The Plight of the Bumblebee

by Janet Ritz

With all the focus on the disappearance of the honeybee, there has been little discussion about the plight of the bumblebee, one of the hardest workers in the wild world of agriculture, despite this warning issued by the National Academy of Sciences October 2006:

Long-term trends for several wild bee species -- especially bumblebees -- as well as some butterflies, bats, and hummingbirds... show population drops.

That focus may now change as word comes from scientists that at least one bumblebee species from the Northwestern region of the United States, Franklin's Bumblebee, may have gone extinct.

This is a serious development. Not only because the loss of any species due to human activity is, in this writer's opinion, unconscionable, but because we depend on this species more than we've taken the time to understand.

According to this newly released National Academy of Sciences report, the bumblebee is one of many pollinators losing their battle to survive because of 'habitat lost to housing developments and intensive agriculture, pesticides, pollution and diseases spilling out of greenhouses using commercial bumblebee hives.'

Like the honeybee, the bumblebee has been hurt by the introduction of a non-native parasite. Many pollinator declines are associated with habitat loss...

It turns out that our native American bumblebee (the honeybee was imported) does more than provide a pleasant bass note to the summer hum we hear outside our window amidst the lawn mowers, sprinklers and our children's laughter. The reality is that our humble bumblebee is one of the hardest workers in the wild, accounting for the pollination that provides food for bears and birds -- and for us -- by pollinating ~fifteen percent of U.S. crops. And that percentage has been growing as farmers turn to the lowly bumblebee to replace the disappearing honeybees.

Bumblebee advocates and the scientists raising the alarm about the disappearance of the Franklin's Bumblebee have begun to lobby congress for research money and are now asking farmers to set aside unused land for flowering plants. These requests, along with the new National Academy report, are vital calls to arms. For Franklin's Bumblebee, which has long added its bass note to the life and livelihood of the Pacific Northwest, it may be too late.

For the humble bumblebees still left, such measures are essential.

Chinook salmon at 'disasterous' all time low - Pacific season at risk

by Janet Ritz
with THE ENVIRONMENTALIST staff

The Pacific Fishery Management Council has warned that entire the West Coast salmon season may have to be halted due to the lack of available fall Pacific chinook salmon.

“This is very bad news for West Coast salmon fisheries,” said Pacific Council Chairman Don Hansen. “The word ‘disaster’ comes immediately to mind, and I mean a disaster much worse than the Klamath fishery disaster of 2006.”

Sacramento River salmon are primarily caught off California and Oregon, but are also found off Washington and as far north as British Columbia. They are typically one of the healthiest and most abundant stocks on the west coast, and are the dominant contributor to both commercial and recreational fisheries off California and most of Oregon. ~snip~

The forecast of very low abundance is based on the return of “jack” salmon in the fall of 2007. Jack salmon are young male fish that return to the rivers as two year olds, unlike adult fish which return at age three or older. Jack salmon are currently the best statistical indicator of returning adult population the following year. Only about 2,000 Sacramento River fall Chinook jacks returned in 2007, by far a new record low count. This compares to a long‐term average of about 40,000 and the previous record low of about 10,000, which occurred in 2006.

“The biological situation for Sacramento River fall Chinook salmon is unprecedented in our experience,” said Pacific Council Executive Director Dr. Donald McIsaac. “We are looking at back-to-back record low brood year production, even though the parent spawning levels exceeded the spawning goal.”

The reason for the collapse is, as yet, undetermined, but both hatchery and wild fish are affected. Forty-six possible causes are under review. These potential causative factors include: Ocean conditions, freshwater conditions, abnormal interactions with prey (krill) or predators (sea lions), "as well as human-caused effects such as pollution, water diversions, construction, habitat loss, or changes in hatchery operations.

“We need to thoroughly research what has gone wrong for these two broods of Sacramento fall Chinook,” said Marija Vojkovich, the California Department of Fish and Game representative for the Pacific Council. “But the first step is to identify where to focus the research.”

“Regarding fishing seasons affecting Sacramento fall run Chinook, I won’t be surprised to see the Council look at the ‘totally closed’ option as one option, that is, closed to both sport and commercial fisheries,” said Council Vice-Chairman Dave Ortmann. “This is a very important and valuable stock of fish, particularly to the regional salmon fisheries off California and Oregon.”

Public hearings to receive input on the options are scheduled for March 31 in Westport, Washington and Coos Bay, Oregon, and for April 1 in Eureka, California.

At its April 7 ‐12 meeting in Seattle, Washington, the Council will consult with its scientific and fishery stakeholder advisory bodies, hear public comment, and choose a final option for ocean commercial and recreational salmon fishing.

The federal agency added that, even if they don't close the season, there are likely not enough salmon available to the fisheries to allow for a viable season.

Pacific Fishery Management Council Report here.

The National Park Service's Cascades Salmon Conservation Page here.

USDA recalls 143 million pounds of beef

by Janet Ritz
with Martin Muse

Cross-posted on Reuters, Chicago Sun-Times

The USDA has recalled 143 million pounds of beef produced from a Chino, CA slaughterhouse, making this the largest beef recall in the U.S.:

LOS ANGELES - The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Sunday recalled 143 million pounds of frozen beef from a Southern California slaughterhouse that is being investigated for mistreating cattle.

The federal agency said the recall will affect beef products dating [from] Feb. 1, 2006, that came from Chino, California-based Westland/Hallmark Meat Co., which supplies meat to the federal school lunch program and to some major fast-food chains.

Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer said his department has evidence that Westland did not routinely contact its veterinarian when cattle became non-ambulatory after passing inspection, violating health regulations.

The government shut Westland down on Friday after video revealed they were using forklifts to push sick cattle to slaughter. Two former employees are being charged with animal cruelty. The investigation will determine if further charges will be brought.

Jack in the Box, a San Diego-based company with restaurants in 18 states, told its meat suppliers not to use Hallmark until further notice, but it was unclear whether it had used any Hallmark meat. In-N-Out, an Irvine-based chain, also halted use of the Westland/Hallmark beef. Other chains such as McDonald's and Burger King said they do not buy beef from Westland. Link.

"We don't know how much product is out there right now. We don't think there is a health hazard, but we do have to take this action," said Dr. Dick Raymond, USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety.

There are 150 school systems, through the Federal National School Lunch Program impacted by the recall (through Westland's Hallmark Meat Brand). The concern is that non-ambulatory and crippled cattle are most at risk for "contamination from E. coli, salmonella or mad cow disease because they typically wallow in feces and their immune systems are often weak."

Here are the links to the CNN and MSNBC reports.

It's Official: The HoneyBees are Gone [Congressional Testimony]

by Janet Ritz

Experts are gathering outside Washington, D.C. today for a two-day meeting to collectively scratch their heads about the Colony Collapse Disorder, aka 'Where have all the honeybees gone.'

The phenomenon was first noticed late last year in the United States, where honeybees are used to pollinate $15 billion worth of fruits, nuts and other crops annually. Disappearing bees have also been reported in Europe and Brazil.

Commercial beekeepers would set their bees near a crop field as usual and come back in two or three weeks to find the hives bereft of foraging worker bees, with only the queen and the immature insects remaining. Whatever worker bees survived were often too weak to perform their tasks.

There's been much speculation about this lately. Others have written extensively on their ideas as to the cause. I don't know the cause, so I thought I'd write an article that addresses what we do know, what questions are being asked, what is being done, and what has been reported, so far, in Congressional testimony.

The scientists and researchers meeting in Washington today have formed working groups from several universities, government agencies and research facilities. Here's an interesting quote from one of the team members, Rick Pettis of the U.S. Agricultural Research Service, about what they're saying is NOT causing the disorder:

If the bees were dying of pesticide poisoning or freezing, their bodies would be expected to lie around the hive. And if they were absconding because of some threat -- which they have been known to do -- they wouldn't leave without the queen.

But they are leaving without the queen, which is incredible, given their societal structure (God save the queen could be their motto):

Colonies are established not by solitary queens, as in most bees, but by groups known as "swarms" which consist of a mated queen and a large contingent of workers. This group moves en masse to a nest site that has been scouted by workers beforehand, and once they arrive they immediately construct a new comb and begin to raise a new worker brood

http://en.wikipedia.org/...

They're not swarming anymore, according to Rick Pettis, who says that one-third of the U.S. diet depends on the honeybee:

"They're the heavy lifters of agriculture," Pettis said of honeybees. "And the reason they are is they're so mobile and we can rear them in large numbers and move them to a crop when it's blooming."

Honeybees are used to pollinate some of the tastiest parts of the American diet, Pettis said, including cherries, blueberries, apples, almonds, asparagus and macadamia nuts.

"It's not the staples," he said. "If you can imagine eating a bowl of oatmeal every day with no fruit on it, that's what it would be like" without honeybee pollination.

Wait a minute. I like cherries. I get my anti-oxidants from blueberries. An apple a day keeps my doctor away. Asparagus is my favorite vegetable and Almond milk is my substitute for that cow stuff.

So, what's being done about it?

On March 26, 2007, the Congressional Research Service compiled a report for Congress entitled:

Recent Honey Bee Colony Declines

Honey bee colony losses are not uncommon. However, current losses seem to differ from past situations in that

• colony losses are occurring mostly because bees are failing to return to the hive (which is largely uncharacteristic of bee behavior),
• bee colony losses have been rapid,
• colony losses are occurring in large numbers, and
• the reason why these losses are occurring remains still largely unknown.

To date, the potential causes of CCD, as reported by the scientists who are researching this phenomenon, include but may not be limited to

• parasites, mites, and disease loads in the bees and brood;
• known/unknown pathogens;
• poor nutrition among adult bees;
• level of stress in adult bees (e.g., transportation and confinement of bees, or other environmental or biological stressors);
• chemical residue/contamination in the wax, food stores and/or bees;
• lack of genetic diversity and lineage of bees; and
• a combination of several factors

On March 29th, Diana Cox-Foster, Professor Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, testified before the House Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture:

Honey bees are essential for the pollination of over 90 fruit and vegetable crops worldwide. The economic worth of the honey bee is valued at more than $14.6 billion in the U.S. In Pennsylvania alone, honey bees and pollination are worth $65 million annually through fruit crops, forage, and bee products (most notably honey). In addition to agricultural crops, honey bees also pollinate many native plants in the ecosystem.

[snip]

In colonies experiencing CCD [Colony Collapse Disorder], we have found that individual bees are infected with an extremely high number of different disease organisms. However, we have found little evidence of parasitization by varroa or tracheal mites. Many of these known bee diseases are commonly associated with stress in bees. Of particular note, we have found all adult bees in CCD colonies are infected with fungal infections. These findings may indicate that the bees are being immunosuppressed, but none of the organisms found in these bees can be attributed as the primary culprits in CCD.

Here are three research questions Cox's working team is investigating:

• Are there new or reemerging pathogens responsible for CCD?
• Are environmental chemicals causing the immunosuppression of bees and triggering CCD?
• Is a combination of stressors (e.g., varroa mites, diseases, nutritional stress) interacting to weaken bee colonies and allowing stress-related pathogens such as fungi to cause final collapse?

Another working team scientist, May Berenbaum of the University of Illinois, is exploring behavioral reasons for the disappearance:

"The main hypotheses are based on the interpretation that the disappearances represent disruptions in orientation behavior and navigation," said May Berenbaum, an insect ecologist at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Orientation behavior and navigation...

Or, as one of the team members said: "The HoneyBees are Gone and we don't know where."

There are multiple working teams gathering in Washington this week. As a testament to how seriously this is being taken, they say they intend to pool their resources to determine the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder. They'd better do it soon, because it turns out that the honeybees might just be the proverbial canary in the coal mine:

Honeybees are not the only pollinators whose numbers are dropping. Other animals that do this essential job -- non-honeybees, wasps, flies, beetles, birds and bats -- have decreasing populations as well.

Cherries, blueberries, apples, almonds, asparagus and macadamia nuts, approximately 84 other crops, and honey, beeswax and royal jelly and, of course, William Butler Yeats:

"I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade."

Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture
Dennis A. Cardoza, (D-CA) Chairman

Jurisdiction: fruits and vegetables; honey and bees; marketing and promotion orders; plant pesticides, quarantine, adulteration of seeds, and insect pests; and organic agriculture.

Majority

• Dennis A. Cardoza, CA
• Bob Etheridge, NC
• Lincoln Davis, TN
• Tim Mahoney, FL
• John Barrow, GA
• Kirsten E. Gillibrand, NY

Minority

• Randy Neugebauer, TX
• John R. "Randy" Kuhl, NY
• Virginia Foxx, NC
• Kevin McCarthy, CA
• K. Michael Conaway, TX

Congressional Hearing on Colony Collapse Disorder:
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2007
Witness List (w/links to opening statements):

Panel I

• Associate Administrator Caird E. Rexroad, PhD, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Washington, D.C.
• Dr. Diana Cox-Foster, PhD, Professor, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
• Dr. May R. Berenbaum, Professor and Head, Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois

Panel II

• Mr. Paul Wenger, First Vice President, California Farm Bureau Federation, Modesto, California
• Mr. David Ellingson, Commercial Bee Keeper, Ortonville, MN
• Mr. Gene Brandi, Legislative Chairman, California State Beekeepers Association, Los Banos, California
• Mr. Jim Doan, Commercial Bee Keeper, Hamlin, New York
• Mr. Richard Adee, Legislative Committee Chairman, American Honey Producers Association, Bruce, South Dakota

The next congressional hearing is set for June 24-30 during National Pollinator Week (really).
Live Audio link: http://agriculture.house.gov/...

Let's hope there are some pollinators left to attend.

Link to the Congressional Research Service's March 26, 2007 Report
Lint to the CNN/Reuter's article cited above.