Item No. 23 STAFF SUMMARY FOR DECEMBER 12-13, 2018 23. BUMBLE BEES (CONSENT) Today’s Item Information ☐ Action ☒ (A) Receive a petition to list Crotch bumble bee (Bombus crotchii), Franklin’s bumble bee (Bombus franklini), Suckley cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus suckleyi), and western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis occidentalis) as endangered species under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). (B) Consider DFW’s request for a 30-day extension to review the petition. Summary of Previous/Future Actions Received petition Oct 17, 2018 FGC transmitted petition to DFW Oct 26, 2018 Published notice of receipt of petition Nov 9, 2018 Today’s public receipt of petition and act on Dec 12-13, 2018; Oceanside DFW’s request for a 30-day extension Receive DFW 90-day evaluation Feb 6, 2019; Sacramento Determine if petitioned action may be warranted Apr 17-18; 2019; Los Angeles Background (A) On Oct 17, 2018, FGC received a petition (Exhibit 1) from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, Defenders of Wildlife, and Center for Food Safety to list Crotch bumble bee (Bombus crotchii), Franklin’s bumble bee (Bombus franklini), Suckley cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus suckleyi), and western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis occidentalis) as endangered under CESA (Exhibit 1). On Oct 26, 2018, FGC staff transmitted the petition to DFW for review. A notice of receipt of petition was published in the California Regulatory Notice Register on Nov 9, 2018. (B) California Fish and Game Code Section 2073.5 requires that DFW evaluate the petition and submit a written evaluation with a recommendation to FGC within 90 days of receiving the petition; under this section, DFW may request an extension of up to 30 days to complete the evaluation. DFW requests a 30-day extension (Exhibit 3); if approved, the due date for DFW's evaluation would change from Jan 24, 2019, to Feb 23, 2019. Significant Public Comments A commenter requests the petition be rejected stating that it is deficient because CESA does not apply to insects (Exhibit 2). Recommendation FGC staff: Approve DFW's request for an extension of 30 days under a motion to adopt the consent calendar. Author: Sheri Tiemann 1 Item No. 23 STAFF SUMMARY FOR DECEMBER 12-13, 2018 Exhibits 1. Petition, received Oct 17, 2018 2. Letter from Paul Weiland, Nossaman LLP, on behalf of Wonderful Orchards, received Oct 25, 2018 3. DFW’s request for an extension of 30 days, received Dec 5, 2018 Motion/Direction Moved by __________ and seconded by __________ that the Commission adopts the FGC staff recommendations under items 22-26 on the consent calendar. Author: Sheri Tiemann 2 FGC - 670.1 (3/94) A PETITION TO THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME COMMISSION For action pursuant to Section 670.1, Title 14, California Code of Regulations (CCR) and Sections 2072 and 2073 of the Fish and Game Code relating to listing and delisting endangered and threatened species of plants and animals. I. SPECIES BEING PETITIONED: 1. Common Name: Crotch bumble bee Scientific Name: Bombus crotchii 2. Common Name: Franklin’s bumble bee Scientific Name: Bombus franklini 3. Common Name: Suckley cuckoo bumble bee Scientific Name: Bombus suckleyi 4. Common Name: Western bumble bee Scientific Name: Bombus occidentalis occidentalis II. RECOMMENDED ACTION: 1. Common Name: Crotch bumble bee As Endangered X Scientific Name: Bombus crotchii 2. Common Name: Franklin’s bumble bee As Endangered X Scientific Name: Bombus franklini 3. Common Name: Suckley cuckoo bumble bee As Endangered X Scientific Name: Bombus suckleyi 4. Common Name: Western bumble bee As Endangered X Scientific Name: Bombus occidentalis occidentalis III. AUTHOR OF PETITION: Name: The Xerces Society, including: Rich Hatfield, Sarina Jepsen, Sarah Foltz Jordan, Michele Blackburn, Aimée Code Address: 628 NE Broadway, Portland, OR 97232 Phone Number: 503-232-6639 1 I hereby certify that, to the best of my knowledge, all statements made in this petition are true and complete. Signature: Date: 16 October 2018 FGC - 670.1 (3/94) 2 A PETITION TO THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME COMMISSION TO LIST The Crotch bumble bee (Bombus crotchii), Franklin’s bumble bee (Bombus franklini), Suckley cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus suckleyi), and western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis occidentalis) as Endangered under the California Endangered Species Act Bombus crotchii, by Stephanie McKnight, the Xerces Society (top left); Bombus franklini, by Pete Schroeder (top right); Bombus occidentalis occidentalis, by Rich Hatfield, the Xerces Society (bottom left); Bombus suckleyi, by Hadel Go/www.discoverlife.org (bottom right). Submitted by The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, Defenders of Wildlife, Center for Food Safety October 2018 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................... 5 II. POPULATION TRENDS, ABUNDANCE, RANGE, AND DISTRIBUTION .................. 6 Current Conservation Status ................................................................................................... 6 Changes in Range, Distribution, and Relative Abundance ..................................................... 8 Methods Used ......................................................................................................................... 21 Analyses ................................................................................................................................ 21 III. LIFE HISTORY (SPECIES DESCRIPTION, BIOLOGY, AND ECOLOGY) ............... 23 Bumble Bee Biology ............................................................................................................. 23 Bumble Bee Pollination Ecology .......................................................................................... 23 Crotch bumble bee (Bombus crotchii) Cresson 1878 ........................................................... 24 Franklin’s bumble bee (Bombus franklini) (Frison, 1921) ................................................... 25 Western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis occidentalis) Greene, 1858 .............................. 27 Suckley Cuckoo Bumble Bee (Bombus suckleyi) Greene, 1860 .......................................... 28 IV. KIND OF HABITAT NECESSARY FOR SURVIVAL ................................................. 30 Habitat Requirements............................................................................................................ 30 Crotch Bumble Bee (Bombus crotchii) Habitat Requirements ............................................. 32 Franklin’s Bumble Bee (Bombus franklini) Habitat Requirements ...................................... 33 Western Bumble Bee (Bombus occidentalis occidentalis) Habitat Requirements ............... 33 Suckley Cuckoo Bumble Bee (Bombus suckleyi) Habitat Requirements ............................. 35 V. FACTORS AFFECTING ABILITY TO SURVIVE AND REPRODUCE....................... 37 A. Present or Threatened Modification or Destruction of Habitat ........................................ 37 B. Overexploitation ............................................................................................................... 44 C. Competition with Managed Honey Bees ......................................................................... 46 D. Disease ............................................................................................................................. 47 E. Other Natural Events or Human-related Activities .......................................................... 56 VI. DEGREE AND IMMEDIACY OF THREAT ................................................................. 62 VII. IMPACT OF EXISTING MANAGEMENT EFFORTS ................................................ 63 Crotch Bumble Bee (Bombus crotchii) ................................................................................. 63 Franklin’s bumble bee (Bombus franklini) ........................................................................... 63 Western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis occidentalis) .................................................... 64 Suckley bumble bee (Bombus suckleyi) ................................................................................ 64 VIII. SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE MANAGEMENT ..................................................... 65 General Guidelines for Bumble Bees ................................................................................... 65 Creating High-Quality Habitat .............................................................................................. 65 4 Using Pesticides .................................................................................................................... 68 Commercial Use of Bumble Bees ......................................................................................... 69 Honey Bees ........................................................................................................................... 69 Inventory, Research & Management Needs ......................................................................... 71 IX. INADEQUACY OF EXISTING REGULATORY MECHANISMS .............................. 73 Disease .................................................................................................................................. 73 Pesticide Regulations ............................................................................................................ 76 X. AVAILABILITY AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION ............................................... 79 Literature Cited ....................................................................................................................