[Pollinator] Be friend, not enemy, to helpful bumblebee

[Scott Black]

<http://www.dispatch.com/>The Columbus <http://www.dispatch.com/>Dispatch

Be friend, not enemy, to helpful bumblebee

Sunday,  August 23, 2009 3:26 AM

By <mailto:cdecker at dispatch.com>CINDY DECKER

If my commitment to protect all animals were ever 
to waver, it would have happened the instant a 
bumblebee jammed her stinger into my cheek.

The attack -- in my opinion -- was unprovoked, 
although clearly she did not agree.

Bumblebees are fairly tolerant, operating under a 
policy of "Live and let live." They won't bother you unless you bother them.

Admittedly, the day before the attack, I had 
bothered the bees, although, in my defense, it was unintentional.

My property has some significant depressions that 
I want to level before planting shrubs in the fall.

But bumblebees -- one of our native pollinators 
-- had nested in the ground in one of the low 
spots without my realizing it, and they did not 
appreciate shovelfuls of dirt landing on their home.

Several angry bees chased me away. When one stung 
my calf, I wisely abandoned my rut-filling.

Fast-forward to the following afternoon, when I 
wanted to garden again, despite a swollen, itchy 
calf. I planned to work somewhat near the bees but leave their home alone.

One bee immediately went on guard. Thinking she 
wasn't serious with her aerial maneuvers, I ignored her.

She got my full attention with a stinger to the face.

Thus persuaded, I ceded the yard to the bees.

Although they have made my life a little more 
complicated, the bees -- probably the common 
bumblebee, Bombus impatiens -- will be allowed to 
live out their days in their current nest. All 
will be well if I allow them their bit of the world.

Sadly, they don't have long to live. The queen 
and her workers will die when cold weather comes.

Only a few new queens will overwinter, going into 
hibernation under bits of bark or in soft earth.

When the weather warms in the spring, the queens 
will seek out their own homes and begin building 
colonies. It's a slow process, and by summer's 
end, a big colony might have only 200 bees. (By 
contrast, a honeybee hive might have 40,000 bees or more.)

Much has been made about the plight of the 
honeybee in recent years. Under attack from mites 
and devastated by the mysterious colony collapse 
disorder, honeybees are on the decline, which 
threatens our food supply because they are essential pollinators.

But bumblebees, too, are on the decline, said 
Scott Hoffman Black, executive director of the 
Xerces Society, a nonprofit organization 
dedicated to the conservation of invertebrates.

And, like honeybees, bumblebees are important 
pollinators, especially for crops such as tomatoes and peppers.

"We are seeing very big declines in two of our 
Eastern bumblebees," Black said. "One is the 
yellow-banded (Bombus terricola); the other is 
Bombus affinis, the rusty-patched bumblebee."

Scientists also see declines in two closely related Western species.

Although experts aren't certain, they think that 
a disease was introduced when native bees that 
had been taken to Europe in the 1990s for 
breeding were reintroduced into the United States.

Other bumblebee populations are also falling, 
Black said, because of habitat loss and pesticide use.

Homeowners who find a nest in their yard should 
leave it, say experts, including those at the 
Ohio State University Extension and the National Wildlife Federation.

Even if the nest is in a prominent location, 
perhaps near a porch or sidewalk, "You can go 
past most bumblebee nests without them bothering 
you," said Matthew Shepherd, senior conservation 
associate with the Xerces Society. "You have to 
treat a bee pretty roughly to be stung with any kind of vengeance."

If you have a nest in an area where you mow, mow 
early in the morning, said Barb Bloetscher, an 
entomologist diagnostician with OSU.

And don't swat at the bees.

"The more you swat, the more angry they get," she said.

If you must discourage a nest, the best way is to 
cover the hole with a bucket or tarp, she said. 
There is no need for gasoline or any other 
killing remedies you might see online.

Because of bees' importance, homeowners are encouraged to help pollinators.

"Anyone can do it," Black said, "whether you have 
flowerpots or you manage large plots of land."

His advice:

• Provide a diversity of flowers that bloom 
throughout the growing season, providing a constant supply of food.

"Native (plants) work best," he said, "but you 
don't have to be a native purist."

Many of the plants that are good for bees are 
also good for other species, such as butterflies and hummingbirds.

Here are a few to consider: asters, giant hyssop, 
ironweed, lobelia, milkweed, monarda,obedient plant, penstemon and spiderwort.

• Allow bees a place to nest. Black said this 
might mean leaving part of the yard a little 
messy. He said he has seen bees nest under a woodpile.

He also has seen them nest in a compost pile that wasn't turned regularly.

"They are opportunists," he said. "Be tolerant if you do find them nesting."

• Most important, don't use pesticides.

So, this year, give bees a chance.



*************************
Scott Hoffman Black
Ecologist/Entomologist
Executive Director
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
4828 SE Hawthorne
Portland, OR 97215
Direct line (503) 449-3792
sblack at xerces.org

The Xerces Society is an international, nonprofit 
organization that protects wildlife through the 
conservation of invertebrates and their habitat.

To join the Society, make a contribution, or read about our work,
please visit <http://www.xerces.org/>www.xerces.org.


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