Conservation and Management of North American Bumble Bees
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Conservation and Management of North American Bumble Bees By Dale F. Schweitzer, Nicole A. Capuano, Bruce E. Young, and Sheila R. Colla A product of the USDA Forest Service and NatureServe with funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Executive Summary This document provides a brief over- Management recommendations center on providing suitable nesting and foraging view of the diversity, natural history, habitat in close proximity during the annual period of bumble bee activity. The major conservation status, and manage- recommendations are: ment of North American bumble Minimize exposure to pesticides. bees, genus Bombus. The spring to • Avoid spraying while a crop is in bloom. late summer period of colony found- • When spraying is necessary, do so under conditions that promote rapid breakdown of toxins and avoid drift. ing, build up, and production of • Provide habitat for nesting and overwintering sites. reproductive individuals, followed • Leave unplowed, undisturbed areas with logs and clumps of grass where bumble by the overwintering of new queens bees can find nesting and overwintering sites. provide the natural history basis for • When nesting sites are limited, consider providing artificial nest boxes. • Assure continuity of nectar and pollen resources when bumble bees are active from management considerations of the spring to late summer. approximately 46 North American • Increase abundance and diversity of wild flowers, suitable garden flowers, crops, species. Most bumble bee species are and even weeds to improve bee density and diversity. currently not threatened or docu- • Mow when bumble bees are dormant, if possible. • When summer mowing is necessary, stagger fields to ensure that some flowers are mented as declining except in areas always available. of intensive agriculture. Eight spe- • Time prescribed burns as recommended for mowing. cies from three subgenera, however, • Ensure that nesting habitat is in close proximity (500-800 m; 0.3-0.5 mi) to foraging have declined drastically during the habitat. • Encourage agricultural authorities to place tight restrictions on the use of bumble last 15-20 years. These include three bees for crop pollination to prevent the spread of diseases. species that are obligate parasites After reviewing the literature on bumble bee conservation and management, a number on other declining species. The of gaps in our knowledge about bumble bee biology become apparent. These gaps, listed Report coordination by Pollinator Partnership pathogen spillover hypothesis, which here to stimulate research in different regions of North America, include: • How are bumble bee populations changing over time? Designer: Marguerite Meyer proposes that diseases from infected • How important are forested habitats for bumble bee diversity? commercial colonies imported from • What habitats do bumble bees use for overwintering? Europe are infecting native popula- • How do habitats, including human-altered ones, vary in quality for bumble bees? 1 1 Dale F. Schweitzer , Nicole A. Capuano , tions of closely related species, may • Do areas where severely declining species remain share common habitat or climatic Bruce E. Young1, and Sheila R. Colla2 explain the sharp declines of most features? • What are the foraging needs and diet breadth of bumble bee species? species. Other threats to bumble 1NatureServe, 4600 North Fiarfax Dr., Floor 7, Arlington, VA 22203 • How are bumble bees affected by fire and fire management? bees include climate change, loss of • How do toxins affect bumble bees differently from honey bees? 2Biology Department, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada nesting and foraging habitats and • How broad is the threat of diseases from non-native bees spilling over to native pesticide use. bumble bees? Cite this document as: Schweitzer, D.F., N.A. Capuano, B.E. Young, and S.R. Colla. 2012. Conservation and management of North American bumble bees. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia, and USDA Forest Service, Washington, D.C. Conservation and Management of North American Bumble Bees NatureServe and the U.S. Forest Service 3 Executive Summary This document provides a brief over- Management recommendations center on providing suitable nesting and foraging view of the diversity, natural history, habitat in close proximity during the annual period of bumble bee activity. The major conservation status, and manage- recommendations are: ment of North American bumble Minimize exposure to pesticides. bees, genus Bombus. The spring to • Avoid spraying while a crop is in bloom. late summer period of colony found- • When spraying is necessary, do so under conditions that promote rapid breakdown of toxins and avoid drift. ing, build up, and production of • Provide habitat for nesting and overwintering sites. reproductive individuals, followed • Leave unplowed, undisturbed areas with logs and clumps of grass where bumble by the overwintering of new queens bees can find nesting and overwintering sites. provide the natural history basis for • When nesting sites are limited, consider providing artificial nest boxes. • Assure continuity of nectar and pollen resources when bumble bees are active from management considerations of the spring to late summer. approximately 46 North American • Increase abundance and diversity of wild flowers, suitable garden flowers, crops, species. Most bumble bee species are and even weeds to improve bee density and diversity. currently not threatened or docu- • Mow when bumble bees are dormant, if possible. • When summer mowing is necessary, stagger fields to ensure that some flowers are mented as declining except in areas always available. of intensive agriculture. Eight spe- • Time prescribed burns as recommended for mowing. cies from three subgenera, however, • Ensure that nesting habitat is in close proximity (500-800 m; 0.3-0.5 mi) to foraging have declined drastically during the habitat. • Encourage agricultural authorities to place tight restrictions on the use of bumble last 15-20 years. These include three bees for crop pollination to prevent the spread of diseases. species that are obligate parasites After reviewing the literature on bumble bee conservation and management, a number on other declining species. The of gaps in our knowledge about bumble bee biology become apparent. These gaps, listed Report coordination by Pollinator Partnership pathogen spillover hypothesis, which here to stimulate research in different regions of North America, include: • How are bumble bee populations changing over time? Designer: Marguerite Meyer proposes that diseases from infected • How important are forested habitats for bumble bee diversity? commercial colonies imported from • What habitats do bumble bees use for overwintering? Europe are infecting native popula- • How do habitats, including human-altered ones, vary in quality for bumble bees? 1 1 Dale F. Schweitzer , Nicole A. Capuano , tions of closely related species, may • Do areas where severely declining species remain share common habitat or climatic Bruce E. Young1, and Sheila R. Colla2 explain the sharp declines of most features? • What are the foraging needs and diet breadth of bumble bee species? species. Other threats to bumble 1NatureServe, 4600 North Fiarfax Dr., Floor 7, Arlington, VA 22203 • How are bumble bees affected by fire and fire management? bees include climate change, loss of • How do toxins affect bumble bees differently from honey bees? 2Biology Department, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada nesting and foraging habitats and • How broad is the threat of diseases from non-native bees spilling over to native pesticide use. bumble bees? Cite this document as: Schweitzer, D.F., N.A. Capuano, B.E. Young, and S.R. Colla. 2012. Conservation and management of North American bumble bees. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia, and USDA Forest Service, Washington, D.C. Conservation and Management of North American Bumble Bees NatureServe and the U.S. Forest Service 3 where appropriate. The biblio- and Europe. As in the rest of the world, group of North American bumble varying degrees with body heat to speed growth. This graphic references provide an entry bumble bee diversity in North America bees, occurring from subtropical to adaptation is probably among the reasons why Bombus insularis. Photo James Strange point into the growing literature on is lowest in the southern lowlands and boreal zones. bumble bees can thrive in cool conditions. As in bumble bees. Because scientific papers on highest in cooler northern and mountain Subterraneobombus (2 species)—A all social bees, workers are females. Workers bumble bees are being published with in- regions (Figure 1). For example, most long-tongued, underground-nesting do not mate, but can reproduce by laying Introduction creasing frequency (Goulson et al. 2010), bumble bees in Arizona occur only in the group primarily occurring in open unfertilized eggs, producing males. At the we recognize that this document provides mountains. This pattern is opposite of end of the colony cycle, queens also lay Bumble bees are a familiar component of northern and montane areas, such as a snapshot of the state of our current most plant and vertebrate groups, which unfertilized eggs that become males. our terrestrial fauna. In the past, sight- meadows. knowledge and that subsequent research generally decrease in diversity with ing a bumble bee may have elicited no Thoracobombus (2 species)—A wide- If nectar and pollen resources are ad- will fill in some of the knowledge gaps