee population vanishes, except for a few juveniles. This makes CCD difficult to study. "You have a crime scene, you know a crime happened here, but you don't really have evidence," says Medhat Nasr, provincial apiculturalist in Alberta, Canada. Eerily, the stored honey in the hive remains untouched. Raiding bees from nearby colonies never materialize, as is common. Records of suddenly empty hives go back as far as the late 1800s, but never on this scale. Beekeepers dubbed it "autumn collapse," "spring dwindle," or "disappearing disease." But Dennis vanEngelsdorp, the acting Penn State apiarist, calls this manifestation the AIDS of bees. The remaining juvenile bees appear to be rife with disease. To him, "It's clear that there is an immune suppression," he says. What might suppress a bee's immune system is anyone's guess. But many ascribe to a tipping-point theory: A variety of factors may have accumulated until a single straw finally broke the bee's back. A review of honeybee history shows many suspects. The Varroa mite, native to Asia, came to North America in the late 1980s. Since then, yearly losses of between 15 and 20 percent have become the norm. "Before the mites, you could be a bee-have-er," says vanEngelsdorp. "Now you have to be a bee-keep-er." Beekeepers are the first to acknowledge the stress of migratory pollination. Carted on flatbed trucks from wintering sites in the South, the bees crisscross the continent, first to California's almond groves, which rely entirely on honeybees for pollination, and then northward throughout the country, following the spring flowering season. Farmers have come to rely increasingly on honeybee services, says May Berenbaum, head of the department of entomology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. "Given its economic importance, beekeeping really hasn't gotten the attention it deserves," she says. Poor nutrition may be another factor, says Vaughan. To prepare them for winter, bees are fed high-fructose corn syrup and protein supplements. In the fields they've pollinated, meanwhile, more often than not they've gathered only one kind of pollen. Maybe, like other animals, they need a diverse diet, he says. "If you only ate McDonald's every day, you'd be just like that guy in 'Super Size Me,' " he says. "And he didn't feel that good." Others, like Doan, suspect pesticides. Similar problem in 1990s France In the 1990s, France experienced a precipitous honeybee decline from "mad bee disease." Honey production dropped by nearly one-third, to 25,000 tons. French beekeepers blamed a newly introduced pesticide marketed under the name Gaucho. From the same family as nicotine, the chemical targeted aphids' navigational systems. And when the honeybees weren't finding their way home, either, French beekeepers protested. The French government banned the product in 1999. Though subsequent studies haven't found a strong link, bee populations still haven't rebounded to previous levels. Others point to genetically modified crops - specifically, those with a gene for a bacterial toxin called Bt. Initial studies indicated that it didn't affect bees. But some beekeepers argue the trials didn't last long enough to determine the long-term effects. (Doan says the same about the nicotinelike pesticides.) A German study supports this. Scientists at the University of Jena found that while Bt food had no direct effect on bees, when fed to bee populations infected with parasites, they quickly became diseased. Alone, Bt may do nothing. But in the presence of a parasite, it may facilitate infection. "Maybe these toxins weaken the immune system," says John McDonald, a retired biologist and hobby apiculturalist in Spring Mills, Pa., who wrote an editorial on the topic for the San Francisco Chronicle But the shrinking of our so-called "pollination portfolio" is of more concern to many entomologists than a die-off in commercial beehives. A 2006 National Academy of Sciences report declared that there was "direct evidence for decline of some pollinator species in North America" - species responsible for pollinating three-quarters of flowering plants. Europeans have documented a parallel decline in their natural pollinators for years. On the U.S. East Coast, where a more ecologically diverse farming landscape enhances species diversity, studies have shown that wild pollinators were doing about 90 percent of the pollinating anyway, says Neal Williams, an assistant professor of biology at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. "It seems a little bit silly from a whole-country perspective, even from a farmer perspective, that we would place so much emphasis on one species. We don't do that with any other part of the economy," he says. Meanwhile, a Canadian study suggests that if canola farmers leave 30 percent of their land fallow, they will increase their yields. Wild land provides habitat for native pollinators, improving pollination and increasing the number of seeds. "If we cultivate all the land, we lose ecosystem services like pollination," says Lora Morandin, lead author on the study. "Healthy, sustainable agricultural systems need to include natural land." C 2007 The Christian Science Monitor. All rights reserved. Jennifer Tsang Coevolution Institute 423 Washington St. 5th Fl. San Francisco, CA 94111-2339 T: 415.362.1137 F: 415.362.3070 www.nappc.org www.pollinator.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070404/07c75216/attachment.html From mdshepherd at xerces.org Thu Apr 5 05:37:39 2007 From: mdshepherd at xerces.org (Matthew Shepherd (Xerces Society)) Date: Thu, 05 Apr 2007 05:37:39 -0700 Subject: [Pollinator] Job Opening: Ecological Study of the Endangered Laguna Mountain Skipper References: <200704041126090500.00ADEFA6@smtp.integra.net> <200704041126280203.00AE38B5@smtp.integra.net> Message-ID: <200704050537390718.0008622D@smtp.integra.net> Job Opening: Research Associate for Ecological Study of the Endangered Laguna Mountain Skipper Background: The Laguna Mountains skipper (Pyrgus ruralis lagunae) is a small, black and white butterfly known from two mountain ranges in southern California: the Laguna Mountains and Palomar Mountain, San Diego County, California. The skipper is listed as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. To learn how to properly manage extant populations of this little-studied subspecies we need to understand critical aspects of its life history. Study Site: This work will be completed at selected study sites in Mendenhall Valley on Palomar Mountain east of San Diego CA. MAJOR JOB ACTIVITIES: Under the direction of the Xerces Society Executive Director and local U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff the Research Associate will conduct a detailed ecological study of the Laguna Mountain skipper. The following questions will be addressed: 1) Where in the habitat, and on which plants, do adult females oviposit? (2) What are the vegetation characteristics of oviposition areas? (3) What is the larval behavior (if caterpillars are found)? (4) Do pupae eclose synchronously or over a more protracted period? (5) What is the duration of the flight season and is the subspecies uni- or bi-voltine?. The Research Associate will also conduct order of magnitude population estimates using modified Pollard walks. The successful applicant will be trained in butterfly monitoring and research techniques. Start Date: Early May 2007. The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following: Ability to reliably work independently in the field after an initial training. Possess a valid driver?s license. Detail oriented. Field ecological research experience. Bachelors degree (Graduate degree preferred) in entomology, ecology, conservation biology, or natural resource management. Knowledge of species (especially invertebrates), natural communities, ecosystems, ecological processes, and their conservation needs. Ability to work cooperatively with a number of staff and external parties in order to complete project work and goals in a timely manner. WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL EFFORT: Research Associate may have to work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain, and under physically demanding circumstances. TERMS: This is a 3 month position to include May, June and July 2007. Compensation: $3,000 per month for three months. Arrangements are being made for free lodging and/or camping. MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the Xerces Society and our programs, please see our website. www.xerces.org APPLICATION: Anyone interested in this position should mail or email a cover letter, resume, names and contact information for three references to: Scott Hoffman Black 4828 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland, OR 97215 sblack at xerces.org DEADLINE: Open until filled ______________________________________________________ The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation The Xerces Society is an international nonprofit organization that protects the diversity of life through invertebrate conservation. To join the Society, make a contribution, or read about our work, please visit www.xerces.org. Matthew Shepherd Director, Pollinator Conservation Program 4828 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland, OR 97215, USA Tel: 503-232 6639 Cell: 503-807 1577 Fax: 503-233 6794 Email: mdshepherd at xerces.org ______________________________________________________ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070405/9afcc428/attachment.html From Ladadams at aol.com Thu Apr 5 22:28:51 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2007 01:28:51 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Pollinator Crop Art, Chip Taylor and NAPPC in the News Message-ID: A Growing Buzz for Pollinators in Peril: Crop Art, Stamp to Raise Awareness Libraries Science News?Keywords POLLINATION BEES BUTTERFLIES STAMP CROP ART BATS KANSAS MONARCH Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only DescriptionA noted butterfly researcher and a world-famous crop artist are behind a nationwide campaign to publicize the peril faced by species that transfer pollen between flowers -- vital for much of our food supply. Crop art and a postage stamp will help raise awareness of the damage pesticides and pollution are doing to habitats of pollinators like bees, butterflies and bats. Newswise ? Humans are reducing numbers of pollinators like bees and butterflies by destroying habitats, spraying pesticides and emitting pollution. Now, a University of Kansas researcher and a world-famous crop artist are behind a nationwide campaign to publicize the peril faced by species that transfer pollen between flowers. ?This is serious,? said Orley ?Chip? Taylor, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at KU. ?We?re losing six thousand acres of habitat a day to development, 365 days a year. One out of every three bites you eat is traceable to pollinators? activity. But if you start losing pollinators, you start losing plants.? Taylor works with the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC). That group has successfully worked with the United States Department of Agriculture and U.S. Senate to designate June 24 through June 30, 2007, as ?National Pollinator Week.? The NAPPC also has convinced the United States Postal Service to issue a block of four ?Pollination? stamps this summer depicting a Morrison?s bumble bee, a calliope hummingbird, a lesser long-nosed bat and a Southern dogface butterfly. To call more attention to pollinators at risk, Taylor has enlisted help from noted Kansas-based artist Stan Herd. Herd executes masterful large-scale earthworks around the world, including rock mosaics, natural-material sculptures and crop art. ?I sent Stan Herd an e-mail and said, ?Hey, we?ve got a project here I?d like to have you think about?,? said Taylor. ?Stan immediately said ?yes.? He? s very much aware of ecological issues and he wants to become involved.? Herd will take an image from one ?Pollinator? stamp ? the Southern dogface butterfly ? and create a vast facsimile at Pendleton?s Country Market, a family farm between Kansas City and Lawrence. The image will be best viewed aerially from a nearby silo or an aircraft. Herd?s immense stamp reproduction is to incorporate plants that conservationists urge for use in backyard butterfly gardens. ?I wanted to add my artistic statement to the equation,? said Herd. ?I?m a fan of the flora and fauna and know that with migratory critters like butterflies there are increasing problems because of loss of habitat. My work is about my ideals. It also catches young people?s attention and we?ll bring school kids out to get involved in this piece.? Taylor and NAPPC are grateful for the awareness Herd?s work could bring to the drop in pollinator populations. ?We can use this larger image to attract the attention of the public to this cause,? said Laurie Adams, who manages NAPPC. ?Beautiful green lawns are wonderful but we need to do more with our cities, farms and the habitats that we control to provide for wildlife. Creating pollinator gardens or Monarch butterfly waystations through MonarchWatch are easy to do. And they are important.? Artist Herd plans to complete the pollinator stamp piece by National Pollinator Week. Those wishing to make a tax-deducatble donation to the crop art project can do so at the not-for-profit Coevolution Institute which coordinates NAPPC at http://www.pollinator.org (click ?Crop Art Donations?) or by contacting Laurie Adams at (415) 362-1137 or LDA at coevolution.org. Web links: http://www.pollinator.org http://www.stanherdart.com http://www.monarchwatch.org http://www.pendletons.com ? 2007 Newswise.??All Rights Reserved. ? ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070406/cae474f0/attachment-0001.html From Ladadams at aol.com Fri Apr 6 15:05:49 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2007 18:05:49 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Fwd: Article on Global warming and species extinction Message-ID: Laurie Davies Adams Executive Director Coevolution Institute 423 Washington St. 5th San Francisco, CA 94111 415 362 1137 LDA at coevolution.org _http://www.coevolution.org/_ (http://www.coevolution.org/) _http://www.pollinator.org/_ (http://www.pollinator.org/) _http://www.nappc.org/_ (http://www.nappc.org/) Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week: June 24-30, 2007. Contact us for more information at www.pollinator.org Our future flies on the wings of pollinators. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070406/ac105380/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: Elizabeth Dougherty Subject: Article on Global warming and species extinction Date: Fri, 06 Apr 2007 15:00:34 -0700 Size: 16659 Url: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070406/ac105380/attachment.mht From wildwoodflower at gmail.com Fri Apr 6 21:16:03 2007 From: wildwoodflower at gmail.com (MRH) Date: Sat, 7 Apr 2007 00:16:03 -0400 Subject: [Pollinator] Listen online: CCD piece on the radio Message-ID: <7cd8e6030704062116y66e5544by216cfd983752c61f@mail.gmail.com> Below is a link to listen to an 8 minute piece on Colony Collapse Disorder. broadcast on Friday, April 6 on a radio magazine in the Washington, DC area called Metro Connection, WAMU 88.5 FM. Please let me know your reaction. Is it accurate? Effective? Here is the description to the piece from WAMU's website: Colony Collapse Disorder One day you peer into the hive and all is well. On your next visit, all that's left of a thriving colony are the queen and a handful of bees around her. Last week, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture had a hearing on the latest threat to our pollinating bee population, "CCD," or Colony Collapse Disorder. There's still a lot of mystery surrounding CCD, but area beekeepers have been keeping a close watch on their hives. I met Marc Hoffman with the Montgomery County Beekeepers Association at Brookside Nature Center in Wheaton. Standing next to a group of hives run by the Association, we talked about what "CCD" might mean for the region's pollinators. Here are the links to the CCD piece: Real Audio: http://www.wamu.org/audio/mc/07/04/m1070406-14772.ram Windows Media Player: http://www.wamu.org/audio/mc/07/04/m1070406-14772.asx Here is a previous piece on beekeeping broadcast in January 2007, about 11 minutes: Real Audio: http://www.wamu.org/audio/mc/07/01/m1070119-13054.ram Windows Media Player: http://www.wamu.org/audio/mc/07/01/m1070119-13054.asx The homepage for the show is http://wamu.org/programs/mc/ Marc Hoffman From tom at vanarsdall.com Sat Apr 7 09:09:08 2007 From: tom at vanarsdall.com (R. Thomas Van Arsdall) Date: Sat, 7 Apr 2007 12:09:08 -0400 Subject: [Pollinator] FW: Listen online: CCD piece on the radio Message-ID: <20070407160922.XPQP22297.mta11.adelphia.net@VANARSDALLWORK> This is an interesting radio piece. I think he did an excellent job on CCD. We need to get more people talking like this about native pollinators and their importance in ag and healthy ecosystems, too! I've moved the links Mr. Hoffman provided to the CCD piece up to here: Real Audio: http://www.wamu.org/audio/mc/07/04/m1070406-14772.ram Windows Media Player: http://www.wamu.org/audio/mc/07/04/m1070406-14772.asx Here is a previous piece on beekeeping broadcast in January 2007, about 11 minutes: Real Audio: http://www.wamu.org/audio/mc/07/01/m1070119-13054.ram Windows Media Player: http://www.wamu.org/audio/mc/07/01/m1070119-13054.asx The homepage for the show is http://wamu.org/programs/mc Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week, June 24-30, 2007! For more info: www.pollinator.org R. Thomas (Tom) Van Arsdall, Public Affairs Representative for Coevolution Institute/NAPPC Van Arsdall & Associates 13605 McLane Place Fredericksburg, VA 22407-2344 (540) 785-0949 tom at vanarsdall.com -----Original Message----- From: wildwoodflower at gmail.com [mailto:wildwoodflower at gmail.com] On Behalf Of Marc Hoffman Sent: Saturday, April 07, 2007 12:38 AM To: tom at vanarsdall.com Subject: Listen online: CCD piece on the radio Below is a link to listen to an 8 minute piece on Colony Collapse Disorder. broadcast on Friday, April 6 on a radio magazine in the Washington, DC area called Metro Connection, WAMU 88.5 FM. Please let me know your reaction. Is it accurate? Effective? Here is the description to the piece from WAMU's website: Colony Collapse Disorder One day you peer into the hive and all is well. On your next visit, all that's left of a thriving colony are the queen and a handful of bees around her. Last week, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture had a hearing on the latest threat to our pollinating bee population, "CCD," or Colony Collapse Disorder. There's still a lot of mystery surrounding CCD, but area beekeepers have been keeping a close watch on their hives. I met Marc Hoffman with the Montgomery County Beekeepers Association at Brookside Nature Center in Wheaton. Standing next to a group of hives run by the Association, we talked about what "CCD" might mean for the region's pollinators. Marc Hoffman From jt at coevolution.org Mon Apr 9 10:12:52 2007 From: jt at coevolution.org (Jennifer Tsang) Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2007 10:12:52 -0700 Subject: [Pollinator] Boston Globe: Blueberry growers prepared to pay more for honeybee pollinators Message-ID: <001b01c77aca$51a838b0$4606000a@COV102> http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2007/04/07/blueberry_growers _prepared_to_pay_more_for_honeybee_pollinators/ Boston.com The Associated PressBlueberry growers prepared to pay more for honeybee pollinators April 7, 2007 BANGOR, Maine --Maine blueberry growers expect to pay higher prices for honeybees to pollinate their fields this spring following a die-off of bees across the country. Maine's blueberry crop requires about 50,000 beehives for pollination each year, with most of the hives brought to Maine from other states. Spencer Allen of Allen's Wild Maine Blueberries in Blue Hill said he usually imports about 1,200 hives for 800 acres of crops. Allen said his bee wrangler's bees are doing OK, but the national shortage of honeybee pollinators is causing prices to go up. The price he will pay has risen from about $50 to $70 -- a jump of 40 percent -- for each hive placed in his fields, usually in mid-May. "That adds up with 1,200 hives," Allen said. Commercial beekeepers in 26 states have reported that they have lost between 50 and 90 percent of their bees to an unidentified disease. Scientists say the country's food supply may be at risk if die-off continues unabated. Maine beekeepers have several thousand hives that are kept in the state year-round to pollinate apple orchards, strawberry fields and other crops. But there aren't enough to cover Maine's 60,000 acres of blueberry fields. Marc Plaisted of Pittston has raised honeybees for 20 years and supplies hives to a dozen Maine farmers for pollination. By time mid-May rolls around, he thinks the price could be $90 or more per hive. Many migratory bee keepers are being lured to California, he said, where almond growers are paying as much as $200 a hive. But Plaisted's bigger concern is making sure the disease doesn't come to Maine. "We aren't seeing this disease here yet, but I'm very concerned about the migratory bees that are brought into Maine," he said. "Who knows what diseases they are bringing in here. If this disease is not here by the end of summer, I'd be very surprised." Nat Lindquist of Jasper Wyman and Sons of Milbridge, one of the state's largest blueberry companies, said he will import 10,000 hives from seven beekeepers. Lindquist began monitoring the bee kill last fall when his largest supplier began reporting empty hives in Pennsylvania. That beekeeper has lost more than a million bees. The bees in 2,000 of his 2,900 hives have disappeared -- a 60 percent loss. "He has assured us that we will have plenty of bees," Lindquist said. "We also want strong hives, and he has assured us of that as well." ------ Information from: Bangor Daily News, http:// www.bangornews.com C Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company Jennifer Tsang Coevolution Institute 423 Washington St. 5th Fl. San Francisco, CA 94111-2339 T: 415.362.1137 F: 415.362.3070 www.nappc.org www.pollinator.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070409/0bc8523c/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 1676 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070409/0bc8523c/attachment-0004.gif -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 49 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070409/0bc8523c/attachment-0007.gif From Ladadams at aol.com Mon Apr 9 12:23:10 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2007 15:23:10 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Troubled ecosystem?: Smokies may feel heat of global warming Message-ID: Troubled ecosystem?: Smokies may feel heat of global warming (javascript:NewWindow(600,400,'/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/templates/zoom.pbs&Site=MT&Date=20070408&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=704080310&Ref=AR');) Charles Wilder/Discover Life in America The flower of ?Rugelia,? which is in the Aster family, is the only member of its genus. Its entire world range is within Great Smoky Mountains National Park at high elevations. By Mark Boxley of the Daily Times Staff Climate conditions in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have never been something stable enough to make a safe bet on. But things appear to be on the verge of a pretty serious change, one that could alter the Park's ecosystem forever. Think of the ecosystem in the Smokies as a pyramid where animals, plants and insects that need warmer temperatures live in low elevations at the bottom, and organisms that need colder temperatures live higher up until you reach the top. If temperatures rise in the Park ? and, according to Keith Langdon, inventory and monitoring coordinator with the Smokies, many scientific models indicate they likely will in the next few decades ? the living things at the bottom could, in theory, move up the mountain according to their needs. Trees, animals and insects at the top, though, don't have the same options, and that's a big problem. "As you go uphill, as you go towards Clingman's Dome, you find fewer species per same unit of area," Langdon said. "When you get near the top, most of the species you find will be endemics ? that is, species with a very small range." One of those would be the Frasier Fir tree, "which is quite rare outside of the park," he said. "Three quarters of all its range is in the park. "One of the worries that the Park has is that these endemics which are clustered and reefed around the summits of our higher slopes, whether they will be quote-un-quote, squeezed off the top of the mountains," he said. "And we're worried about that. "We are presuming, maybe incorrectly, that things at lower elevations might be able to migrate up slope," he said. "We don't know that's true. But we know there's no place for the ones on the very summit to migrate to." There isn't any real hard data showing an amount of change in the Smokies caused by climate change that most untrained eyes can see. But changes are there, said GSMNP Chief of Resource Management and Science Nancy Finley. "Yeah, I think we already have some clear indications that something is different," she said. "We have observed both a shift in some species that were never as far north latitude-wise in the Smokies, in the Park," she said. "And we have seen species that were never as high in elevation as they were before. "In other words, if you hadn't seen something for years and you knew that their northern-most extended range was Georgia, and all of a sudden you're seeing them in the Smokies, there's something going on there," she said. But the changes in the Park aren't as obvious as, say, acres of trees being replaced by shrubbery. "No, it's subtle," Finley said. "And I think that's why it's difficult for people to understand or accept. "It's not like you see a full-scale landscape change at this point," she continued. "We're seeing a plant or a flower or a tree that you wouldn't ordinarily have seen. "At this point, we haven't seen an observed ecosystem-level change of any sort, not even a population level change." But give the climate change problem a few years, like maybe 10 or 15, and then the story may be different, she said. "I think you could potentially see a change in landscape," Finley said. "Whether that's good, bad or indifferent is probably in the eyes of the beholder. But it's clearly not what it was supposed to be." Rapid change Scientific data are usually things that can be interpreted differently depending on the person looking at the figures. Climate change is certainly no different. But when it comes to climate modeling for the southeast United States, the consensus seems to point to higher temperatures through the year 2100. "When you look at the computer model simulations that have been run for the rest of the century, I've seen three or four different ones, and they all call for climate change," Langdon said. "There would be an impact to the park. "Let me hasten to add, as they say, that the climate has never been stable ? it's always changing," he said. "We've experienced warm temperatures before." The problem that seems to be approaching the Park today is not so much the possibility of increased temperatures, but the rapidity of the change ? a couple decades instead of a few centuries, Langdon said. "I think some of the concerns I've heard expressed professionally is that this change may occur very rapidly," he said. "Much more rapidly than species can accommodate. "So if (the species) need to migrate up slope a half mile to a different climate, they can do that over a few hundred years," he added. "They may not be able to do that over a few tens of years." (http://mtads.sv.publicus.com/apps/OAMS.dll/link/MT001/MEDRECT/NEWS/20015506094195022/-1/-/;IDN=-928824701;Type=3) Pollination in danger For trees and other plants that rely on an outside force to help during the pollination period, climate change trouble could come in the form of something as simple as an insect dying off or migrating due to a temperature increase. And that is big trouble for the area plants. "When a pollinator goes locally extinct, the plants that depend on that pollinator, they're doomed," Langdon said. There are, and probably always will be, experts and lay people who disagree with the assertion that climate change is coming and that it could mean drastic changes for the Smokies over the next 20 years of so. But Park officials are looking at the data and are preparing for the worst, in hopes of getting out in front of the problem before irreparable damage is inflicted upon the Smokies. Ecosystem change due to climate change in the Smokies is not a certainty, Langdon said, but the data certainly seems to be pointing in that direction. "Nothing's ever 100 percent, nor should it be, but from what I've seen the majority of the models predict temperature increase for the southeast states for the rest of the century." Last modified: April 08. 2007 12:58AM All materials Copyright ? 2006 Horvitz Newspapers. Laurie Davies Adams Executive Director Coevolution Institute 423 Washington St. 5th San Francisco, CA 94111 415 362 1137 LDA at coevolution.org _http://www.coevolution.org/_ (http://www.coevolution.org/) _http://www.pollinator.org/_ (http://www.pollinator.org/) _http://www.nappc.org/_ (http://www.nappc.org/) Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week: June 24-30, 2007. Contact us for more information at www.pollinator.org Our future flies on the wings of pollinators. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070409/692c7b8a/attachment.html From jt at coevolution.org Mon Apr 9 14:53:24 2007 From: jt at coevolution.org (Jennifer Tsang) Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2007 14:53:24 -0700 Subject: [Pollinator] Lawrence Journal-World: Butterfly art project may be sweet for bees Message-ID: <005e01c77af1$803989f0$4606000a@COV102> http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/apr/09/butterfly_art_project_may_be_sweet_ bees/?city_local *Please take note of the "Local artist making a 'buzz' with preservation efforts" video on the left hand side. Butterfly art project may be sweet for bees By Eric Weslander Monday, April 9, 2007 An artwork envisioned for a patch of ground east of Lawrence will tell the story of the birds and the bees - or at least, the butterflies and the bees. Lawrence crop artist Stan Herd is collaborating with Kansas University in a plan to raise awareness of the loss of habitat for pollinating animals by building a 2-acre earthwork of a butterfly at Pendleton's Country Market east of Lawrence. The work should be finished by late June, in time for the U.S. Senate-designated "National Pollinator Week" at the request of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign. "I've always felt that artwork used properly was a platform for the discussion of issues," said Herd, who is known internationally for his large-scale artworks built into the landscape. Herd became involved in the project at the request of Chip Taylor, KU professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, who says that thousands of acres of pollinating animals' habitat per day are lost to development. Losing pollinating animals means losing a key part of the ecosystem, Taylor said. "All the seeds, fruits, nuts and vegetation of all the plants that are supported by these pollinators is food for everything else," he said. The earthwork, which will be made using thousands of petunias, will replicate the southern dogface butterfly depicted on one of four "pollination" stamps the U.S. Postal Service will issue this summer. Taylor said he's trying to raise about $25,000 in coming weeks for the project. Donations can be submitted online at www.pollinator.org or made by contacting Laurie Adams at (415) 362-1137. Jennifer Tsang Coevolution Institute 423 Washington St. 5th Fl. San Francisco, CA 94111-2339 T: 415.362.1137 F: 415.362.3070 www.nappc.org www.pollinator.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070409/b4b97c0d/attachment-0001.html From Ladadams at aol.com Mon Apr 9 15:14:10 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2007 18:14:10 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Pollinator Curriculum and Sam Droege Bee Survey Message-ID: Both Sam Droege's Bee Survey and the Pollinator Curriculum share the front page at _http://www.fws.gov/_ (http://www.fws.gov/) . Check it out! Thanks to Dolores Savignano for bringing this to our attention. Laurie Laurie Davies Adams Executive Director Coevolution Institute 423 Washington St. 5th San Francisco, CA 94111 415 362 1137 LDA at coevolution.org _http://www.coevolution.org/_ (http://www.coevolution.org/) _http://www.pollinator.org/_ (http://www.pollinator.org/) _http://www.nappc.org/_ (http://www.nappc.org/) Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week: June 24-30, 2007. Contact us for more information at www.pollinator.org Our future flies on the wings of pollinators. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070409/07a2c859/attachment.html From Ladadams at aol.com Tue Apr 10 20:36:34 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2007 23:36:34 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] May Berenbaum on CCD Message-ID: http://www.uiuc.edu/minutewith/mayberenbaum.html ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070410/03a3f95b/attachment.html From Ladadams at aol.com Thu Apr 12 06:34:14 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2007 09:34:14 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] UC Berkeley News - Claire Kremen featured Message-ID: http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2007/04/10_bees.shtml Laurie Davies Adams Executive Director Coevolution Institute 423 Washington St. 5th San Francisco, CA 94111 415 362 1137 LDA at coevolution.org _http://www.coevolution.org/_ (http://www.coevolution.org/) _http://www.pollinator.org/_ (http://www.pollinator.org/) _http://www.nappc.org/_ (http://www.nappc.org/) Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week: June 24-30, 2007. Contact us for more information at www.pollinator.org Our future flies on the wings of pollinators. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070412/061c74c0/attachment.html From tom at vanarsdall.com Fri Apr 13 08:56:42 2007 From: tom at vanarsdall.com (R. Thomas Van Arsdall) Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 11:56:42 -0400 Subject: [Pollinator] Safety Assessment of Bt Crops for Adult and Larval Honeybees, FYI Message-ID: <20070413155659.XSQB13783.mta13.adelphia.net@VANARSDALLWORK> The information below was forwarded to my attention by a colleague and may be of interest to you. Tom VA ******************** Safety Assessment of Bt Crops for Adult and Larval Honeybees - by Eric Sachs, Yong Gao and Jian Duan, Presented March 29, 2007, Public Hearing, Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture Summary --Entomologists have not been able to determine the cause of CCD (colony collapse disorder) in honey bees. While the cause is not yet clear, there is strong evidence that the production of specific insecticidal proteins from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in crops to control targeted caterpillar pests and beetles does not pose a risk to honeybees. --There is extensive information on the lack of non-target effects to diverse groups of beneficial insects including honey bees and other pollinators from Bt microbial preparations that contain Bt proteins. --Bt proteins are ideal for use in organic production and in Bt crops because they bind specifically to receptors on the mid-gut of sensitive caterpillar pests and have no deleterious effect on beneficial/non-target insects under the conditions of use, including predators and parasitoids of targeted caterpillar pests and honeybees. --Scientists perform extensive honeybee safety assessments on all insect-protected crops, including Bt corn and Bt cotton. The Bt proteins in these crops have been shown to have no adverse effect on the honeybee. --EPA risk assessments have demonstrated that Bt proteins expressed in Bt crops do not exhibit detrimental effects to non-target organisms in populations exposed to the levels of Bt proteins produced in plant tissues. --Specific studies involving Cry1Ab provide strong evidence of the safety of MON 810 Bt corn to the honeybee (similar studies have been conducted with other Bt proteins in genetically modified crops). --The EPA concluded that based on the weight of evidence there are no unreasonable adverse effects of the Cry1Ab protein expressed in MON 810 Bt corn to non-target wildlife or beneficial invertebrates. Colony Collapse Disorder in Honey Bees Because honey bees play such a crucial role in agriculture, the recent news that large areas of the U.S. were experiencing a wide-spread sudden loss (or disappearance) of honey bee colonies caused alarm across the country. This phenomenon has been described by honeybee experts as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Groups critical of the widespread adoption of biotech crops in the U.S. and globally have recently begun a campaign alleging that CCD may be caused by crops expressing one or more Bt proteins. Unfortunately, entomologists have not been able to determine the cause of CCD. While the cause is not yet clear, there is strong evidence that the production of specific insecticidal proteins from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in crops to control targeted caterpillar pests and beetles does not pose a risk to honeybees. Safety of Commercialized Bt Proteins in Corn and Cotton There is extensive information on the lack of non-target effects to diverse groups of beneficial insects including honey bees and other pollinators from Bt microbial preparations that contain Bt proteins. The Bt proteins produced in Bt corn and Bt cotton are present in microbial products used in agricultural systems to control targeted pests. Bt proteins are extremely selective and are toxic only to specific pests . A generalized mode of action for Bt proteins includes ingestion of the protein crystals by insects, solubilization of the crystals in the insect midgut and proteolytic processing of the released Bt protein by enzymes, and binding of the partially digested "activated" protein to specific high-affinity receptors on the surface of the midgut epithelium of target insects . Bt proteins are ideal for use in organic production and in Bt crops because they bind specifically to receptors on the mid-gut of sensitive caterpillar pests and have no deleterious effect on beneficial/non-target insects, under the conditions of use, including predators and parasitoids of targeted caterpillar pests and honeybee (Apis mellifera) . Safety Assessment of Bt Crops Scientists perform extensive honeybee safety assessments on all insect-protected crops, including Bt corn and Bt cotton. The Bt proteins in these crops have been shown to have no adverse effect on the honeybee. EPA evaluated studies of potential effects on a wide variety of non-target organisms that might be exposed to the Bt protein, e.g., birds, fish, honeybees, ladybugs, parasitic wasps, lacewings, springtails, aquatic invertebrates and earthworms. Such non-target organisms are important to a healthy ecosystem, especially the predatory, parasitic, and pollinating insects . These risk assessments demonstrated that Bt proteins expressed in Bt crops do not exhibit detrimental effects to non-target organisms in populations exposed to the levels of Bt proteins produced in plant tissues. To illustrate how the different Bt proteins produced in Bt crops are evaluated for safety to the honeybee, two representative studies are described below for the Cry1Ab protein produced in MON 810 Bt corn. These studies with Cry1Ab protein were conducted with the trypsin-resistant core because this is the insecticidally-active portion of the Cry1Ab protein. Specific studies designed to assess the potential for adverse effects to developing larval and adult honeybees are described below. Honeybee Larva. The primary route of exposure for honey bee larvae to the Cry1Ab protein is ingestion of pollen collected by foraging adults from genetically modified plants. Therefore, honey bee larvae were exposed to Cry1Ab protein in their natural diet by including a maximum hazard dose (20 parts per million in distilled water mixed with honey) in developing brood cells. This maximum nominal concentration of 20 ppm was approximately 100 times greater than the maximum expected Cry1Ab protein level in MON 810 pollen. In addition to this treatment group, a negative control group was treated with distilled water. Another control group was treated with heat-attenuated (inactivated) Cry1Ab protein (20 ppm), and one set of larvae received no treatment (untreated control). At least 50 bees (1 to 4 days old) were in each replicate, and there were three replicates for each group. The treatments were administered to each larval cell through an electronic micro-applicator, which delivered 5 microliters (?L) of the test diet. Once the first bee emerged on day 15, daily counting of emerged bees was performed and emerged bees were removed to an adult holding cage. The test diet was renewed daily and the study was terminated 48 hours after the last bee had emerged on day 19. There were no statistically significant (P>0.05) differences in honeybee larval survival to adult emergence among the four treatment groups. The mean adult survival rates after emergence ranged from 91.7% to 96.0% across all groups, including the controls and Cry1Ab-treated groups. This study demonstrates that honeybee larvae were not adversely affected after being exposed to Cry1Ab protein at a concentration of 20 ppm in their diet. Adult Honeybee. Adult bees reared in bee hives were immobilized using CO2. The test diet was prepared by mixing the appropriate amount of the insecticidally-active Cry1Ab protein with a honey-water (50-50) syrup to a concentration of 20 parts per million (?g protein/g diet; ppm). The negative control group was fed the same diet with the exception that no Cry1Ab protein was added to the honey-water mixture. A second control group was fed heat-attenuated (inactivated) Cry1Ab protein at the same concentration (20 ppm) as the treatment group. A fourth test system was an empty cage to measure the amount of diet loss due to evaporation. All diets were presented to the bees in a 6 ml shell vial inserted through a cork in the holding cage lid. Three replicates of four test groups of at least 40 adult honeybees were selected and placed in each holding cage. Two observations were made the first day and were made daily for the duration of the 9-day study. At the time of the daily observation, the test diets were replaced with fresh vials containing the appropriate concentration of test material. The test was terminated on day 9 when the mortality rate in the negative control group exceeded 20%. Adult honeybees exposed to the Cry1Ab protein in a honey-water solution for 9 days at a concentration of 20 ppm showed no signs of treatment-related mortality or toxicity. At the end of the testing period, the mortality percentage was calculated for each group. Mortality in the treatment and the negative control groups was 16.20% and 22.28%, respectively. The heat-attenuated control group mortality was 32.59%. Mortality showed a sharp increase in all three groups from days 6 through 9. At the termination of the test, the highest mortality was observed in the group that was fed the heat-attenuated Cry1Ab protein diet, while the lowest mortality was observed in the group that was fed the Cry1Ab protein diet. The mortalities in the treatment group are not considered to be treatment-related because the two control groups showed a higher percentage of mortality over the same time interval. There was no significant statistical difference (P>0.05) in mortality patterns between any of the groups. The EPA concluded that based on the weight of evidence there are no unreasonable adverse effects of the Cry1Ab protein expressed in MON 810 Bt corn to non-target wildlife or beneficial invertebrates . They reported no measurable deleterious effects were observed in submitted studies of the Cry1Ab protein administered to honey bee larvae, honey bee adults, parasitic wasps, Ladybird beetles, green lacewings, Collembola (springtails), and Daphnia. --------- 1. Wolfersberger et al., 1986; Hofmann et al., 1988a; Hofmann et al., 1988b; Van Rie et al., 1989; Van Rie et al., 1990 2. Dulmage, 1981; Klausner, 1984; Aronson et al., 1986; Whiteley and Schnepf, 1986; MacIntosh et al., 1990 3. Hoffman et al., 1988a, Hoffman et al., 1988b; Van Rie et al., 1989; Van Rie et al., 1990; Wolfersberger et al., 1986 ; English and Slatin, 1992 4. Wolfersberger et al., 1986; Hofmann et al., 1988a; Hofmann et al., 1988b; Van Rie et al., 1989; Van Rie et al., 1990 5. Cantwell et al., 1972; Krieg and Langenbruch, 1981; Flexner et al., 1986; EPA, 1988; Vinson, 1989; and Melin and Cozzi, 1990 6. US EPA. Bt Plant-Pesticides Biopesticides Registration Action Document. http://www.agbios.com/docroot/articles/2000264-A.pdf 7. US EPA. Bt Plant-Incorporated Protectants October 15, 2001 Biopesticides Registration Action Document. http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/biopesticides/pips/bt_brad2/1-overview.pdf Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week, June 24-30, 2007! For more info:? www.pollinator.org ? R. Thomas (Tom) Van Arsdall, Public Affairs Representative?for Coevolution Institute/NAPPC ?? Van Arsdall & Associates ?? 13605 McLane Place ?? Fredericksburg, VA? 22407-2344 ?? (540) 785-0949 ???tom at vanarsdall.com From Ladadams at aol.com Mon Apr 16 07:52:02 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2007 10:52:02 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Tree Hugger Article on Pollinators, Stamps and NAPPC Message-ID: ? http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/polinators_in_p.php ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070416/14c90677/attachment.html From km at coevolution.org Mon Apr 16 09:42:30 2007 From: km at coevolution.org (Kat McGuire) Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2007 09:42:30 -0700 Subject: [Pollinator] Asian Hornets a Threat to French Honeybees Message-ID: <0a0e01c78046$3b77ee10$3c06000a@cov002> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/04/13/international/i111854D95.DTL&hw=asian+hornets&sn=001&sc=1000 Kat McGuire Development and Communication Coordinator Coevolution Institute 423 Washington Street, 5th floor San Francisco, CA 94111-2339 415.362.1137 phone 415.362.3070 fax km at coevolution.org www.coevolution.org www.nappc.org www.pollinator.org ~Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week: June 24-30, 2007. Contact us for more information at www.pollinator.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070416/aa80c55e/attachment.html From Ladadams at aol.com Mon Apr 16 12:21:45 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2007 15:21:45 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Bees and Cell Phones Message-ID: Certainly a lot of people saw this as we have had lots of "buzz" on the story. Urban myth? Another candidate in the growing list of the causes of CCD? You be the judge. Hopefully, good science will prevail. http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/wildlife/article2449968.ece Laurie Davies Adams Executive Director Coevolution Institute 423 Washington St. 5th San Francisco, CA 94111 415 362 1137 LDA at coevolution.org _http://www.coevolution.org/_ (http://www.coevolution.org/) _http://www.pollinator.org/_ (http://www.pollinator.org/) _http://www.nappc.org/_ (http://www.nappc.org/) Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week: June 24-30, 2007. Contact us for more information at www.pollinator.org Our future flies on the wings of pollinators. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070416/d1b7ebd4/attachment.html From Ladadams at aol.com Tue Apr 17 16:43:58 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2007 19:43:58 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Neon green gecko key to preventing Mauritian plant extinction Message-ID: _http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0417-gecko.html_ (http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0417-gecko.html) Laurie Davies Adams Executive Director Coevolution Institute 423 Washington St. 5th San Francisco, CA 94111 415 362 1137 LDA at coevolution.org _http://www.coevolution.org/_ (http://www.coevolution.org/) _http://www.pollinator.org/_ (http://www.pollinator.org/) _http://www.nappc.org/_ (http://www.nappc.org/) Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week: June 24-30, 2007. Contact us for more information at www.pollinator.org Our future flies on the wings of pollinators. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070417/ac074e51/attachment.html From Ladadams at aol.com Tue Apr 17 17:45:36 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2007 20:45:36 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Paul Harvey and Bees - Monday, April 16 Message-ID: Thanks to Barry Thompson for this update - good day. Paul Harvey, on his noon broadcast on Monday, April 16, had a lengthy piece on CCD and its apparent reduction of honey bee populations "not only in the United States" but Canada, Wales, and in multiple European countries. He included the well-known Einstein comment that "when the bees disappear, the world has about four years." Unfortunately, PH also mentioned the studies from Landau (GE) regarding cell phone (transmission) disruption of honey bee orientation, thereby giving credence to incompletely understood data (my opinion.) The broadcast will not be available in text until 1315 EDT, so I can't pass on much that is useful. Nonetheless, the "press" continues re "CCD". Research thus far hasn't progress much toward definition of one or more etiologies. Losses continue here in the East from a variety of circumstances (weather being no help presently to the splitting of colonies for increase and replacement.) 42 degrees F. with winds to 50 mph here all night and morning; guess that I won't attempt to open colonies today (but I'd better check to see if high water or winds have dumped any over, exposing bees to inclement conditions.) Regards, Barry Thompson Laurie Davies Adams Executive Director Coevolution Institute 423 Washington St. 5th San Francisco, CA 94111 415 362 1137 LDA at coevolution.org _http://www.coevolution.org/_ (http://www.coevolution.org/) _http://www.pollinator.org/_ (http://www.pollinator.org/) _http://www.nappc.org/_ (http://www.nappc.org/) Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week: June 24-30, 2007. Contact us for more information at www.pollinator.org Our future flies on the wings of pollinators. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070417/19511374/attachment.html From tom at vanarsdall.com Wed Apr 18 11:42:02 2007 From: tom at vanarsdall.com (R. Thomas Van Arsdall) Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2007 14:42:02 -0400 Subject: [Pollinator] ACTION OPPORTUNITIES-APR 19 HOUSE AG FB CONSERVATION HEARING, MAY 1 SENATE AG HEARING--GROUP POLLINATOR CONSERVATION SUPPORT LETTER FOR HEARING RECORDS--RSVP BY APRIL 28 Message-ID: <20070418184220.WEZM26916.mta16.adelphia.net@VANARSDALLWORK> TO: NAPPC Listserv FR: Tom Van Arsdall, on behalf of Laurie Davies Adams RE: Ag Conservation Hearing Scheduled in House Subcommittee, April 19 *** OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THE CASE FOR "POLLINATING" FARM BILL CONSERVATION PROGRAMS. *** Feel free to forward this alert to others who may be interested. ACTION OPPORTUNITIES ON BEHALF OF POLLINATORS: *** You are invited to voice your organization's support by signing on to the attached GROUP POLLINATOR CONSERVATION SUPPORT LETTER-even if you are filing your own comments. RSVP by April 27 to km at coevolution.org if you would like your organization added as a signatory to the group letter. *** For those already planning on filing broader comments, PLEASE CONSIDER INCLUDING "POLLINATOR POINTS" IN YOUR STATEMENT. EXAMPLE POLLINATOR POINTS: *** Pollinators play a critical role in agriculture and healthy ecosystems and are at risk. *** Existing Farm Bill conservation, forest management, research and other programs designed to work with and assist farm, ranch and forest land managers should be strengthened to better address managed and native pollinator needs. CoE ACTION: CoE is submitting a statement for the record. CoE's "Pollinating Farm Bill Conservation Recommendations," April 19 statement, executive summary and media advisory can be accessed at http://pollinator.org/farm_bill.htm. Comments are generally accepted for the hearing record up to 10 days after the hearing date. Additional Background, House Ag The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research has scheduled a hearing on Farm Bill conservation programs on April 19, 2007 starting at 1:00 PM in either 1300 Longworth House Office Building. Witness List: Panel I: * Mr. Jeff LaFleur, Executive Director, Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association, on behalf of New England Farmers Union and National Farmers Union, Wareham, Massachusetts * Mr. Charles "Jamie" Jamison, National Corn Growers Association, Dickerson, Maryland * Mr. Lawrence Elworth, Executive Director, Center for Agricultural Partnerships, Asheville, North Carolina * Mr. Joel Nelsen, President, California Citrus Mutual, Exeter, California * Mr. Steve Foglesong, National Cattleman's Beef Association, Astoria, Illinois * Mr. Douglas Wolf, Wolf L&G Farms, LLC., on behalf of the National Pork Producers Council, Lancaster, Wisconsin * Mr. Slade Lail, American Tree Farm System, Plumbdent Farms, Duluth, Georgia Panel II: * Mr. David E. Nomsen, Vice-president of Governmental Affairs, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, on behalf of Agriculture and wildlife Working Group and the American Wildlife Conservation Partners, Garfield, Minnesota * Mr. Ralph Grossi, President, American Farmland Trust, Washington, D.C. * Mr. Olin Sims, President, National Association of Conservation Districts, McFadden, Wyoming * Mr. Thomas W. Beauduy, Deputy Director & Counsel, Susquehanna River Basin Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania * Mr. Ken Cook, President, Environmental Working Group, Washington, D.C. * Mr. Loni Kemp, Senior Policy Analyst, The Minnesota Project, Canton, Minnesota Live Audio will be available at the start of the House Ag hearing, and can be accessed at http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/audio.html. Key Staff: . Subcommittee Staff Director-Nona Darrell (202) 225-0420 nona.darrell at mail.house.gov . Minority Staff Professional-Josh Maxwell (202) 225-0029 josh.maxwell at mail.house.gov Senate Ag heads Up The Senate Agriculture Committee is reportedly scheduled a hearing on the Farm Bill Conservation Title on the afternoon of May 1, providing another opportunity to make the pollinator case. Check http://agriculture.senate.gov/Hearings/hearings.cfm periodically for confirmation and additional information. CoE will be filing a statement for the hearing record, and we would like to include the same group letter. Comments are generally accepted for the hearing record up to 10 days after the hearing date. Key Staff: . Majority-Adela Ramos (202) 224-6917 Adela_Ramos at agriculture.senate.gov . Minority-Betsy Croker (202) 224-7443 betsy_croker at agriculture.senate.gov #### Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week, June 24-30, 2007! For more info: www.pollinator.org R. Thomas (Tom) Van Arsdall, Public Affairs Representative for Coevolution Institute/NAPPC Van Arsdall & Associates 13605 McLane Place Fredericksburg, VA 22407-2344 (540) 785-0949 tom at vanarsdall.com -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Group Pollinator Support Letter.doc Type: application/msword Size: 27648 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070418/de00c075/attachment-0001.doc From Ladadams at aol.com Wed Apr 18 22:42:53 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2007 01:42:53 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Conservation Conference Message-ID: ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070419/8eac50df/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: "Bechert, Ursula" Subject: register & forward please Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2007 15:02:37 -0700 Size: 273125 Url: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070419/8eac50df/attachment-0001.mht From Ladadams at aol.com Wed Apr 18 22:43:56 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2007 01:43:56 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Fwd: Food, Farming and the Wild Message-ID: ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070419/c86c9cc3/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: News from Wild Farm Alliance Subject: Food, Farming and the Wild Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2007 14:00:20 -0400 (EDT) Size: 20464 Url: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070419/c86c9cc3/attachment.mht From km at coevolution.org Thu Apr 19 10:21:33 2007 From: km at coevolution.org (Kat McGuire) Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2007 10:21:33 -0700 Subject: [Pollinator] Congress Hears From Organic Growers Over Farm Bill Message-ID: <048c01c782a7$2e71fcc0$3c06000a@cov002> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/19/MNGD8PB4H91.DTL&hw=congress+hears+from+organic+growers+over+farm+bill&sn=001&sc=1000 Kat McGuire Development and Communication Coordinator Coevolution Institute 423 Washington Street, 5th floor San Francisco, CA 94111-2339 415.362.1137 phone 415.362.3070 fax km at coevolution.org www.coevolution.org www.nappc.org www.pollinator.org ~Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week: June 24-30, 2007. Contact us for more information at www.pollinator.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070419/157b5821/attachment.html From km at coevolution.org Thu Apr 19 12:31:14 2007 From: km at coevolution.org (Kat McGuire) Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2007 12:31:14 -0700 Subject: [Pollinator] Will a Butterfly Bloom in Kansas? Message-ID: <04dc01c782b9$551db780$3c06000a@cov002> The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) issued the following press release yesterday. It can also be found online at http://www.pollinator.org/Resources/CoECropArtPressReleaseFINAL.pdf. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Laurie Adams (415) 362 1137 lda at coevolution.org Kat McGuire (415) 362-1137 km at coevolution.org Will a Butterfly Bloom in Kansas? San Francisco, CA (April 18, 2007) A bold plan to publicize the importance and plight of pollinators in the U.S. is hoping to literally take root on a small farm in Kansas. Backed by a continental coalition of pollinator advocates, a program to raise funds for a unique blend of art and conservation advocacy is looking for "seed money." To draw attention to the importance of pollinators in ecosystems, agriculture, and biodiversity, a continent-wide campaign to protect pollinators, the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC), plans to partner with world-renowned Kansas-based crop artist Stan Herd to build a 50-foot butterfly out of natural materials. "Pollinators are essential to our quality of life, and they may be in trouble," said Laurie Davies Adams, who directs the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC). "Many people don't realize that we depend on pollinators for 80% of the flowering plants in natural areas and for much of the food we eat. A world without pollinators is a world without strawberries, apples, almonds, berries, and even one-half of the oils in our diet." Convinced that public awareness and involvement are essential to pollinator protection, NAPPC Steering Committee member Professor Chip Taylor of the University of Kansas, and the head of MonarchWatch, has enlisted the help of acclaimed artist Stan Herd to publicize the issue. Herd specializes in large-scale earthworks, such as crop art and rock mosaics, and has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian, and Wall Street Journal. His previous work can be viewed at www.stanherdart.com, and a sketch of the crop art is available at http://www.pollinator.org/pix/crop%20art%20sketch.jpg. (See below left.) Herd plans to replicate one of four Pollination stamps to be issued by the U.S. Postal Service, the Southern dogface butterfly, using only plants and other natural materials. The installation will be executed near Pendleton's Country Market, a family farm off Kansas Highway 10 between Olathe and Lawrence. The resulting evanescent image will be viewed aerially for a brief few weeks. Flyovers originating from an airport three miles away are planned. NAPPC hopes to raise the funding for this project this month - in time for planting. "Our goal is that the beauty and timeliness of this art inspire the public to take action to protect pollinators," said Taylor. "Small actions make a big difference at the collective level. Get in touch with nature by taking a walk; learn about animal-pollinated plants native to your area; and then plant a few. Another way to help is by donating to the pollinator crop art project, which will help bring much-needed publicity to the importance of pollinators." The crop art will coincide with National Pollinator Week, designated by the U.S. Senate and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help publicize the vulnerability of pollinators and to call on the public to create pollinator-friendly habitats in their own landscapes. The U.S. Postal Service block of four Pollination stamps, to be issued during Pollinator Week, will feature Morrison's bumble bee, the calliope hummingbird, and the lesser long-nosed bat, in addition to the Southern dogface butterfly that crop artist Herd plans to create in flowers. "We are excited that the message we are trying to convey - the importance of pollinators to our society - will be amplified with this enormous and unique reproduction of our beautiful postage stamp," said David Failor, Executive Director of Stamp Services for the U.S. Postal Service. National Pollinator Week will focus on information on actions that help pollinators. Through habitat destruction, misuse of pesticides, and pollution, humans have provoked a decline in many species of pollinators, such as birds, bats, bees and butterflies that play an essential role in the reproduction of flowering plants both on farms and in the wild. National Pollinator Week comes at a time when pollinators have been in the news. Recently, much media attention has been focused on the mysterious disappearance of tens of thousands of honey bee colonies, a phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Scientists are currently studying the extent, causes and remedies for this unexplained loss, and have put forth possible explanations ranging from new pesticides to persistent drought caused by climate change to persistent and cumulative effects of parasites, disease or fungus. Whatever the reason, CCD has proven particularly difficult for the farmers who depend on honey bees to pollinate their crops. "Everyone loses when we lose pollinators," said Paul Growald, the Chairman of NAPPC. "When pollinators are in trouble, the plant species that depend on them are in trouble - the entire ecosystem suffers. When beekeepers are forced to charge farmers more for pollination services because of honey bee die-off, we all shoulder the burden in the form of higher food prices." To make a tax-deductible donation to the crop art project, visit www.pollinator.org (click "Crop Art Donations") or Contact Laurie Davies Adams at (415) 362-1137 or info at coevolution.org. Donations are necessary to assure the project's timely completion; artist Herd hopes to complete the pollinator crop art by National Pollinator Week, June 24-30. NAPPC encourages all types of groups - classrooms, congregations, families - and individuals to use this opportunity to learn about pollinators as they fundraise to support this project. NAPPC gratefully welcomes donations of any amount, and will recognize contributors on www.pollinator.org. ###### (ELECTRONIC RESOURCES at www.pollinator.org include: (1) Fact Sheets on Pollination and for Gardeners, Public Land Managers, Educators and Students, Food Industry, Farmers and Ranchers; (2) Full-color artwork on Pollination; (3) Information about events and activities planned for Pollinator Week, and ways to get involved; (4) Crop Art Sketch http://www.pollinator.org/pix/crop%20art%20sketch.jpg.) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070419/ecb7e15f/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 8424 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070419/ecb7e15f/attachment-0001.jpe From Ladadams at aol.com Fri Apr 20 13:44:08 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2007 16:44:08 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Dewey Caron on Martha Stewart Radio on CCD Message-ID: I will be on Martha Stewart Radio Live 7-7:30 AM time slot discussing CCD (they are doing a cooking with honey) Tuesday April 24th. Dewey Caron Dewey M. Caron Dept Entomology & Wildlife Ecology 250 Townsend U of D Newark, DE 19716 tel 302 831-8883 Fax 302 831-8889 dmcaron at udel.edu Laurie Davies Adams Executive Director Coevolution Institute 423 Washington St. 5th San Francisco, CA 94111 415 362 1137 LDA at coevolution.org _http://www.coevolution.org/_ (http://www.coevolution.org/) _http://www.pollinator.org/_ (http://www.pollinator.org/) _http://www.nappc.org/_ (http://www.nappc.org/) Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week: June 24-30, 2007. Contact us for more information at www.pollinator.org Our future flies on the wings of pollinators. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070420/18728e15/attachment.html From Ladadams at aol.com Fri Apr 20 22:19:26 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2007 01:19:26 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Mason Bees, Canada, Pollinator Week, Honey and Love - Great Article Message-ID: Saanich News The buzz about mason bees By Pam Tempelmayr Apr 20 2007 In Bloom Have you noticed a shiny blue bee or what might look like a furry fly in your garden or orchard? Chances are you have seen an orchard mason bee, Osmia lignaria, and you must consider yourself fortunate. These are one of the best pollinators you can have. These insects are a type of honeybee usually a bit smaller in size than the domesticated variety kept by beekeepers. Females, unlike these honeybee counterparts, who have sacs on their legs for collecting pollen, have hairs on the underside of their abdomens (called scopa) for this purpose. Since their habit is to land on the top of blossoms they are constantly transferring pollen as they move from blossom to blossom. I?ve found their holes under the siding on our old shed as well as in the tree bark on our property. These holes in which females lay eggs are not anything to be concerned about, as this fuzzy little bee doesn?t excavate at all. It actually cleans out loose debris from existing holes. She picks holes about 1/4 to 3/8 inches (about 2 1/2 cm) in diameter and three to six inches (7 1/2 ? 15 1/4 cm) deep. The first chore as pre-stated is cleaning out the hole, and then the bee places a mud plug at the bottom. Into this she busily transfers 15 to 20 loads of pollen and nectar, which provides food for her progeny. Once she has sufficient stores she lays her egg and seals the cell with a tiny plug of mud. She then supplies another cell the same way on and on until the hole is nearly filled. At this stage, she seals the entrance with another thick mud plug. This seal is also important for your identification as some wasps and leaf-cutters also lay in similar holes. The mason bee?s plug is always rough, while that of a wasp is smooth and a leaf-cutters hole is sealed with chewed leaves. Females live about one month laying about two eggs a day. Larva hatch from egg after a few days and begin eating provisions. Once these are eaten (about 10 days) the larva spins a cocoon and pupates. They remain in cocoon until spring. Males (smaller with long antennae) emerge first then females emerge from inner cells a few days later, chewing through cocoons and mud plugs. They begin nesting in three or four days. If weather cools it might take one or two weeks for all bees to emerge. Mason bees aren?t just great pollinators, they are totally non-aggressive and rarely if ever sting and the sting is more like a mosquito bite. Some gardeners I know have mason bee houses hanging under the eaves of the shed next to fruit trees. They are simply made (or bought) by drilling holes 1/4 to 3/8 inches (about 21/2 cm) in diameter and three to six inches (about 7 1/2 ? 15 1/4 cm) deep into a piece of pine or fir. I?m told a ?brad-point bit? makes a nice smooth hole. These houses are about a foot (1/3 metre) high and half that width. They?ve cut the top to a point adding two little pieces of molding to look like a peaked roof for decorative effect. They are hung under the eaves for rain protection. It is also important they catch the sun?s morning rays and there is a source for mud making nearby. Tip: About 80 per cent of the world?s crops require pollination from birds, bees, butterflies, beetles, mosquitoes and bats. June 24-30 this year is International Pollinator Week and the U. S. Postal Service is issuing a booklet of 20 commemorative stamps on June 24th titled Pollination (by artist Steve Buchanan) in honour of it. Superstition: Bathe in warm water and honey to attract love. whalebonestudio at mac.com ? Copyright 2007 Saanich News ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070421/734b969e/attachment-0001.html From Ladadams at aol.com Fri Apr 20 22:22:42 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2007 01:22:42 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Flowers Evolve to Suit Birds and Bats Message-ID: Flowers Evolve to Suit Birds and Bats By Heather Whipps Special to LiveScience posted: 20 April 2007 11:37 am ET The varying shapes of flowers found in tropical forests, from broadly blooming to delicately narrow, may have to do with what has stuck its nose in there to pollinate in past evolutionary eras. ? Different species of birds and bats may have encouraged flowers to evolve to fit the shape of their snouts or beaks, new findings suggest. ? Flowers seem to respond to whatever is available and doing the best job of spreading pollen, said study leader Nathan Muchhala, a University of Miami biologist. Birds and bats have also changed their body shapes over time to adapt to available food sources and flower and plant shapes, but flowers have done so more aggressively, he said. ? "Basically, the flowers are making an evolutionary decision," he told LiveScience. "Organisms can specialize in something (like having wide or narrow openings), but they have to make the tradeoff to be good at one or the other." ? The findings are detailed in this month's issue of the American Naturalist. ? If the snout fits ? Biologists have long observed that pollinators such as birds and bats seem to favor different shapes and species of flowers. However, there has never been evidence to support the idea that flower diversity is a direct result of the need to "choose" one shape over another depending on the pollinator. ? To test this, Muchhala and his team captured (and later released) a species of nectar bat and hummingbird in the rainforests of Ecuador and brought them together with a variety of artificial flowers?filled with honey water?like the ones found locally. ? Flower-pollinator fit was crucial in successful pollination, the results showed. ? The hummingbirds, with their long and thin beaks, were better guided by flowers with similarly narrow shapes. On the other hand, the much larger bats made better contact with flowers that had wider openings. ? Lots of pollen dropped to the ground and was wasted by each animal when the reverse was tested, Muchhala said, and also forced the animals to fly in at odd ?and probably uncomfortable?angles. ? It has probably been a bit of a give and take relationship over the years, Muchhala said, with the flowers doing most of the evolutionary work. ? "There is definitely some degree of co-evolution (simultaneously adapting together), which you can see just in the fact that flower visiting bats and birds have longer snouts than other bats and birds," he said. "However, flowers seem to respond faster." ? There isn't just one flower species per bat or bird, Muchhala clarified. ? "This is a common misconception?that is, that each flower has its bat/bird specialist, and they are tightly interdependent," he said. "The one exception is a bat with an extremely long tongue (140 percent of body length!) that I recently discovered in Ecuador?a flower with a matching tube length is exclusively specialized to this bat," he said. ? ? How Flowers Know Spring Has Sprung ? Human Affection Altered Evolution of Flowers ? The Bizarre Sex Life of an Orchid Close up of a hummingbird feeding at the artificial flower. Credit: Nathan Muchhala, Department of Biology, University of Miami, Florida > Click to View Nathan Muchhala working on the artificial flower with a bat hovering by his leg in mid-air. Credit: Nathan Muchhala. Department of Biology, University of Miami, Florida > Click to View ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070421/0f91ea09/attachment-0001.html From inouye at umd.edu Fri Apr 20 14:02:49 2007 From: inouye at umd.edu (David Inouye) Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2007 17:02:49 -0400 Subject: [Pollinator] cell phones and bees Message-ID: <200704202102.CSB79333@md0.mail.umd.edu> >Sender: Entomology Discussion List >From: Doug Yanega >Subject: Re: Fw: THE BEE MYSTERY IS MULTI - NATIONAL >To: ENTOMO-L at listserv.uoguelph.ca > >>Cell phones as a cause of CCD in honey bees? NO WAY! > >Unfortunately for real scientists, these are physicists in Germany >that have done a pilot study demonstrating that honey bees with >mobile phone signal emitters embedded in their colonies (a sample >size of 2) are less likely to return to the hive when released (the >theory is evidently that bees will "resonate" with the frequency of >the EMF emissions, thereby interfering with their homing ability). >Two UK reporters jumped on this as an explanation for CCD, and got >one of the physicists to agree with this possibility when >interviewed. And then they got a guy who wrote a best-selling book on >how cell phones are killing people to also go along with the theory, >which now means that he's going to make a few more million dollars >from all the free advertising his book is getting. So, it is now an >established scientific fact (if you believe the media's definition of >"fact") that cell phones (which are completely different from the >mobile phones used in the experiment) not only cause CCD, but are >ushering in the end of all life on earth, since Einstein said we >would all be dead within four years of bees disappearing, and >everyone knows Einstein was right about everything. > >All kidding aside, this is an appalling manipulation of junk science >to create junk fact, resulting in REAL fear and REAL misinformation. >The saddest thing is that the people who actually know about bees are >not being asked to speak, and if we do, and dare to say "Well, that's >just stupid" then the accusatory fingers are pointed at *us*, and we >are told "Is that all you have to say? Where is your scientific proof >that these people are wrong?? Huh, Mr. Scientist??" > >It's tragic how in a court of law, if you show that a person is not a >credible witness, their testimony is thrown out, but if you attack >someone's credibility in a scientific context, then you are guilty of >"ad hominem" attacks, and YOU become the bad guy because you didn't >refute their arguments using science (on top of being accused of >committing slander). > >Ultimately, no matter how idiotic a crackpot theory may be, if we do >not put out scientific papers refuting it, it is assumed by the world >at large that the theory might be correct, if only because >"Scientists don't know everything" and "There are things Science >can't explain". So, you can expect that we will not hear the end of >this cell phone nonsense, so long as no one does a study that shows >that it IS nonsense *AND* holds a press conference to announce it - >which means at least several more months for it to fester and poison >the public consciousness, just like the Bt theory, the sunspot >theory, and all the other ridiculously improbable theories >circulating out there now. This sort of thing sometimes simply fills >me with despair, at other times with indignant rage (the image of >grabbing the entire world by its collective throat and shaking some >sense into it comes to mind). > >Einstein may have been right, but not because we're going to starve >--- instead, because we've become a society of ignorant and >superstitious people incapable of telling fact from fiction, and lies >from truth. It's probably just a matter of time before such an >irrevocably gullible society self-destructs. I intend to fight >against it, for my part, but man, is it ever an uphill battle. > >Peace, >-- > >Doug Yanega /Dept. of Entomology /Entomology Research Museum >Univ. of California - Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521-0314 >phone: (951) 827-4315 (standard disclaimer: opinions are mine, not UCR's) > Skype: Dyanega http://cache.ucr.edu/~heraty/yanega.html > "There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness > is the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82 From Ladadams at aol.com Sun Apr 22 20:43:10 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2007 23:43:10 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Bumble bees in the news Message-ID: >From My Mother Lode News: Bumblebees Are Primo Pollinators Saturday, April 21, 2007 - 06:00 AM Bumblebees greet spring with unrestrained exuberance, appearing to gleefully romp from one poppy blossom to the next. In reality, these bees are hard at work, diligently gathering pollen and nectar to take home to their nest. In so doing, they move pollen from one flower to another to help produce yet another crop of next year's flowers, seed, and food. Bumblebees are primo pollinators. WHO ARE THE BUMBLEBEES? Bumblebees are large, hairy, yellow and black bees that boisterously buzz flowers from early spring to late fall. There are about 240 species of Bombus worldwide with 26 native to California. Due to their hairiness, bumblebees look larger than they really are. Their hair helps gather and hold pollen during their travels from flower to flower, and helps warm them during cold weather. They also have the ability to shiver for warmth and, unlike honeybees and a number of other pollinators, can fly from near freezing weather to into the 90s. Further, many bumblebees have unusually long tongues enabling them to reach the inner parts of flowers other bees cannot. And, they increase crop production by buzz pollinating (sonicating) tomatoes, blueberries, eggplants, and some pepper blossoms. Unlike social honeybees that form large hives, bumblebees are semi-social. A single female starts a colony in the spring in an abandoned rodent hole or tree cavity. By season's end, the nest may contain only 50 to 250 bees. All of the bumblebees then die except a single fertilized female, who starts a new colony in the spring. Since they don't over-winter in the colony, bumblebees do not stockpile honey as do honeybees. A garden or yard can easily house a bumblebee nest, perhaps several, without your even knowing. Since bumblebees live in small nests, they never swarm. And, since they produce only small amounts of honey for their own needs, bumblebees have no need to protect their hives from honey thieves. Although a bumblebee can sting more than once, they are quite unlikely to attack humans unless their life is threatened. In fact the smaller male drones that hatch in midsummer have no sting at all. Don't confuse bumblebees with carpenter bees. Carpenter bees belong to the species Xylocopa, and resemble bumblebees in size and shape, but their abdomen or tail portion is usually a non-hairy shiny blue black. Carpenter bees are solitary bees that bore holes in wood to make nests for their young. They are valuable pollinators for some crops, but unlike many bumblebees, they are nectar thieves that cut into the side of flowers and steal nectar, often without pollinating. THE PLIGHT OF NATIVE POLLINATORS: Pollinators are crucial to our food supply. Without pollinators, we will lose most fruit crops, many vegetables and grains, even chocolate. Honeybees (non-native European bees) are our best-known pollinators, and their decline due to disease, mites, and ?colony collapse? has received much press. Fortunately we have 1,600 species of known California bees, including bumblebees, plus many other native pollinating insects, bats, and birds. These native creatures often have greater resistance to local diseases and parasites, and their diversity makes it less likely that a disease would impact all. Even so, our native pollinators are under a siege that has been compared to global warming. The advent of chemical gardening and increased agriculture last century took a great toll. Industrialization and urbanization continue to reduce nesting areas and eliminate many native plants that pollinators depend on. And, ongoing importation of exotic (non-native) bees, including European bumblebees for greenhouse tomato pollination, potentially brings more new diseases. WHAT TO DO: We all have the power to help bumblebees and other pollinators in some way. Embrace non-chemical solutions to pest problems and eliminate pesticide powders and dusts, as pollinators can carry these back to the nest. Encourage schools, parks, golf courses, and other public entities to use fewer pesticides and to let ditches and hedgerows go unplowed and unsprayed to preserve nesting sites. Let native plants (including some weeds) grow undisturbed whenever possible. And, if you can, plant a few pollinator flowers or even a pollinator garden. Pollinators prefer their flowers in patches, rather than single plants, and need a succession of blossoms from spring through fall. The California Native Plant Society recommendations include California poppies, sunflowers, lupine, clover, California lilac, penstemon, gooseberries, salvias, milkweeds, and manzanita. For more flower suggestions, go to http://nature.Berkeley.edu/urbanbeegardens. Also visit The American Pollinator Protection Campaign at www.nappc.org. A final word on bumblebees: Be sure to spend lots of time watching these amazing creatures. Note which flowers they frequent. Teach children to enjoy their antics and appreciate their contributions to our food supply. Slowly walk away if bees fly too close. Remember, if undisturbed, bumblebees are peaceful bees, very unlikely to sting. Sonora Master Gardener Vera Strader is an avid bumblebee watcher. Her yard is certified as a National Wildlife Federation Backyard Wildlife Habitat. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070422/174c390e/attachment.html From Ladadams at aol.com Mon Apr 23 06:06:11 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2007 09:06:11 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Global Changes and Earth Warming Message-ID: Global changes fool Mother Nature Arbor Day Foundation's new hardiness map reflects Earth's warming By Nancy Taylor Robson Special to The Sun Originally published April 22, 2007 Does it seem as though your lilacs are opening earlier than they did in your childhood? Have you noticed the dogwood, wild columbine and Virginia bluebells blooming earlier? It's not your imagination. Though there are certainly seasonal fluctuations from year to year, as the recent cool spell can attest, studies are showing global warming is having an effect on our gardens. "Many plants are blooming weeks earlier than they used to," says David Inouye, professor of biology at the University of Maryland, College Park. A 30-year Smithsonian Institution study of first-flowering dates from Jan. 1 to June 1 in the Baltimore-Washington area shows distinct changes in bloom times. Scientists tracked 2,500 species, then selected 100 for which they had the most years of record. "Of 100 species, 89 were flowering earlier," says Stanwyn Shet- ler, emeritus curator of botany at Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. "From a fraction of a day to up to 46 days earlier." The earlier warmth has prompted a recent revision in the hardiness map. Using the temperature data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Arbor Day Foundation revised the hardiness map to reflect the fact that the South is creeping north. The map has been adjusted twice before - once in 1965 to add data missing from the original, and then again in 1990 to incorporate changes in weather patterns. This time, the changes are striking. Chunks of many states have warmed one full hardiness zone. Some have even jumped two zones. While Baltimore has stayed the same, Western Maryland has shifted from Zone 6 to Zone 7 and the Easton/Oxford/Cambridge area of the Eastern Shore has moved from Zone 7 to Zone 8. So what if spring comes earlier? Couldn't we just shift the cherry blossom festival? Plant more Southern cultivars? What's the big deal? For one thing: pollination. Just as with catching a plane, in the intricate dance of plant-and-pollinator: Timing is everything. "There is a rather tight schedule to meet, especially for forest-floor flowers," Shetler says. "They can't come out too early or there aren't pollinators there [to enable them to reproduce]. If they bloom too late, the canopy has closed over and they don't get enough sun to go through their full cycle." The pollinators have their own circadian clocks that determine emergence, feeding and reproduction times that are not purely reliant on warmth. If bloom time and pollen production don't coincide with pollinator emergence, insects (and insect-eating birds) starve. Without pollinators, plants don't produce seed or fruit. Despite this critical connection, most gardeners rarely give pollination a thought. "It's a service that's provided by ecosystems," Inouye says. "But there has been growing concern over the past few years about the status of pollinators in North America." While home gardeners may blithely assume pollination will just happen, commercial growers, keenly aware of their pollinator-dependence, often pay commercial beekeepers to transport bees into orchards and farms to pollinate their crops. But honeybees are suffering from colony collapse disorder, which kills off as much as 60 percent of a hive in a winter. Yet it isn't just a change in pollinators that will affect gardeners. Warmer temperatures also have paved the way for a new crop of invasives coming up from the south. "When you shift minimum winter temperatures up, that acts as less of a brake on where these invasives can grow," says Lewis Ziska, plant physiologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Crop Systems and Global Change Laboratory in Beltsville. Another spur to invasive weed growth is increased carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, a key component of global warming. Since 1960, there has been a 20 percent increase in CO2 levels outside of urban areas and a 24 percent increase in Baltimore, Ziska says. While plants require CO2 in addition to light, nutrients and water, when one of the legs in that four-legged stool changes, it unbalances everything that rests on them. In this case, plants that do well with higher CO2 concentrations multiply, while those that don't, die. "Unfortunately, what we've seen is selection for invasives - Tree of Heaven, Norway maple, [white] mulberry and invasive vines like [Japanese] honeysuckle, morning glory, English ivy and kudzu, which we didn't have here 20 years ago," Ziska says. In addition to pollinator decline and invasive onslaught, plant colonies are challenged by the weather extremes we're seeing now. "When we have rain now, we have a lot of it," says Paul Babikow, president of Babikow Greenhouses in Baltimore. "When we have drought, it lasts longer. When we have a cold spell, it's really, really cold and then two weeks later, it might be really, really warm. It's a lot more random than it used to be only 20 years ago." ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070423/5bcaa782/attachment.html From jt at coevolution.org Mon Apr 23 13:49:31 2007 From: jt at coevolution.org (Jennifer Tsang) Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2007 13:49:31 -0700 Subject: [Pollinator] National Geographic: Gecko Pollinators Help "Save" Rare Flower Message-ID: <008301c785e8$e5daff30$4606000a@COV102> http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/04/070423-gecko.html National Geographic News: NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM/NEWS _____ Gecko Pollinators Help "Save" Rare Flower Scott Norris for National Geographic News April 23, 2007 On the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, a brilliant green lizard and a palmlike shrub are helping to save a rare flowering plant from extinction. The naturally occurring conservation partnership features the lizard-a species known as the blue-tailed day gecko-in an unusual role, researchers say: The lizard is the key pollinator of the threatened Trochetia flower. The shrubby Pandanus plant does its part by providing the lizard a safe haven from predators as it performs pollinations, according to a new study. Although insects also visited the Trochetia flowers, the research team found that the bugs did not carry much pollen from one blossom to another, proving the gecko is the main pollinator. "An animal may visit flowers often, eating pollen or nectar, but not provide a good pollination service," said study leader Dennis Hansen of the University of Zurich in Switzerland. "Our study is one of the few to provide evidence that lizards can indeed be efficient pollinators." Lizard Stand-In Previously, a nectar-sipping bird called the olive white-eye pollinated Trochetia, but the bird is nearly extinct. Researchers say the flower's survival now largely depends on visits from the 5-inch-long (13-centimeter-long) gecko. Like the birds, the geckos visit Trochetia plants to harvest nectar produced by the flowers. In the process they transfer pollen from one blossom to another. But by venturing out on the exposed blossoms, geckos risk becoming lunch for the Mauritian kestrel, a type of falcon that preys on lizards. Safety for the gecko lies in dense, nearly impenetrable thickets of Pandanus plants growing around the flowers. Hansen's team found that Trochetia flowers growing close to Pandanus patches received the lion's share of gecko visitations. These flowers were able to bear fruit and reproduce, the researchers said, while those located farther from Pandanus plants often did not. The team's findings, which appear in the April edition of the journal The American Naturalist, add to the growing number of examples of lizard pollination. So far, almost all known cases occur on oceanic islands. Jens Olesen, of the University of Aarhus in Denmark, is an expert on the little-studied phenomenon. Olesen has assembled data showing that of more than 4,300 lizard species, only 71 are known to feed on flower nectar and, in the process, provide pollination services. "Ninety-five percent of the flower-visiting lizard species are from islands," Olesen said. Olesen and colleagues have suggested that a shortage of insects for the lizards to eat on remote islands may be what causes some species to become fruit- and nectar-eaters. And Joan Roughgarden, an ecologist at Stanford University in California, thinks lizard pollination might evolve in island communities because pollinating birds and insects are in short supply. "Lizards are available and other pollinators are not," Roughgarden said. "Bird faunas are usually [smaller] on islands, whereas lizards may be more abundant than on the mainland." (Related news: "Buzz Kill: Wild Bees and Flowers Disappearing, Study Says" [July 21, 2006].) Some island plants may even have special adaptations for attracting lizard pollinators. Nectar of a Different Color Trochetia flowers on Mauritius had puzzled scientists by producing nectar that is yellow or red in color. The nectar produced by almost all other flowers is clear. In a separate paper last year, Hansen and colleagues said they had solved that mystery. Their experimental tests showed that colored nectar is an effective lure for enticing geckos to visit blossoms. Hansen's team is now studying another rare Mauritian flower that appears to rely on geckos not only for pollination but also for seed dispersal. "For both processes, the plants growing closer to Pandanus do better than ones further away," Hansen said. Similar chains of positive interactions involving cover-providing plants and pollinating lizards may be widespread in island communities, he noted. Maintaining such relationships may become increasingly important as native bird pollinators continue to decline and disappear. "For island conservation management, the major take-home message is the need to promote habitat structural diversity, which provides [the foundation for] lizard-mediated interactions." _____ C 1996-2007 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved. Jennifer Tsang Coevolution Institute 423 Washington St. 5th Fl. San Francisco, CA 94111-2339 T: 415.362.1137 F: 415.362.3070 www.nappc.org www.pollinator.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070423/688068d7/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 4132 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070423/688068d7/attachment.gif From inouye at umd.edu Tue Apr 24 05:45:45 2007 From: inouye at umd.edu (David Inouye) Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2007 08:45:45 -0400 Subject: [Pollinator] Swiss agri-environment scheme enhances pollinator diversity and plant reproductive success in nearby intensively managed farmland Message-ID: <200704241245.CSG39410@md0.mail.umd.edu> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070424/48f2e969/attachment-0001.html From jt at coevolution.org Tue Apr 24 09:28:16 2007 From: jt at coevolution.org (Jennifer Tsang) Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2007 09:28:16 -0700 Subject: [Pollinator] NYT: Bees Vanish, and Scientists Race for Reasons Message-ID: <006301c7868d$9112af20$4606000a@COV102> http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/24/science/24bees.html?_r=1&8dpc&oref=slogin The New York Times _____ April 24, 2007 Bees Vanish, and Scientists Race for Reasons By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO BELTSVILLE, Md., April 23 - What is happening to the bees? More than a quarter of the country's 2.4 million bee colonies have been lost - tens of billions of bees, according to an estimate from the Apiary Inspectors of America, a national group that tracks beekeeping. So far, no one can say what is causing the bees to become disoriented and fail to return to their hives. As with any great mystery, a number of theories have been posed, and many seem to researchers to be more science fiction than science. People have blamed genetically modified crops, cellular phone towers and high-voltage transmission lines for the disappearances. Or was it a secret plot by Russia or Osama bin Laden to bring down American agriculture? Or, as some blogs have asserted, the rapture of the bees, in which God recalled them to heaven? Researchers have heard it all. The volume of theories "is totally mind-boggling," said Diana Cox-Foster, an entomologist at Pennsylvania State University. With Jeffrey S. Pettis, an entomologist from the United States Department of Agriculture, Dr. Cox-Foster is leading a team of researchers who are trying to find answers to explain "colony collapse disorder," the name given for the disappearing bee syndrome. "Clearly there is an urgency to solve this," Dr. Cox-Foster said. "We are trying to move as quickly as we can." Dr. Cox-Foster and fellow scientists who are here at a two-day meeting to discuss early findings and future plans with government officials have been focusing on the most likely suspects: a virus, a fungus or a pesticide. About 60 researchers from North America sifted the possibilities at the meeting today. Some expressed concern about the speed at which adult bees are disappearing from their hives; some colonies have collapsed in as little as two days. Others noted that countries in Europe, as well as Guatemala and parts of Brazil, are also struggling for answers. "There are losses around the world that may or not be linked," Dr. Pettis said. The investigation is now entering a critical phase. The researchers have collected samples in several states and have begun doing bee autopsies and genetic analysis. So far, known enemies of the bee world, like the varroa mite, on their own at least, do not appear to be responsible for the unusually high losses. Genetic testing at Columbia University has revealed the presence of multiple micro-organisms in bees from hives or colonies that are in decline, suggesting that something is weakening their immune system. The researchers have found some fungi in the affected bees that are found in humans whose immune systems have been suppressed by the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or cancer . "That is extremely unusual," Dr. Cox-Foster said. Meanwhile, samples were sent to an Agriculture Department laboratory in North Carolina this month to screen for 117 chemicals. Particular suspicion falls on a pesticide that France banned out of concern that it may have been decimating bee colonies. Concern has also mounted among public officials. "There are so many of our crops that require pollinators," said Representative Dennis Cardoza, a California Democrat whose district includes that state's central agricultural valley, and who presided last month at a Congressional hearing on the bee issue. "We need an urgent call to arms to try to ascertain what is really going on here with the bees, and bring as much science as we possibly can to bear on the problem." So far, colony collapse disorder has been found in 27 states, according to Bee Alert Technology Inc., a company monitoring the problem. A recent survey of 13 states by the Apiary Inspectors of America showed that 26 percent of beekeepers had lost half of their bee colonies between September and March. Honeybees are arguably the insects that are most important to the human food chain. They are the principal pollinators of hundreds of fruits, vegetables, flowers and nuts. The number of bee colonies has been declining since the 1940s, even as the crops that rely on them, such as California almonds, have grown. In October, at about the time that beekeepers were experiencing huge bee losses, a study by the National Academy of Sciences questioned whether American agriculture was relying too heavily on one type of pollinator, the honeybee. Bee colonies have been under stress in recent years as more beekeepers have resorted to crisscrossing the country with 18-wheel trucks full of bees in search of pollination work. These bees may suffer from a diet that includes artificial supplements, concoctions akin to energy drinks and power bars. In several states, suburban sprawl has limited the bees' natural forage areas. So far, the researchers have discounted the possibility that poor diet alone could be responsible for the widespread losses. They have also set aside for now the possibility that the cause could be bees feeding from a commonly used genetically modified crop, Bt corn, because the symptoms typically associated with toxins, such as blood poisoning, are not showing up in the affected bees. But researchers emphasized today that feeding supplements produced from genetically modified crops, such as high-fructose corn syrup, need to be studied. The scientists say that definitive answers for the colony collapses could be months away. But recent advances in biology and genetic sequencing are speeding the search. Computers can decipher information from DNA and match pieces of genetic code with particular organisms. Luckily, a project to sequence some 11,000 genes of the honeybee was completed late last year at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, giving scientists a huge head start on identifying any unknown pathogens in the bee tissue. "Otherwise, we would be looking for the needle in the haystack," Dr. Cox-Foster said. Large bee losses are not unheard of. They have been reported at several points in the past century. But researchers think they are dealing with something new - or at least with something previously unidentified. "There could be a number of factors that are weakening the bees or speeding up things that shorten their lives," said Dr. W. Steve Sheppard, a professor of entomology at Washington State University. "The answer may already be with us." Scientists first learned of the bee disappearances in November, when David Hackenberg, a Pennsylvania beekeeper, told Dr. Cox-Foster that more than 50 percent of his bee colonies had collapsed in Florida, where he had taken them for the winter. Dr. Cox-Foster, a 20-year veteran of studying bees, soon teamed with Dennis vanEngelsdorp, the Pennsylvania apiary inspector, to look into the losses. In December, she approached W. Ian Lipkin, director of the Greene Infectious Disease Laboratory at Columbia University, about doing genetic sequencing of tissue from bees in the colonies that experienced losses. The laboratory uses a recently developed technique for reading and amplifying short sequences of DNA that has revolutionized the science. Dr. Lipkin, who typically works on human diseases, agreed to do the analysis, despite not knowing who would ultimately pay for it. His laboratory is known for its work in finding the West Nile disease in the United States. Dr. Cox-Foster ultimately sent samples of bee tissue to researchers at Columbia, to the Agriculture Department laboratory in Maryland, and to Gene Robinson, an entomologist at the University of Illinois . Fortuitously, she had frozen bee samples from healthy colonies dating to 2004 to use for comparison. After receiving the first bee samples from Dr. Cox-Foster on March 6, Dr. Lipkin's team amplified the genetic material and started sequencing to separate virus, fungus and parasite DNA from bee DNA. "This is like C.S.I. for agriculture," Dr. Lipkin said. "It is painstaking, gumshoe detective work." Dr. Lipkin sent his first set of results to Dr. Cox-Foster, showing that several unknown micro-organisms were present in the bees from collapsing colonies. Meanwhile, Mr. vanEngelsdorp and researchers at the Agriculture Department lab here began an autopsy of bees from collapsing colonies in California, Florida, Georgia and Pennsylvania to search for any known bee pathogens. At the University of Illinois, using knowledge gained from the sequencing of the bee genome, Dr. Robinson's team will try to find which genes in the collapsing colonies are particularly active, perhaps indicating stress from exposure to a toxin or pathogen. The national research team also quietly began a parallel study in January, financed in part by the National Honey Board, to further determine if something pathogenic could be causing colonies to collapse. Mr. Hackenberg, the beekeeper, agreed to take his empty bee boxes and other equipment to Food Technology Service, a company in Mulberry, Fla., that uses gamma rays to kill bacteria on medical equipment and some fruits. In early results, the irradiated bee boxes seem to have shown a return to health for colonies repopulated with Australian bees. "This supports the idea that there is a pathogen there," Dr. Cox-Foster said. "It would be hard to explain the irradiation getting rid of a chemical." Still, some environmental substances remain suspicious. Chris Mullin, a Pennsylvania State University professor and insect toxicologist, recently sent a set of samples to a federal laboratory in Raleigh, N.C., that will screen for 117 chemicals. Of greatest interest are the "systemic" chemicals that are able to pass through a plant's circulatory system and move to the new leaves or the flowers, where they would come in contact with bees. One such group of compounds is called neonicotinoids, commonly used pesticides that are used to treat corn and other seeds against pests. One of the neonicotinoids, imidacloprid, is commonly used in Europe and the United States to treat seeds, to protect residential foundations against termites and to help keep golf courses and home lawns green. In the late 1990s, French beekeepers reported large losses of their bees and complained about the use of imidacloprid, sold under the brand name Gaucho. The chemical, while not killing the bees outright, was causing them to be disoriented and stay away from their hives, leading them to die of exposure to the cold, French researchers later found. The beekeepers labeled the syndrome "mad bee disease." The French government banned the pesticide in 1999 for use on sunflowers, and later for corn, despite protests by the German chemical giant Bayer, which has said its internal research showed the pesticide was not toxic to bees. Subsequent studies by independent French researchers have disagreed with Bayer. Alison Chalmers, an eco-toxicologist for Bayer CropScience, said at the meeting today that bee colonies had not recovered in France as beekeepers had expected. "These chemicals are not being used anymore," she said of imidacloprid, "so they certainly were not the only cause." Among the pesticides being tested in the American bee investigation, the neonicotinoids group "is the number-one suspect," Dr. Mullin said. He hoped results of the toxicology screening will be ready within a month. Jennifer Tsang Coevolution Institute 423 Washington St. 5th Fl. San Francisco, CA 94111-2339 T: 415.362.1137 F: 415.362.3070 www.nappc.org www.pollinator.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070424/1a860287/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 1810 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070424/1a860287/attachment-0001.gif From Ladadams at aol.com Tue Apr 24 11:23:32 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2007 14:23:32 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] NY Times Article on Beltsville Meeting on CCD Message-ID: Disappearing Bees LINK WITH PHOTOS: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/24/science/24bees.html?th&emc=th By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO Published: April 24, 2007 BELTSVILLE, Md., April 23 ? What is happening to the bees? More than a quarter of the country?s 2.4 million bee colonies have been lost ? tens of billions of bees, according to an estimate from the Apiary Inspectors of America, a national group that tracks beekeeping. So far, no one can say what is causing the bees to become disoriented and fail to return to their hives. As with any great mystery, a number of theories have been posed, and many seem to researchers to be more science fiction than science. People have blamed genetically modified crops, cellular phone towers and high-voltage transmission lines for the disappearances. Or was it a secret plot by Russia or Osama bin Laden to bring down American agriculture? Or, as some blogs have asserted, the rapture of the bees, in which God recalled them to heaven? Researchers have heard it all. The volume of theories ?is totally mind-boggling,? said Diana Cox-Foster, an entomologist at Pennsylvania State University. With Jeffrey S. Pettis, an entomologist from the United States Department of Agriculture, Dr. Cox-Foster is leading a team of researchers who are trying to find answers to explain ? colony collapse disorder,? the name given for the disappearing bee syndrome. ?Clearly there is an urgency to solve this,? Dr. Cox-Foster said. ?We are trying to move as quickly as we can.? Dr. Cox-Foster and fellow scientists who are here at a two-day meeting to discuss early findings and future plans with government officials have been focusing on the most likely suspects: a virus, a fungus or a pesticide. About 60 researchers from North America sifted the possibilities at the meeting today. Some expressed concern about the speed at which adult bees are disappearing from their hives; some colonies have collapsed in as little as two days. Others noted that countries in Europe, as well as Guatemala and parts of Brazil, are also struggling for answers. ?There are losses around the world that may or not be linked,? Dr. Pettis said. The investigation is now entering a critical phase. The researchers have collected samples in several states and have begun doing bee autopsies and genetic analysis. So far, known enemies of the bee world, like the varroa mite, on their own at least, do not appear to be responsible for the unusually high losses. Genetic testing at Columbia University has revealed the presence of multiple micro-organisms in bees from hives or colonies that are in decline, suggesting that something is weakening their immune system. The researchers have found some fungi in the affected bees that are found in humans whose immune systems have been suppressed by the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or cancer. ?That is extremely unusual,? Dr. Cox-Foster said. Meanwhile, samples were sent to an Agriculture Department laboratory in North Carolina this month to screen for 117 chemicals. Particular suspicion falls on a pesticide that France banned out of concern that it may have been decimating bee colonies. Concern has also mounted among public officials. ?There are so many of our crops that require pollinators,? said Representative Dennis Cardoza, a California Democrat whose district includes that state?s central agricultural valley, and who presided last month at a Congressional hearing on the bee issue. ?We need an urgent call to arms to try to ascertain what is really going on here with the bees, and bring as much science as we possibly can to bear on the problem.? So far, colony collapse disorder has been found in 27 states, according to Bee Alert Technology Inc., a company monitoring the problem. A recent survey of 13 states by the Apiary Inspectors of America showed that 26 percent of beekeepers had lost half of their bee colonies between September and March. Honeybees are arguably the insects that are most important to the human food chain. They are the principal pollinators of hundreds of fruits, vegetables, flowers and nuts. The number of bee colonies has been declining since the 1940s, even as the crops that rely on them, such as California almonds, have grown. In October, at about the time that beekeepers were experiencing huge bee losses, a study by the National Academy of Sciences questioned whether American agriculture was relying too heavily on one type of pollinator, the honeybee. Bee colonies have been under stress in recent years as more beekeepers have resorted to crisscrossing the country with 18-wheel trucks full of bees in search of pollination work. These bees may suffer from a diet that includes artificial supplements, concoctions akin to energy drinks and power bars. In several states, suburban sprawl has limited the bees? natural forage areas. So far, the researchers have discounted the possibility that poor diet alone could be responsible for the widespread losses. They have also set aside for now the possibility that the cause could be bees feeding from a commonly used genetically modified crop, Bt corn, because the symptoms typically associated with toxins, such as blood poisoning, are not showing up in the affected bees. But researchers emphasized today that feeding supplements produced from genetically modified crops, such as high-fructose corn syrup, need to be studied. The scientists say that definitive answers for the colony collapses could be months away. But recent advances in biology and genetic sequencing are speeding the search. Computers can decipher information from DNA and match pieces of genetic code with particular organisms. Luckily, a project to sequence some 11,000 genes of the honeybee was completed late last year at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, giving scientists a huge head start on identifying any unknown pathogens in the bee tissue. ?Otherwise, we would be looking for the needle in the haystack,? Dr. Cox-Foster said. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070424/4f2b49b3/attachment.html From Ladadams at aol.com Wed Apr 25 22:20:42 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2007 01:20:42 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Whidbey hives collapse Message-ID: Whidbey News-Times Whidbey hives collapse By Paul Boring Apr 25 2007 A scientifically baffling and poorly understood phenomenon causing bees worldwide to drop like flies has made its way to Whidbey Island. Tom Schioler, Greenbank beekeeper and the only commercial pollinator on the island, recently lost at least two hives to what is widely referred to as Colony Collapse Disorder. The story began more than two months ago when the local beekeeper, despite his most fervent efforts to save the bees, lost a hive to the unicellular parasite Nosema. ?Nosema is basically bee diarrhea,? Schioler said. ?Bees don?t poop in the hive unless they?re really sick. I noticed brown spots on the hive and knew something was wrong.? After two treatments and an attempt to revive the hive by moving a bottom screen board from one hive to the top of the struggling hive to use the residual warmth, Schioler was forced to write off the colony. ?When I first opened up the hive, the bottom brood box was just filled with dead bees,? he said. Nosema has a name and a face. What happened next was less discriminating and really stung. Following the recommendation of a colleague from the coast, Schioler tried using an antibiotic on two hives as a precautionary measure. ?It didn?t work,? he said. ?They died.? Both hives had never been used for pollination and were thus never exposed to diseases. ?I just used them for honey,? the pollinator said. ?I thought the second hive three weeks ago was gangbusters and then Thursday I look in there and all the frames are empty.? The bees he found were black and wet-looking, consistent with Colony Collapse Disorder. At the bottom of the box, the queen was half the normal size and only she and young, attendant bees remained. The hive was full of honey and nectar, leaving Schioler puzzled, as other bees will generally swoop in and loot if the opportunity is presented. ?They stayed the hell away from it,? he said. ?There were no older bees.? Schioler divides his time between producing honey and commercial pollination. At last Sunday?s Ballard Farmer?s Market he met a beekeeper who lost 20 of his 22 hives. Another beekeeper in Tenino had it much worse, losing all 350 of his hives. Whether a person shares Schioler?s passion for bees is irrelevant in the face of what he claims is a potentially catastrophic harbinger. From 1971 to 2006 approximately half of the U.S. honey bee colonies have vanished. Theories for the cumulative loss range from environmental change-related stresses, to malnutrition, to mites, to pesticides, to electromagnetic radiation, such as cellular phone signals. More recently the rate of attrition was alleged to have reached new proportions, according to Wikipedia, and the term Colony Collapse Disorder was proposed to describe the sudden rash of disappearances. ?Einstein predicted that if bees were to die, humans would starve within four years,? Schioler said. ?If this continues, we could starve in two generations. People need to decide if they want a beautiful lawn or if they want to eat in the future.? In 1962, Rachel Carson wrote the book Silent Spring, which has been credited with launching the environmentalism movement in the West. The book claimed detrimental effects of pesticides on the environment and ultimately facilitated the ban of the pesticide DDT in 1972 in the U.S. ?We?ve known the problems were there for a long time,? Schioler said. The decline of bee populations in the U.S. prompted the importation of 1.5 million hives from Australia. ?That?s how short we are,? the beekeeper said. ?And they fear that will bring problems of its own in the form of small hive beetles.? With a relatively modest 39 hives in Greenbank and 10 more in California, Schioler makes the most of his resources. His colleague and mentor Jim Malsch of Arlington manages 700 hives. The seasoned bee veteran has not been affected by CCD and is loath to predict doom and gloom. ?If you?re a beekeeper, the healthier you can keep your bees the better they ?re going to be for pollinating and over-wintering,? Malsch said. ?If you can keep good, healthy bees, they?ll survive.? The longtime beekeeper and pollinator has had his battles with mites. In 1993, he was left with just 160 of the 400 hives he sent to California for almond pollination. Varroa mites had irreparably weakened the hives. In the end, he said, the onus falls on the beekeeper. ?You have to be diligent about keeping on top of it,? Malsch said, adding that some attrition is to be expected. ?If you lose 20 percent of your bees in the winter, you can live with that.? Malsch said mites have been the biggest problem since they appeared in the late 1980s. ?I kept bees before we had mites here and it was a lot easier to keep them and over-winter them,? he said. ?You have to keep the mite population down. You ?re never going to totally get rid of them.? Waxing theoretical, Malsch postulated that Colony Collapse Disorder is a result of bees becoming weakened by mites and rendering them helpless to mites and parasites. ?I believe the viruses have always been here, but when the viruses come along with the mites, the bees get in a weakened condition through stress or mites or whatever and they?re more susceptible,? he said. Whidbey Island is a microcosmic example of what is taking place nationwide. Ohio alone has lost nearly 90 percent of its hives. ?There?s virtually no bees left on the island,? he said, imploring people to stop using pesticides and to cease cutting down blackberry bushes and wildflowers. ?Honey is emergency food. Nectar and pollen are what bees need.? Bees are often mistaken for oft-maligned hornets, which are carnivorous. Schioler said the role bees play in helping the food chain from humans on down is crucial to survival. ?People have to change their attitude toward bees rather than arbitrarily kill everything that they think looks like a bee,? he said. ?You have to physically crush a bee to get stung.? Schioler, because he pollinates, is able to produce 14 different kinds of honey. His breed, however, is a rare one. ?Twenty years ago there were about 3,000 pollinators in the U.S.,? he said. ?Today there are less than 400. We probably have four commercial pollinators in a 100-mile radius who can do over 50 hives and maybe five to ten who can do 50 to 100. There is not enough pollination on Whidbey.? Schioler is looking to do his part to help in the pollination process. He is always looking to park hives on property with large amounts of blackberry bushes and other types of flora. ?If people are willing to let me put hives there, they?ll get some very good honey,? he said. Schioler can be reached at 425-299-1135. ? Copyright 2007 Whidbey News Times Advertise with Us ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070426/0ff0eec8/attachment.html From mace at xerces.org Thu Apr 26 09:22:56 2007 From: mace at xerces.org (Mace Vaughan) Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2007 09:22:56 -0700 Subject: [Pollinator] CCD and native bees on NPR's To the Point Message-ID: <200704261622.l3QGMJmF002481@a.mx.sonic.net> Hello pollinator enthusiasts, Yesterday, NPR's radio talk show To The Point hosted a panel discussion about CCD. The discussion included the potential for native bees to service crops, the value of native bee habitat, and the need for more research on this matter. You can listen to the show at: http://www.kcrw.com/news/programs/tp/tp070425why_arent_the_honeyb Best wishes, Mace _______________________________________________ The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation Mace Vaughan Conservation Director, Entomologist/Educator 4828 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland, OR 97215-3252 USA office: 503-232-6639 fax: 503-233-6794 mobile: 503-753-6000 email: mace at xerces.org The Xerces Society is an international nonprofit organization that protects the diversity of life through invertebrate conservation. To join the Society, make a contribution, or read about our work, please visit http://www.xerces.org _______________________________________________ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070426/2b264d78/attachment.html From jt at coevolution.org Thu Apr 26 09:48:44 2007 From: jt at coevolution.org (Jennifer Tsang) Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2007 09:48:44 -0700 Subject: [Pollinator] SF Chronicle: UCSF scientist tracks down suspect in honeybee deaths Message-ID: <003001c78822$c2d98790$4606000a@COV102> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/26/MNGK7PFOMS1.DTL UCSF scientist tracks down suspect in honeybee deaths Sabin Russell, Chronicle Staff Writer Thursday, April 26, 2007 About one-quarter of the United States' 2.4 million honey... A UCSF researcher who found the SARS virus in 2003 and later won a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" for his work thinks he has discovered a culprit in the alarming deaths of honeybees across the United States. Tests of genetic material taken from a "collapsed colony" in Merced County point to a once-rare microbe that previously affected only Asian bees but might have evolved into a strain lethal to those in Europe and the United States, biochemist Joe DeRisi said Wednesday. DeRisi said tests conducted on material from dead bees at his Mission Bay lab found genes of the single-celled, spore-producing parasite Nosema ceranae, which researchers in Spain have recently shown is capable of wiping out a beehive. "It is wise to strike a conservative note, because this is early data, but it is interesting,'' he said. Government scientists who have been tracking the phenomenon they call Colony Collapse Disorder were skeptical, however, saying the parasite had been an early suspect in the bee die-off but that they had concluded it probably was not responsible. With a mounting sense of urgency, agricultural scientists are trying to find out just what has caused the disappearance of as much as a quarter of the nation's 2.4 million honeybee colonies since November, when the die-off was first observed by a Pennsylvania beekeeper. It's not just bad news for beekeepers and honey lovers. Growers of fruits, nuts and many vegetables rely on honeybees to pollinate their crops, which contribute $15 billion to the nation's agricultural output, according to a Cornell University study. DeRisi is a specialist in the rapid identification of killer germs. In March 2003, he played a key role in helping the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identify the cause of SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, the viral illness that claimed 774 lives and wreaked havoc for a time on the Asian economy. Using a laboratory tool called a microarray -- which can instantly match a sample to gene sequences from more than a thousand viruses -- he found that SARS was caused by a previously unknown variant of coronavirus, a microbial family responsible for a variety of ailments including the common cold. The following year, he was awarded a $500,000 MacArthur Fellowship, the prize given by the foundation to individuals who have no idea they were nominated until they win. The awards are popularly known as genius grants. In researching the bee die-offs, DeRisi's team evaluated samples of potential bee pathogens supplied by the Army's biodefense laboratory, the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. Scientists there had developed a technique to concentrate possible pathogens into a sample that could be run through a rapid genetic screen test such as DeRisi's. Samples taken from dead bees in a collapsed colony from Le Grand (Merced County) were shipped via overnight mail to DeRisi's San Francisco lab last week. DeRisi used a technique that allows rapid reading of the genetic code of the suspect bug. It is the same approach, known as "shotgun sequencing," that has been used to read the genomes, or the genetic code, of creatures ranging from bacteria to human beings. The strips of genetic code are then matched to computerized libraries of known genes from thousands of germs. It was this test that pinpointed Nosema ceranae. "The bees must have been loaded with this stuff,'' said DeRisi, who collaborated in the experiment with Dr. Donald Ganem of the UCSF Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Fueling the UCSF scientists' interest in the parasite is a recent paper, published by the Journal of Invertebrate Pathology in January, in which a team of Spanish researchers infected hives of European honeybees with Nosema ceranae. Within eight days, the colonies were wiped out. The federal government's leading honeybee scientists, however, are not ready to conclude that DeRisi has found anything significant. Jeffery Pettis, research leader for the U.S. Agriculture Department's Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., said reports suggesting that this parasite has recently appeared in the United States are simply wrong. "There are historical samples from the mid-1990s,'' he said. Before then, the parasite was seldom seen outside Asia, where it favored a species of honeybee found only there. It did not cause colony collapse in Asia. Now, Pettis said, tests have shown that Nosema ceranae has displaced a related strain that had been the dominant form of the parasite in the United States, Pettis said. However, large quantities of the microbe have been found in bee colonies that are healthy, as well as in those that have collapsed, he said. Pettis said the parasite could simply be taking advantage of a newly developed weakness in the insects' immune systems. "Mostly we think of Nosema as a stress disorder of honeybees,'' he said. It is possible that a more virulent strain of Nosema ceranae has evolved in the United States, but Pettis doubts it. "We can't rule it out completely,'' he said. Evan Skowronski, senior team leader for biosciences at the Army lab and a friend of DeRisi's, said that because the stake are high, every important lead in the search for the cause of the honeybee deaths needs to be pursued. "We're not ready to say this is it, but it is a pathogen of interest,'' he said. Skowronski said there is no reason to think that the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder is "anything other than Mother Nature.'' However, he said that any natural threat to honeybees has major implications for the United States. "This needs a high level of attention,'' he said. DeRisi agreed that more tests will be needed to prove or disprove the parasite's role in the disappearance of the bees. "In our results, the control bees did not have it, and the sick ones were loaded with the stuff,'' he said. "It is going to take a lot of time to figure out.'' E-mail Sabin Russell at srussell at sfchronicle.com. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/26/MNGK7PFOMS1.DTL This article appeared on page A - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle Jennifer Tsang Coevolution Institute 423 Washington St. 5th Fl. San Francisco, CA 94111-2339 T: 415.362.1137 F: 415.362.3070 www.nappc.org www.pollinator.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070426/5115fc41/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 6108 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070426/5115fc41/attachment-0001.gif From Ladadams at aol.com Thu Apr 26 11:19:48 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2007 14:19:48 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] 'Killer bees' seem resistant to disorder Message-ID: 'Killer bees' seem resistant to disorder By Dan Sorenson arizona daily star Tucson, Arizona | Published: 03.30.2007 Although experts are stumped about what's causing the colony-collapse disorder die-off in U.S. commercial beehives, there is some speculation that Arizona's famed Africanized ?? or "killer bee" ?? wild-bee population is somehow immune. Dee Lusby's bees are doing fine. Actually, they're doing better than that, says the owner of Lusby Apiaries & Arizona Rangeland Honey of Arivaca. Lusby has 900 hives of "free range" organic bees spread out over ranches from Benson to Sasabe. "I've only lost one or two, maybe three (hives) out of every 30 or 40 hives," said Lusby. She's not surprised by her good fortune or the modern commercial beekeepers' hive-mortality rates. Lusby has a hunch the disorder is the result of a number of factors, including the use of pesticides, bee-growth formulas, artificial food supplements, breeding for size, inbreeding ?? all or some of which may make them susceptible to mites, viruses and fungi ?? and maybe even some strange side effects from feeding on genetically modified crops. Breeding for size is a major factor, Lusby believes. She says the commercial honeybees are now too large to feed on some of the very plants that historically may have given them immunity to diseases and parasites. They're simply too big to get into those plant's flowers, she says. And the man who takes the bees out of Bisbee, Reed "The Killer Bee Guy" Booth, says he's not surprised Africanized bees are thriving. Booth started out with beekeeping to make retail honey and honey mustard, and branched out to do bee removals after the Africanized bees invaded Arizona in the early 1990s. He says he gets one to five eradication calls a day from around Cochise County during warm weather. "It's going to be a banner year for bees," he says. "The Africanized bees are somewhat more resistant" than the European honeybees, he says of the aggressive, slightly smaller wild bees that produce bumper crops of honey and bad press. "But they're somewhat resistant to anything, probably including nuclear war." Booth says he switched from European bees to wild Africanized bees not long after they spread through Arizona. "I used to have two sets of hives," says Booth. "But I got tired of going down and either finding my European bees Africanized or dead. I gave up, so, Killer Bee Honey." But Gloria DeGrandi-Hoffman, research leader of the USDA's Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Tucson, is not so quick to crown the wildly enthusiastic Africanized honeybees as superior. "We don't push the African populations like we do Europeans," DeGrandi-Hoffman said of the carefully genetically controlled honeybees used by commercial beekeepers for field work. "We're putting them on trucks and taking them halfway across the country. We're stressing them in almost a feedlot situation, feeding them protein supplements. We're stressing them pretty good. And that doesn't happen with Africans." ?? Contact reporter Dan Sorenson at 573-4185 or dsorenson at azstarnet.com Laurie Davies Adams Executive Director Coevolution Institute 423 Washington St. 5th San Francisco, CA 94111 415 362 1137 LDA at coevolution.org _http://www.coevolution.org/_ (http://www.coevolution.org/) _http://www.pollinator.org/_ (http://www.pollinator.org/) _http://www.nappc.org/_ (http://www.nappc.org/) Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week: June 24-30, 2007. Contact us for more information at www.pollinator.org Our future flies on the wings of pollinators. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070426/01346c1a/attachment.html From Ladadams at aol.com Fri Apr 27 07:12:21 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2007 10:12:21 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] See any bumblebee nests? Report them to Oregon State Message-ID: See any bumblebee nests? Report them to Oregon State A research program on pollination biology led by Sujaya Rao, in the Crop and Soils Department at Oregon State University, is looking for nests of bumblebees in the mid-Willamette Valley. The program is looking for ways of increasing this important pollinator group in the area. If you have noticed large bumblebees entering and leaving their nests, located either in holes in the ground or in bird nests, you are asked to call Dr. Rao at 737-9038 or contact her via e-mail at sujaya at oregonstate.edu. She or one of her cooperators will come out and pick them up. ?Please do not destroy them by spraying,? the researcher asked. The nest entrances of bumblebees are usually in old mole, mouse or vole holes and occasionally will be found in above-ground locations such as bird nests. Albany Democrat-Herald ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070427/1453b815/attachment.html From Ladadams at aol.com Fri Apr 27 10:31:31 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2007 13:31:31 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] RESTORING GREENSPACE 2007 PROMOTES ON-THE-GROUND PROJECTS IN EPA REGION 4 Message-ID: REGISTER NOW BEFORE PRICES INCREASE ON APRIL 28 WILDLIFE HABITAT COUNCIL RESTORING GREENSPACE 2007 PROMOTES ON-THE-GROUND PROJECTS IN EPA REGION 4 _Restoring Greenspace: Ecological Reuse of Contaminated Properties in EPA Region 4 _ (http://www.wildlifehc.org/events/restoringgreenspace.cfm) May 22-23, 2007 Sheraton Buckhead Hotel Atlanta 3405 Lenox Road N.E. Atlanta, Georgia 30326 _greenspace at wildlifehc.org_ (mailto:greenspace at wildlifehc.org) Don?t miss out on this important opportunity! Space is limited and it is important that you register now to ensure your spot. _Register now before prices increase on April 28._ (http://www.wildlifehc.org/events/restoringgreenspace_registration.cfm) WELCOME The _Wildlife Habitat Council_ (http://www.wildlifehc.org/) ?s (WHC) Restoring Greenspace 2007 conference is quickly approaching. This series of conferences is designed to help participants strategize the necessary problem-solving steps in making ecological enhancements a reality. The conference will focus on the incorporation of ecological reuse practices in site restoration in U.S. EPA Region 4. For the first time, _Continuing Education Units_ (http://www.wildlifehc.org/events/restoringgreenspace_agenda.cfm) (CEU) will be offered for those attending the conference. CEUs are a nationally recognized method of quantifying time spent during professional development and training activities and can be submitted as proof of continuing education to state licensing boards and employers. They are important for documenting career enhancing activities, and earned units will be based on actual instruction time at the event. Ten (10) hours of instruction equal one (1) CEU. Both workshops and the conference will be offered for continuing education credits through the University of Georgia Fanning Institute with no charge for this service. _Jimmy Palmer_ (http://www.wildlifehc.org/events/restoringgreenspace_news.cfm) , Regional Administrator of EPA?s southeast region will provide opening remarks at the conference. ?As we encourage communities to achieve their economic goals through responsible development, land revitalization and restoration of contaminated sites are vital components of success,? said Palmer. ?Through partnerships with state and local governments, other federal agencies, corporations, non-profit organizations, and academia, revitalization and restoration efforts will allow us to pass on to the next generation a healthier, safer, more prosperous world.? NEW PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS WHC will offer _two pre-conference workshops_ (http://www.wildlifehc.org/events/restoringgreenspace_agenda.cfm) with leading experts on Monday, May 21, 2007. These workshops will set the stage for the main goals of the conference and familiarize participants with unique and improved techniques of ecological enhancements. Throughout the following two days of Restoring Greenspace 2007, _breakout sessions_ (http://www.wildlifehc.org/events/restoringgreenspace_agenda.cfm) will focus on wetlands, managing liability and community engagement to name just a few key topics. Remediation of contaminated wetlands poses additional challenges to environmental managers, regulators and conservation organizations. Our nation?s coastal and freshwater wetlands are critical for both biodiversity and local economies thereby the stakes are high for successful remediation. Two breakout sessions will focus on varying _wetlands issues_ (http://www.wildlifehc.org/events/restoringgreenspace_agenda.cfm) . North American Wetland Engineering (NAWE) will share the successes and challenges of a passive treatment system at an NPL site in New York. NAWE is the leader in the decentralized water and wastewater industry, providing innovative and ecological solutions for industrial, residential and municipal clients. Ducks Unlimited, Inc. will discuss one of the largest estuarine habitat restoration projects currently underway in the United States. Also hear from AMEC Earth and Environmental, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and NOAA Restoration Center. _SPONSORS_ (http://www.wildlifehc.org/events/restoringgreenspace_sponsors.cfm) WHC thanks the following sponsors: AIG Environmental, Amerada Hess Corporation, BP, Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., CH2M Hill, Inc., Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Glenn Springs Holdings, Inc. ? Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Kinder Morgan, Monsanto Company, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ? Region 4, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Vulcan Materials Company. In cooperation with: Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials, Brown and Caldwell, Brownfield News, Georgia Chemistry Council, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council, Multi-State Working Group, SECOR International Inc, The Trust for Public Land, Trees Atlanta, U.S. EPA - Office of Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment, U.S. EPA - Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, U.S. EPA - Region 6 and University of Georgia Fanning Institute. Facilitated by Brownfield Redevelopment Solutions, Inc. (As of April 24, 2007) _EXHIBITORS_ (http://www.wildlifehc.org/events/restoringgreenspace_registration.cfm) There are a limited number of exhibit spaces available for corporations, consulting firms, government agencies and NGOs to present information that demonstrates the use, values and experiences in applying ecological enhancements in site remediation. * * * * * * * * _SEND AN INVITE TO RESTORING GREENSPACE 2007_ (http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?1Q,M3,35f4ad56-1bdc-4dce-a3d0-393540fba249) Invite a contact, partner - someone you know who will benefit from this important conference! Click on the link below and then forward the invitation. _SEND YOUR REGRETS_ (http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?3Z,M3,35f4ad56-1bdc-4dce-a3d0-393540fba249) Send a colleague in your place by forwarding the above invitation. And let us know why you will be unable to attend. * * * * * * * * The Wildlife Habitat Council is a nonprofit, non-lobbying organization dedicated to increasing the quality and amount of wildlife habitat on corporate, private and public lands. WHC devotes its resources to building partnerships with corporations and conservation groups to create solutions that balance the demands of economic growth with the requirements of a healthy, biodiverse and sustainable environment. _http://www.wildlifehc.org_ (http://www.wildlifehc.org/) * * * * * * * * You are receiving this e-mail through your membership with WHC, affiliation with WHC sponsors and partners and/or as a supporter or attendee of a previous Restoring Greenspace event. WHC adheres to a strict no-spam policy in accordance with the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003. Your e-mail address is never used for any reason other than for you to receive our newsletters. If you would like to remove yourself from this list, please contact _greenspace at wildlifehc.org_ (mailto:greenspace at wildlifehc.org) and you will be removed immediately. Thank you! Laurie Davies Adams Executive Director Coevolution Institute 423 Washington St. 5th San Francisco, CA 94111 415 362 1137 LDA at coevolution.org _http://www.coevolution.org/_ (http://www.coevolution.org/) _http://www.pollinator.org/_ (http://www.pollinator.org/) _http://www.nappc.org/_ (http://www.nappc.org/) Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week: June 24-30, 2007. Contact us for more information at www.pollinator.org Our future flies on the wings of pollinators. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070427/f7070e6d/attachment.html From Ladadams at aol.com Sun Apr 29 09:45:03 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Sun, 29 Apr 2007 12:45:03 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Pollinator Problems - Story on Living on Earth Message-ID: http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=07-P13-00017&segmentID=4 ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070429/5d588161/attachment.html From Ladadams at aol.com Sun Apr 29 20:09:58 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Sun, 29 Apr 2007 23:09:58 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Tuscaloosa News.com -Whit Gibbons: Commentary on Pollinator Week Message-ID: Published Sunday, April 29, 2007 WHIT GIBBONS: Pollinators essential to human food sources Last fall, Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia submitted U.S. Senate Resolution 580, which recognizes ?the importance of pollinators to ecosystem health and agriculture in the United States and the value of partnership efforts to increase awareness about pollinators and support for protecting and sustaining pollinators by designating June 24 through June 30, as National Pollinator Week." The Senate had the wisdom to approve the resolution. For Congress to spend time on such an issue may, at first, seem frivolous. But consider this: if pollination were to diminish or cease completely, the results would be disastrous for everyone who consumes food. Pollinators are an essential element of the environmental framework of which we are a part and upon which we all depend. For our national representatives to acknowledge this reality is hardly frivolous. The Senate resolution refers to a Web site (www.pollinator.org) as a source for pollinator information. The Pollinator Partnership asserts that ? pollinators are essential to life." For life as we know it, this is absolutely true. Pollination of native plants and agricultural crops is one of those critical biological services that we simply take for granted because it is taken care of at no cost to us. More than three-fourths of the world?s crop plants depend on pollination by flying animals to produce seeds or fruit. According to the resolution, ?pollinators help to produce an estimated 1 out of every 3 bites of food consumed in the United States." Who are these important creatures that assume the key role of moving pollen from one flower to another? In addition to the bee, wasp and butterfly pollinators we are accustomed to, beetles, flies and mosquitoes are also important. Although we may think of hummingbirds as backyard visitors that drink nectar from hanging containers, in fact, they are also significant pollinators. Some flowers in the western United States and American tropics are dependent on hummingbird pollinators for their propagation; they are not found in regions where hummingbirds are absent. And in the Sonoran Desert, Saguaro cacti are pollinated by bats at night. In addition to the vital role pollination plays in producing the vegetative landscapes we are familiar with and providing most of the food we eat, economic considerations are also substantial. For example, according to the resolution, ?animal pollinators generate significant income for agricultural producers, with domestic honeybees alone pollinating" more than $14 billion worth of crops each year in the United States. The resolution also considers what would happen if the size and general health of populations of pollinators were to decline on a national or international scale. It should be viewed as ?a significant threat to global food webs, the integrity of biodiversity and human health." Clearly, it is in the best interest of all of us for healthy populations of pollinators to remain with us. One ingredient is missing from the Senate resolution about the importance of pollinators and their healthy persistence in the ecosystem: What should we do, or not do, to ensure that pollinating insects and flying vertebrates remain with us? That information is available on the pollinator Web site. ?Due to biodiversity threats such as land development, pollution and pesticide poisoning, we are losing pollinators around the world at an alarming rate." So we need to limit development, curb pollution and curtail pesticide use. Ironically, the very pesticides that are viewed by some as essential to our agricultural economy are also considered to be the culprit in the decline of some of the insects necessary for pollination. The pollinator Web site, sponsored by the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign and the Coevolution Institute, is a valuable environmental resource. It answers some frequently asked questions at the ?What Is Pollination?" link, helps develop public awareness of just how fragile our connections are to the world?s ecosystems and emphasizes the importance of ecologists who are working to understand pollination systems. The underlying message of the Web site and the Senate resolution is clear. If even small, flying insects are essential for us to live on earth, we should value and preserve every part of our environment. Contact Whit Gibbons at ecoviews at srel.edu. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070429/acce385d/attachment.html From Ladadams at aol.com Sun Apr 29 20:17:03 2007 From: Ladadams at aol.com (Ladadams at aol.com) Date: Sun, 29 Apr 2007 23:17:03 EDT Subject: [Pollinator] Santa Fe New Mexican: The case of the missing bees Message-ID: The case of the missing bees Brent Edelen installs new queen bees in a Deming bee yard, one of 14 he keeps in the area. Many of his hives are coming up empty, below left. Edelensays 30,000 bees were lost in one of the 10 hives at one location. He estimates he lost 14 of 40 colonies at the site, losing millions of bees. Photo by Clyde Mueller/The New Mexican By Phaedra Haywood | The New Mexican April 29, 2007 The nation?s main pollinators are rapidly disappearing, and no one knows for sure why As spring unfurls, honeybees are expected to be rousing themselves from their winter dormancy and going about their busy work of collecting flower nectar to make into honey, pollinating crops in the process. But large numbers of bees simply aren't showing up for work this year. In early visits to hives, beekeepers in 27 states have reported empty boxes without so much as a bee body left to run tests on. As of this writing, New Mexico was not on the map of states considered affected by the problem. But a report from a beekeeper at a Southern New Mexico bee yard indicates maybe it should be. The problem of AWOL honeybees -- which has been dubbed Colony Collapse Disorder -- has prompted a congressional hearing and concern among beekeepers and produce growers about the ramifications of massive losses of the nation's main pollinator of crops. Kevin Hackett, a program leader with the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, said the agency plans to spend $9 million studying bees this year, half of it on Colony Collapse Disorder. Hard data about the extent of the problem is spotty. But, according to researchers at the USDA, as many as 25 percent of the country's 2.5 million bee colonies have disappeared or been killed off by the phenomenon. As scientists and others scramble to determine the cause of the problem, speculation -- some of it wild -- abounds. The most recent theory, according a story Thursday in the Los Angeles Times, quoted a "highly preliminary" University of California, San Francisco study that links the disorder to a single-celled fungal parasite called Nosema ceranae. Nosema and other viruses have been found in some of the bee bodies that were left behind in abandoned colonies across the country. Hackett said the prevalence of viruses might indicate that the bees are suffering from some sort of immune-system suppression. Some apiary-industry insiders speculate that bees could be stressed to their breaking point by being trucked about in big rigs and fed sugar water. "They are locked up in hives moving thousands of miles across the country. They can't take cleansing flights. You interrupt the sociality of the colony." Hackett said. "It's a combination of factors, a 'perfect storm' kind of situation." But, he pointed out, some nonmigratory beekeepers are also experiencing the disorder. Others blame overuse and lax regulation of pesticides. Some suspect a virus or bacteria carried by varroa mites, which have been causing declines in bee populations for more than a decade. Cell-phones signals also are being blamed for confusing bees to the point that they can't find their way home. Others claim the dwindling pollinator population is a sure sign of the apocalypse. Contact PhaedraHaywood at 986-3004 or phaywood at sfnewmexican.com. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070429/3b342b70/attachment.html From tom at vanarsdall.com Mon Apr 30 12:01:33 2007 From: tom at vanarsdall.com (R. Thomas Van Arsdall) Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2007 15:01:33 -0400 Subject: [Pollinator] May 1 Senate Ag Conservation Hearing, Opportunity to Advocate Pollinating FB Programs. Message-ID: <20070430190157.HTVB19599.mta10.adelphia.net@VANARSDALLWORK> TO: NAPPC Listserv FR: Tom Van Arsdall, on behalf of Laurie Davies Adams RE: Senate Ag Conservation Hearing, May 1, 2 PM. OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THE CASE FOR "POLLINATING" FARM BILL CONSERVATION/OTHER PROGRAMS ACTION OPPORTUNITIES ON BEHALF OF POLLINATORS: *** GROUP STATEMENT-You are invited to voice your organization's support by signing on to the ATTACHED GROUP POLLINATOR CONSERVATION SUPPORT STATEMENT-even if you are filing your own comments. *** RSVP BY MAY 10 BY RESPONDING TO THIS E-MAIL. INDICATE HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE LISTED. *** PLEASE CONSIDER INCLUDING "POLLINATOR POINTS" IN YOUR STATEMENT if you are already planning on filing broader comments. EXAMPLE POLLINATOR POINTS: *** Pollinators play a critical role in agriculture and healthy ecosystems and are at risk. *** Existing Farm Bill conservation, forest management, research and other programs designed to work with and assist farm, ranch and forest land managers should be strengthened to better address managed and native pollinator needs. Comments are generally accepted for the hearing record up to 10 days after the hearing date. ***** CoE ACTION: CoE has submitted a statement for the record. CoE's "Pollinating Farm Bill Conservation Recommendations," May 1 statement, executive summary and media advisory can be accessed at http://pollinator.org/farm_bill.htm. Additional Background: The Senate Ag Committee has scheduled a hearing on conservation policy recommendations for the next Farm Bill on May 1, 2007 starting at 2:00 PM in 328A Russell Senate Office Building. LIVE AUDIO, ACCESS TO OPENING STATEMENTS. The Senate Ag web site http://agriculture.senate.gov/Hearings/hearings.cfm?hearingId=2725 provides a link to access live audio. Opening statements are posted on the web site during the hearing. Audio replay is available within a few hours after completion. ***** WITNESS LIST: Panel 1: The Honorable Benjamin L. Cardin United States Senator for Maryland The Honorable Jim Doyle Governor, State of Wisconsin On behalf of the Midwestern Governors Association Panel 2: Mr. Olin Sims President, National Association of Conservation Districts Mr. Ferd Hoefner Policy Director, Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Mr. John Hansen President, Nebraska Farmers Union On behalf of the National Farmers Union Ms. Julie Sibbing Senior Program Manager for Agriculture and Wetlands Policy National Wildlife Federation Mr. Bob Harrington Montana State Forester On behalf of the National Association of State Foresters Key Staff: . Majority-Dave White (202) 224-4523 dave_white at agriculture.senate.gov . Majority-Phil Buchan (202) 224-2035 philip_buchan at agriculture.senate.gov . Minority-Betsy Croker (202) 224-7443 betsy_croker at agriculture.senate.gov #### Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week, June 24-30, 2007! For more info: www.pollinator.org R. Thomas (Tom) Van Arsdall, Public Affairs Representative for Coevolution Institute/NAPPC Van Arsdall & Associates 13605 McLane Place Fredericksburg, VA 22407-2344 (540) 785-0949 tom at vanarsdall.com -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Group Pollinator Support Statement for Senate Ag May 1 Hearing Record.doc Type: application/msword Size: 28160 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070430/5871c20d/attachment-0001.doc