On January 11th the rusty-patched bumblebee was listed as an endangered species for the first time. That listing is now on hold, and an environmental group is suing the Trump administration for delaying the listing. Every day counts, and cutbacks on federal regulation from the White House put the preservation of the bee and many other species in danger.
The American Farm Bureau said the listing of the rusty patch could lead to limits on land or chemical use and that private partnerships, not the federal government, are better suited to protect the bees in the wild. Welcome to our new world.
Since the late 1990s, the population of bumblebees has plummeted 87%. Of course bees are responsible for pollinating most of the plants that require insect pollination to produce fruits, seeds and nuts. If bees go extinct, it’s simple: no food.
And what does the American Farm Bureau have to say about that?
In the city, bumblebees like messy natural gardens without pesticides, which are few and far between. We can help them by leaving some areas unraked in fall, since bumblebees need a safe place to build their nests and overwinter.
They like the leaf mulch I spread in the fall, and we always have a few big bumblebees in the summer, especially when the allium blooms. Every now and then one bumbles into the kitchen greenhouse window and gets trapped, but I save them with a dab of honey on a ruler. It makes them sticky and super mad, but they live to pollinate another day.
My gosh, it is soaking wet out. And relatively warm since the fire hose is pointing up from Hawaii. Seattle has seen more than three times the normal amount of rain for February — and the month is only half over. The wettest February on record was in 1961, when 9.1 inches of rain were recorded in Seattle. We've had over 7 inches and will probably break that record.
Bumblebees, stay dry and safe under there. You'll wake up in a more dangerous world.
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