[Pollinator] NPW - Mom & Pop bemoan humankind messing with Mother Nature

[ladadams at aol.com]

>From Weymouth News, MA


Mom & Pop bemoan humankind messing with Mother Nature
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  By Neil Russo
GateHouse News Service
Posted Jun 23, 2009 @ 04:29 PM

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Weymouth — Pop: Mom, how come you're shaking your head? Isn't the Earl 
Grey hot enough? And I notice that you've only taken a small bite out 
of your piece of blueberry cake… one of Eb's finest. Are you feeling 
ill?
Oh, what a relief! I mean that you're not feeling ill. I can understand 
your consternation reading about losses of birds and other wildlife. I 
read that Associated Press article earlier about Britain's cuckoo bird 
known for its distinctive call - being in danger of extinction along 
with 51 other species. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds 
has stated that 21% of Britain's bird species face extinction unless 
steps are taken to protect them.
The Royal Society feels that because the Sahara Desert is spreading, 
there is a decrease in food and water supply so that the birds are 
having a hard time flying out in good condition.
Mom: Yes, I read that article and it disturbed me so much that I went 
back to our copy of Massachusetts Wildlife to reread 'Declining 
Pollinators: A Quiet Crisis' by Ellen W. Sousa… and it put me into a 
deeper depression. We've talked before about the catastr
ophic declines 
of managed honeybee populations (Colony Collapse Disorder), and 
scientists haven't found the cause.
We know that honeybees play an essential role in pollinating crops. 
Actually one-third of our food plants require pollination. Concerns are 
being raised about the stability of our food supply.
Most people don't realize that the honeybee is not native to the U.S.; 
they were first brought here from Europe in the 1600s because they were 
believed to be more efficient at crop pollination and were more easily 
managed than our wild bees.
Pop: You know… when we last talked about the honeybees, I thought that 
they and butterflies were the only pollinators, but, apparently, we 
have many thousands of native pollinator species; the American 
Bumblebee and Rudy-throated Hummingbird are among the largest and most 
noticeable. Some others are: moths, ants, wasps, gnats, flies, and 
beetles, and bees such as Sweat, Leaf-cutter, Carpenter, and Orchard 
Mason. Wow, I've never heard of those different bees! I hope Ellen will 
write an article about them in the future. And I love to see 
hummingbirds. We'll have to get some native Trumpet Honeysuckle which 
attracts them.
Most unfortunately, our wild pollinators seem to be in trouble as well. 
Natural areas that support pollinators are disappearing because of 
construction of more houses and other developments. The sheer number of 
species has made scientific data scarce, but monitoring programs ha
ve 
begun, and the evidence is clear that many native pollinators are in 
decline, and some are even endangered. Major declines are seen in some 
bumblebee and butterfly species. Also, honeybees that have escaped to 
form wild colonies have declined by 90% in the past 50 years.
Mom: Probably the major cause is the widespread use of pesticides in 
agricultural areas, residential yards, and roadsides. For each pest 
eliminated, collateral damage is done to pollinators. Development that 
turns fields and forests into housing eliminates areas containing wild 
plants important to different pollinators. Also, as pollinator habitat 
is increasingly fragmented, individual populations are isolated from 
each other, which result in a reduction of genetic diversity in a 
species. In order for a species to have the ability to adapt to 
environmental change, genetic diversity is essential. Another major 
factor is that parasites have been introduced to the region because of 
the use of imported European bumblebees for greenhouse pollination.
Native pollinators are most essential because they are 'keystone' 
species - many other members of the ecosystem depend on their 
existence. Up and down the food chain they support a huge amount of 
biodiversity.
Many mammals, including bear and deer, plus 25% of our birds rely on 
seeds and fruits of wild plants that are insect pollinated. A ripple 
effect is felt across an ecosystem when one or more species is lost, 
and even
tually contributes to a loss of overall diversity.
Pop: You know… I found it rather amazing that pollen blown from stands 
of genetically-modified corn contains a bacterial toxin (Bt) that is 
fatal to caterpillars, including butterfly caterpillars… native 
pollinators, another case of humankind messing with Mother Nature - 
curing one ill and creating another.
There's no doubt that the native pollinators are most important 
especially where the managed honeybees are suffering huge declines. And 
quite interestingly, scientists have found that larger and more 
numerous fruits are produced when plants are pollinated by native 
pollinators like bumblebees. They carry larger quantities of pollen 
than the honeybees and improve the quality fruit crops like 
strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, and blueberries.
Studies have shown that cherry tomato plants produce larger and more 
numerous fruit when pollinated by bumblebees. When the weather is too 
cold for honeybees, Orchard Mason Bees are still active and pollinate 
fruit tree blossoms. Leafcutter bees pollinate carrots and legumes 
(peas, beans), and studies have shown that crops that require 
cross-pollination between male and female plants (such as hybrid 
sunflowers) have dramatically improved yields from wild bees.
Scientists know that native bees cannot replace honeybees because they 
do not exist in sufficient numbers, but feel they represent a kind of 
insurance policy, and agricultural systems should be diversifi
ed. The 
study and encouragement of use of native bees for agricultural use is 
gaining momentum.
Mom: We definitely need to watchdog uses of pesticides and all 
applications to plants to preserve our ecosystems. Some pests become 
immune to certain pesticides, and when eaten by birds, the birds die. I 
think that's what is happening to the bats with white-halo-syndrome. 
For more information: pollinator.org and nappc.org
Don't forget fishing for trout in Whitman's Pond can catch you a prize 
 from our 2009 sponsors: Monahan's Marine, Cannolis Restaurant, Hajjar's 
Restaurant and Fore River Bait & Tackle in Quincy. Call 781-340-6976 to 
redeem that red tag.
And… channel 10 is back: Mondays 10:30 a.m .7:30 p.m. and Fridays 7:30 
p.m.
—
This column is written by a Weymouth resident, Neil Russo.