HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015 11-04 Pollinator forum elevates plight of native bees, monarchs MAPLEWOOD REVIEW2/19/2016 Pollinator forum elevates plight of native bees, monarchs I Lillie Suburban Newspapers - LillieNews.com
Pollinator forum elevates plight
of native bees, monarchs
Submitted by adminl on Wed, 11/04/2015 - 7:55am
By: Erin Hinrichs
Minnesota is home to more than 350 native bee species.
According to the Great Sunflower Project, pollinators are
responsible for every third bite of food we consume.
(Stephanie Michel/Review)
Monarch caterpillars feed on milkweed and then nectar as
adult butteflies. A decline in natural habitat is greatly
impacting their survival rates. (Stephanie Michel/Review)
There's no shortage of bee puns buzzing amongst elected
officials, conservationists and naturalists. That's because the
future of Minnesota's estimated 400 native bee species isn't
any more certain than that of the monarch butterfly and
there's plenty to be concerned about — from keeping these
insects off the endangered species list to sustaining a
pollination system that man, alone, could never replicate.
Whereas the black -and -orange migratory pollinators neither
sting nor bite, bees sometimes pose more of a public
relations challenge.
But the more Oakley Biesanz, naturalist at the Maplewood
Nature Center, continues to learn about these fuzzy little
pollinators, the more enthusiastic she gets about changing
local perceptions and population trajectories.
Beyond honeybees and bumblebees, she says, "There's all
these other amazing bees that people don't even know
about."
Mason bees pollinate cherry and apple trees.
"They come out early in the spring. They're these beautiful
metallic shiny little bees," Biesanz says.
Biesanz and a growing network of pollinator supporters are
hoping their interest in bees will continue to grow, translating
into legislative and local actions that will help restore the
pollinators' natural habitats and protect them from toxic
insecticides.
In an effort to streamline efforts, Rep. Leon Lillie, DFL -North
St. Paul, and Rep. Rick Hansen, DFL -South St. Paul, co -
hosted a pollinator forum Oct. 22 at the Maplewood
Community Center. Three expert panels — made up of
researchers, state agency experts and local stakeholders like
beekeepers — addressed the issues negatively impacting
local pollinators and suggested corrective actions.
"I know that my district is hungry for information. I know that the Legislature is hungry for information," Lillie said at the start of
the discussion. "This is a nonpartisan issue. We all love food. And if we don't have this population, we're in deep trouble."
Habitat loss
Karen Oberhauser, University of Minnesota professor who oversees the Monarch Lab, started the evening off with a review of
the life cycle of the monarch butterfly.
Right now, the adult population is en route to Mexico, where they'll live in the forested highlands for the winter.
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In the early spring, they'll begin their great migration north, stopping to lay eggs. These adults will die, but their offspring will
develop from caterpillar to pupa to butterfly and complete the journey north to lay eggs.
"Once they get back up here, they just need lots and lots of milkweed and nectar sources," Oberhauser says, noting these are
vital food sources for caterpillars and monarchs.
Oberhauser has been traveling to Mexico to record the size of the monarch population since 1996, when itwas at its peak,
she says. Since then, the monarch population has been on an "alarming downward trend."
With new developments and cropland encroaching upon the monarchs' natural habitat, and herbicide use on corn and
soybean fields further degrading milkweed and wild flower resource, she estimates the U.S. needs 5 to 7 billion more
milkweed plants in the summer breeding grounds.
"I'm not here to lay blame on farmers," she says. "We just need to understand that habitat is lost, and we need to make up for
it.,,
Beyond the monarch, 14 other butterfly species are on Minnesota's threatened and endangered species list— 10 of which
are prairie dwellers, like the Dakota skipper and Poweshiek skipperling, says Erik Runquist, butterfly conservation biologist
with the Minnesota Zoo.
Monarchs aren't the only pollinator that's being squeezed from its natural habitat. There are also 350 to 400 species of native
bees, one-third of which live in prairies, says Greg Hoch, prairie habitat expert for the Department of Natural Resources.
Roughly a third of the state used to be covered by prairie land, but they are now vying to survive in what little remains.
Numerous state and local agencies are collaborating to restore habitat for pollinators, emphasizing the use of native plant
seeds that bloom throughout the season to ensure a lasting food supply.
It's one step anyone can take, whether it be in the backyard or at a nearby nature center or park.
"Get a variety of flowers out there, so there are food sources year-round," Dan Shaw, speaker with the Minnesota Board of
Water and Soil Resources says, listing the elderberry bush as one of many plants with a high pollinator value because it
blooms early and hollows out, serving as an ideal location for nesting.
Toxic pesticides
Even when pollinators do manage to locate dwindling food sources and breeding grounds, they're still subject to the harsh
effects of certain chemicals used in farm fields and consumer products.
The productthat has most researchers and advocates on edge is neonicotinoid insecticides. This chemical has been on the
market for the last two decades, but has come under increased scrutiny in recent years because of its lethal effect on honey
bees.
Providing anecdotal evidence, Kristy Lynn Allen, founder and head beekeeper of The Beez Kneez, says her business has
been greatly impacted by pesticide use.
Working to make beekeeping more accessible to the average consumer, she delivers honey orders by bike, teaches a
newbie beekeeping class and runs a pedal -powered honey extraction center in Minneapolis. She's determined to keep her
business local, year-round, rather than transport her urban bees to a warmer state each winter.
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But she's grappling with the largely unregulated use of pesticides that have killed her bees not once, but twice, she says.
As a result, she has been campaigning for legislative action to compensate beekeepers for such losses. The Legislature
passed a compensation measure in 2014, along with a bill banning nurseries from labeling plants as pollinator -friendly if
they've been treated with harmful insecticides.
We really need to tackle the pesticide problem. The bees' health is compromised as a result of these toxins," she says, noting
most local beekeepers have a similar pesticide kill story.
Researchers are equally concerned about the bees that survive exposure.
Bees detoxify chemicals when they take them in, but the remnants can be disorienting, Vera Krischik, associate professor of
entomology at the University of Minnesota, says.
According to Krischik's research, the sub -lethal effects of these chemicals include disruptions in mobility, feeding, foraging,
memory, learning and overall hive activity.
The much -anticipated release of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's report assessing neonicotinoid insecticides use
will guide future administration of the chemicals.
"We still have to make some final reviews and edits," Kevin Cavanaugh, pesticide advisor to the Minnesota Department of
Agriculture, says. "We are hopeful this should be released after the first of the new year."
In the meantime, naturalists at the Maplewood Nature Center are busy implementing a three-year grant aimed at pollinator
habitat restoration and community education. They've partnered with the city's Parks and Recreation Department to restore
habitat at Fish Creek and other sites, educate school children and train adults to help monitor native bee populations.
On the policy level, Hansen says legislators are staying turned in to the research on pesticide use on pollinators.
"We did pass a lot of legislation that's a model for other states. But the empire always strikes back and there's always a return
of the Jedi," he says, tapping into the hype over the new Star Wars movie.
"I ask all of you to keep being involved. This is a long-term struggle."
Erin Hinrichs can be reached at 651-748-7814 and ehinrich sp_lillienews.com. Follow her at twitter.com/EHinrichsNews.
• Plant wildflowers native to your region. For a list of pollinator favorites, visit mnzoo.org/plantforpollinators
• Choose a variety of plants so there are different flowers blooming from spring to fall
• Avoid using pesticides and ask your garden store for pesticide -free plants
• Encourage city officials to not mow ditches and other places milkweed and native flowers and grasses grow
• Ask your elected state officials to address bee -harming pesticides and increase transparency in pesticide use
• Learn more by connecting with area advocacy groups like Pollinate Minnesota and Pesticide Action Network
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