Written by Beth Geiger
Native bumble bees are ecosystemsโ little heroes. About 85 percent of the worldโs flowering plants depend on pollination from animals. These plants and bees have evolved together, shaping ecosystems. For example, different species of bumble bees have different length tongues, suited to pollinating different plants. In wild ecosystems, bumble bees pollinate plants that birds and larger wildlife count on such as wildflowers, nuts and fruit.
Wild bumble bees also soar when it comes to pollinating particular food crops. They use โbuzz pollination:โ vibrating their wing muscles at high frequencies to loosen pollen in a way that commercially-managed honey bees just canโt match for certain plants including tomatoes, blueberries, and cranberries.
But since the late 1990s, biologists have observed an alarming dive in some wild bee populations. At least four species of Washingtonโs native bumble bee species are at risk. Morrison bumble bees (Bombus morrisoni), Suckley cuckoo bumble bees (Bombus suckleyi), Western bumble bees (Bombus occidentalis), and Yellow bumble bees (Bombus fervidus) have seen sharp declines in populations and/or ranges.
One problem facing these species is a loss of genetic diversity, which can lead to extinction. Because they live in colonies, bumble bees are naturally susceptible to inbreeding. To sustain diversity they need to connect to other colonies. Thatโs increasingly tough as native habitat is lost and fragmented. Pesticides, competition and diseases from non-native honeybees, and climate change are other concerns. And if bees fall flat, so will the ecosystems that depend on them. Whatโs more, if commercial honey bee populations collapse, weโll need wild bumble bees for many more of our crops.
To help bees, we must create and connect bee-friendly habitat. The Conservancy is doing just that. Wildflowers buzz with bees at our preserves at Moses Coulee/Beezley Hills, Yellow Island, and others. In the past, the Conservancy has also worked with farmers to develop pesticide-free bumble bee habitat in the corners of pivot-point irrigation circles. These actions help keep bumble bees aloft, crops flourishing, and meadows in bloom.
A game camera on the Moses Coulee Preserve has captured just how much a gate that sits at the intersection of quality shrub-steppe and agricultural fields is used by visitors and residents, even when closed.
Preliminary data from the Ellsworth Creek Wildlife Project tests assumptions of forest thinning restoration practices.
What do bats sound like? Every August for the past three years, the Conservancy has participated in the North American Bat Monitoring project. Let us walk you through how and why we monitor bats.
Imagine waking up one morning and finding your neighborhood had been split in two, separated by a moat that is impossible for you to cross.
Some wildlife are more camera-shy than others. Check out some of our preserves' wildlife that have been caught on camera traps!
Last week, Phil Green finally had decent weather to get to Goose and Deadman islands to do what is now yearly monitoring.