Beyond Honeybees: Now Wild Bees and Butterflies May Be in Trouble

[pbmus]

By now you probably know about the plight of America’s honeybees: the collapsed colonies and dying hives, threatening pollination services to crops and the future of a much-beloved insect.

But it’s not just honeybees that are in trouble. Many wild pollinators—thousands of species of bees and butterflies and moths—are also threatened. Their decline would affect not only our food supply, but our landscapes, too. Most honeybees live in commercially managed agricultural colonies; wild pollinators are caretakers of our everyday surroundings.

“Almost 90 percent of the world’s flowering species require insects or other animals for pollination,” said ecologist Laura Burkle of Montana State University. “That’s a lot of plants that need these adorable creatures for reproduction. And if we don’t have those plants, we have a pretty impoverished world.”

Compared to honeybees, wild pollinators are not well studied, and their condition has received relatively little public attention. Most people don’t realize that there are thousands of bee species in the United States. Even many butterflies are overlooked, with the plight of just a few species, particularly monarchs, widely recognized.

http://www.wired.com/2014/05/wild-bee-and-butterfly-declines/?mbid=social_twitter

[RobertEarl]

1. Good thing manmade nuclear radiation is life enhancing

Last edited Tue May 13, 2014, 02:51 AM - Edit history (1)

'Cuz if it was deadly to life, then it just might kill off the bees and butterflies.

Certainly, from what I have seen around here in a more pristine place of the country, there are less bees and butterflies every year. Something sure is messing with life.

[swilton]

2. Agent Orange

wasn't enough for Monsanto/Du Pont - the toxins used have trickled down into Round-Up and the other poisons we put on our 'toxic green' lawns. Went to a lecture on landscaping and bee-keeping last week. Believe it or not audience was advised to preserve dandelions.