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First and foremost,
I want to thank
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everybody for being here.
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This is, by far,
the biggest turnout
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I've seen in helping us
track down Franklin's Bumblebee.
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Franklin's Bumblebee was
last seen just up the road,
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where we're gonna head
in a couple of minutes, in 2006.
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And the more boots on
the ground, the more people
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we have looking
for this particular critter,
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the better the chances are.
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Even though it hasn't
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been observed recently,
I am optimistic
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that it's still out there,
we just haven't found it.
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If I see
a bee with a black abdomen,
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I'm gonna
suspect it's Franklin's.
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It's as black
as they get, really.
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We gotta get-we gotta
show this one to Linc, too.
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- Hey Linc!
- Linc, come here.
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- Uh-oh!
- I think we got another
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-good one, here.
- Yes, Tyler,
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did it again.
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The bumblebee.
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Known by its scientific name,
Bombus.
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There are over 250 species
harvesting nectar and pollen
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from flowering
plants across the globe.
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Bumblebees
populate the flowers
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that produce
some of our richest crops.
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Such as blueberries,
raspberries,
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cucumbers and tomatoes.
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I like bumblebees because
they're charismatic and lovable.
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I even love their name.
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I mean, think about it,
the people who gave them
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the name "bumblebee",
they were onto something.
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Because when you watch them,
they're big, they're buzzy,
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they're fuzzy,
they're not especially elegant.
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They're kind of bumbling along
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as they go
from flower to flower
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but it's part of that awkward,
clunky, large behavior,
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their-- their flight on flower
after flower after flower,
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that makes
them good pollinators
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00:03:18,824 --> 00:03:20,826
because they are
so buzzy and big
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00:03:20,868 --> 00:03:22,578
that they are good
at transferring pollen
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from flower to flower.
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Over
the past thirty years,
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there has been
a steep decline of the number
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of bumblebees
observed in the wild.
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This recent
decline is concerning,
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due to the important role
that plays to our agriculture
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and flowering plants
that occupy our landscape.
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00:03:46,936 --> 00:03:49,563
Around a quarter of
the bumblebees in North America
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00:03:49,605 --> 00:03:51,607
are facing some degree
of extinction risk
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00:03:51,649 --> 00:03:53,150
and the indication
that we have there
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is that they're just
not found in the--
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in the areas
where they used to be.
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Many
of the bumblebee species
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are struggling to keep
their place in the world.
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00:04:00,574 --> 00:04:02,660
In the past twenty years alone,
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00:04:02,701 --> 00:04:06,121
25% of North America's
bumblebee species
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00:04:06,163 --> 00:04:07,957
are considered endangered.
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00:04:07,998 --> 00:04:09,875
This same trend
is being observed
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00:04:09,917 --> 00:04:12,503
all around the world
by research scientists
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00:04:12,544 --> 00:04:14,463
and conservationists.
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00:04:18,968 --> 00:04:20,260
Here's a bumblebee.
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00:04:22,096 --> 00:04:24,390
Yep, going too fast,
it's gone.
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Professor David Kleijn
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00:04:26,308 --> 00:04:28,143
has been
studying the bumblebee
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00:04:28,185 --> 00:04:30,187
for several decades
and is one of the world's
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00:04:30,229 --> 00:04:32,815
most knowledgeable
experts on the bumblebee.
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00:04:32,856 --> 00:04:34,525
This is the bee hotel.
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00:04:34,566 --> 00:04:36,944
So, most of
the solitary bee species
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00:04:36,986 --> 00:04:39,196
nest in the soil
and many of them
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like these vertical walls.
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00:04:43,826 --> 00:04:47,037
They are such a cool
study group to work with
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00:04:47,079 --> 00:04:49,373
because on one hand,
they're incredibly important
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00:04:49,415 --> 00:04:52,334
for people functionally
because they pollinate
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00:04:52,376 --> 00:04:54,753
all our plants,
they pollinate the crops.
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00:04:55,504 --> 00:04:57,756
And on the other hand,
they are threatened
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in their existence
in the Netherlands
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about 56% of the species
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00:05:02,845 --> 00:05:04,847
are on the national
red list,
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00:05:04,888 --> 00:05:07,141
indicating that they are
threatened in their existence.
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00:05:07,808 --> 00:05:11,061
Of all the bumblebee species,
you have a couple that do
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really well and are still
amongst the most common
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00:05:14,815 --> 00:05:17,151
wild pollinators that you
can find out there
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00:05:17,192 --> 00:05:20,446
and then you have this big
other group that struggle,
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00:05:20,487 --> 00:05:23,282
that go extinct,
that decline severely.
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00:05:23,323 --> 00:05:24,992
Of course, then,
the researcher in me
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00:05:25,034 --> 00:05:26,994
becomes really interested,
I want to know why.
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00:05:27,578 --> 00:05:30,330
Currently in the United-States,
there's two bumblebees
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that're protected under
the Endangered Species Act.
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00:05:32,666 --> 00:05:34,710
There's
the Rusty Patch Bumblebee
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which lives in the upper
Midwest and the northeast.
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00:05:38,255 --> 00:05:40,174
Most recently,
Franklin's Bumblebee
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has been added
to the endangered species list.
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00:05:43,177 --> 00:05:45,637
Getting a species listed
actually takes a long time
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and, get this, the average
time it takes is 12 years.
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00:05:50,142 --> 00:05:52,519
Frankly it's
an unacceptably long time,
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00:05:52,561 --> 00:05:55,731
species are supposed
to be listed after one year.
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00:05:55,773 --> 00:05:58,817
There have been 47 species
that have gone extinct
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00:05:58,859 --> 00:06:02,029
while waiting to be put
on the protection list.
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00:06:02,071 --> 00:06:04,323
Something like
the Rusty Patch Bumblebee,
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00:06:04,364 --> 00:06:07,951
which upon a time lived
roughly from North Dakota,
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00:06:07,993 --> 00:06:10,621
to Maine, south to Georgia,
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00:06:10,662 --> 00:06:12,664
roughly think
about that as a triangle.
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That was it's historic range
and it's now disappeared
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00:06:16,752 --> 00:06:20,005
from, you know, probably
90-97% of it's range.
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00:06:20,047 --> 00:06:22,508
It's just not
found in any of the areas
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00:06:22,549 --> 00:06:25,177
where it once was
and that's-- that's how we know
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00:06:25,219 --> 00:06:26,970
that some species
are in decline.
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00:06:27,012 --> 00:06:28,931
Several bumblebee species
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are being observed
by the scientific community
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as slowly disappearing.
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Or, like one particular species,
Franklin's Bumblebee,
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is possibly extinct.
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Good morning everybody,
my name is Jeff Everett.
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I'm a biologist with the Fish
and Wildlife service.
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I'm the lead biologist
for Franklin's Bumblebee.
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The species expert,
Robin Thorpe,
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00:06:51,912 --> 00:06:54,832
who passed away unfortunately
a couple of years ago,
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00:06:54,873 --> 00:06:57,501
believed that the best way
to find Franklin's Bumblebee
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00:06:57,543 --> 00:07:01,255
was to intensively survey
the last known location
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00:07:01,296 --> 00:07:04,299
at what is historically
the peak of colony activity.
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00:07:04,341 --> 00:07:07,636
When, in theory, the colonies
are at their largest,
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00:07:07,678 --> 00:07:10,055
the most number of workers
are out on the landscape
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00:07:10,097 --> 00:07:11,932
and our detectability
is highest.
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00:07:16,103 --> 00:07:19,439
Franklin's was
relatively easy to find,
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back when it was
abundant on the landscape
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00:07:21,942 --> 00:07:23,735
in the 80's,
into the 90's
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00:07:23,777 --> 00:07:26,071
and then about
the early 2000's,
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00:07:26,113 --> 00:07:27,906
the species
started for decline
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00:07:27,948 --> 00:07:31,160
and for reasons that are
pretty poorly understood.
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00:07:31,201 --> 00:07:33,036
There are several
hypotheses
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about what exactly
happened to Franklin's,
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00:07:35,706 --> 00:07:39,126
in that it was a combination
of introduced disease
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00:07:39,168 --> 00:07:40,836
and a variety of other threats
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00:07:40,878 --> 00:07:43,964
to the species that,
acting synergistically,
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00:07:44,006 --> 00:07:46,091
just kinda wiped
them out over time.
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There's over,
about 200 species of bumblebees
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00:07:52,764 --> 00:07:54,725
in the world
and depending on where you draw
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00:07:54,766 --> 00:07:58,061
certain taxonomic
lines we have 46 or 48
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00:07:58,103 --> 00:07:59,771
here in North America.
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Franklin's Bumblebee
is unique compared to all
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00:08:02,816 --> 00:08:06,111
the other bumblebees in that
it is very narrowly endemic,
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00:08:06,153 --> 00:08:08,614
which means it was only
ever found in a very small area.
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00:08:08,655 --> 00:08:10,782
Three counties
here in southern Oregon
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00:08:10,824 --> 00:08:12,618
and two in northern California.
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00:08:12,659 --> 00:08:15,370
Most bumblebees
are very, very widespread
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00:08:15,412 --> 00:08:16,914
across
their native habitats.
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Franklin's was
always narrowly endemic
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and it's something
that we didn't understand.
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Why was it not more widespread?
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00:08:24,755 --> 00:08:27,424
It wasn't limited by geography
'cause it's been found
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at mountain elevations
like this,
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at places higher
than some of the passes
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to the south and to the east
and also to the north,
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up into the Willamette Valley
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so, it could have
spread but it didn't.
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Also, it wasn't tied
to a specific host plant
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like certain pollinator
and plant interaction.
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It's been documented using
a variety of floral species,
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many of which are found across
the western United-States.
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So it wasn't
held here by geography,
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it wasn't held here because
of some special habitat niche
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or forging requirement
or something like that.
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So we really
don't know why Franklin's
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00:09:02,251 --> 00:09:05,671
was always extremely
limited on the landscape,
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00:09:05,712 --> 00:09:07,756
compared to all the other
bumblebees that we have,
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00:09:07,798 --> 00:09:09,424
most of which are
really quite widespread.
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00:09:14,429 --> 00:09:18,809
Even with a relatively
narrowly distributed bumblebee,
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00:09:18,850 --> 00:09:21,144
something that uses
a variety of habitats,
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00:09:21,186 --> 00:09:22,980
even though we're only
talking about an area
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that's about
13,000 square miles,
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there's a lot of this habitat
that is higher elevation,
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federally-owned
and has never been
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systematically
searched for bumblebees.
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So Franklin's
could still be out there,
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it's just that we're
not necessarily looking
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in the right
places at the right times.
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This survey that we do
this week is again carrying
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on Robin's tradition of looking
at the last known location,
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at the peak of colony activity
when you'd think
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detectability
would be at its greatest.
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I wanted
to introduce Lincoln Best,
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00:10:01,977 --> 00:10:03,770
from the Oregon Bee Atlas.
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00:10:03,812 --> 00:10:06,606
And I also wanted
to point out Joe Angler,
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who is all
camouflaged up over here.
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00:10:09,526 --> 00:10:12,654
These two gentlemen are some
of your taxonomic authorities,
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00:10:12,696 --> 00:10:14,698
if we find something
that looks like
188
00:10:14,740 --> 00:10:17,868
what we are after, or something
that you can't identify,
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00:10:17,909 --> 00:10:19,661
these guys can help you out.
190
00:10:19,703 --> 00:10:22,080
So, one of the things
we'd like not to do,
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00:10:22,122 --> 00:10:24,291
is further
the spread of pathogens
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00:10:24,333 --> 00:10:25,834
throughout our bee communities
193
00:10:25,876 --> 00:10:27,836
and so we will
be up the road here,
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00:10:27,878 --> 00:10:31,631
setting up a station where you
can sanitize your nets.
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00:10:31,673 --> 00:10:33,175
If you haven't
already done that,
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00:10:33,216 --> 00:10:35,761
it's just a quick bleach,
soak and a rinse
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00:10:35,802 --> 00:10:38,555
and then air-dry,
which won't take long today.
198
00:10:38,597 --> 00:10:41,725
And we also have alcohol wipes
available to sanitize
199
00:10:41,767 --> 00:10:43,226
capture-vials
and those kinds of things.
200
00:10:43,268 --> 00:10:45,062
So we wanna
do what we can to limit
201
00:10:45,103 --> 00:10:48,023
the spread of pathogens
amongst the bee communities.
202
00:10:48,065 --> 00:10:49,983
I haven't seen
a rattlesnake up here
203
00:10:50,025 --> 00:10:51,818
but it's not outside
the realm of possibility,
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00:10:51,860 --> 00:10:55,113
so just be mindful
of where you're stepping.
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00:10:55,155 --> 00:10:57,115
Alright, I think
we're in pretty good shape.
206
00:11:05,123 --> 00:11:07,000
You don't have
to do it all day,
207
00:11:07,042 --> 00:11:09,211
you can do it for an hour,
it doesn't really matter,
208
00:11:09,252 --> 00:11:11,463
but when you're
counting the bumblebees,
209
00:11:11,505 --> 00:11:13,215
you wanna count
every bumblebee you see.
210
00:11:13,673 --> 00:11:16,885
So we can look at the bumblebees
of conservation concern,
211
00:11:16,927 --> 00:11:19,971
of course we have
two museum specimens.
212
00:11:20,013 --> 00:11:23,809
A Bombus Franklini,
from the 1950's
213
00:11:23,850 --> 00:11:25,685
and we have a worker
and a male
214
00:11:26,269 --> 00:11:30,023
and so the tail
has a little bit of off-white
215
00:11:30,065 --> 00:11:32,567
on the very tip
of the abdomen and then,
216
00:11:32,609 --> 00:11:35,070
on top of the thorax
the yellow extends
217
00:11:35,112 --> 00:11:36,696
about two thirds
of the way back.
218
00:11:36,738 --> 00:11:38,115
And those are
the diagnostic features
219
00:11:38,156 --> 00:11:39,449
that we're looking
for today.
220
00:11:48,208 --> 00:11:50,627
Great turnout,
this is really pretty exciting
221
00:11:51,002 --> 00:11:53,797
to have this many people
looking and this many people
222
00:11:53,839 --> 00:11:56,341
interested in what we're
doing and why we're here.
223
00:11:56,383 --> 00:12:00,220
First time I did
this we had maybe 20 people
224
00:12:00,262 --> 00:12:03,682
join us
and we're close to 70.
225
00:12:03,723 --> 00:12:05,725
It gets a little
bit bigger every year,
226
00:12:05,767 --> 00:12:07,102
and really like
the diversity of it, too.
227
00:12:07,144 --> 00:12:09,104
There's the federal
biologists
228
00:12:09,146 --> 00:12:11,898
and conservation organizations
but there's also grassroots,
229
00:12:11,940 --> 00:12:15,569
local land-owners, local
conservation organizations.
230
00:12:15,610 --> 00:12:17,487
Just citizens,
scientists, volunteers,
231
00:12:17,529 --> 00:12:19,364
a couple students
and the state agencies
232
00:12:19,406 --> 00:12:21,158
are quite well represented
this year as well,
233
00:12:21,199 --> 00:12:23,118
so it's really exciting
to see the enthusiasm.
234
00:12:32,169 --> 00:12:34,171
The way
to identify Franklin's,
235
00:12:34,212 --> 00:12:36,798
he was saying,
the main thing to look for
236
00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:39,050
was a little bit
of sparse whiteness on the tip
237
00:12:39,092 --> 00:12:40,719
of the tail,
the last couple segments.
238
00:12:41,595 --> 00:12:43,013
They're kind of,
usually notched,
239
00:12:43,054 --> 00:12:44,723
like usually black
in the middle.
240
00:12:45,056 --> 00:12:47,726
But just, the fact
that the "L" comes further back
241
00:12:47,767 --> 00:12:49,227
than just the shoulders,
242
00:12:49,269 --> 00:12:51,062
but it's probably
hard to recognize
243
00:12:51,104 --> 00:12:53,023
in a lot of cases.
244
00:12:53,064 --> 00:12:55,692
So in Occidentalis and a lot
of the other bumblebees here,
245
00:12:55,734 --> 00:12:58,320
it's just the interior
of the shoulders, really,
246
00:12:58,361 --> 00:13:00,947
but on Franklin's,
that yellow extends
247
00:13:00,989 --> 00:13:02,866
two-thirds back on the thorax.
248
00:13:02,908 --> 00:13:06,328
And so, it's not
easy to recognize, really,
249
00:13:06,369 --> 00:13:08,997
but if you see something
like that then bring it back
250
00:13:09,039 --> 00:13:11,458
and we'll take
a look and see what it is.
251
00:13:12,083 --> 00:13:13,960
Yeah, there's tons of,
you know, convergence
252
00:13:14,002 --> 00:13:15,921
in their mimicry
in this region, so.
253
00:13:15,962 --> 00:13:18,507
There's like, eight species
that look almost all the same.
254
00:13:20,675 --> 00:13:23,762
It's really challenging
to tell bumblebees apart.
255
00:13:23,803 --> 00:13:27,974
They have
big, bright colors,
256
00:13:28,016 --> 00:13:31,937
they're a big bee but you
have to look really closely.
257
00:13:31,978 --> 00:13:33,438
Sometimes for some of them,
258
00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:35,148
they have perfectly
black abdomens
259
00:13:35,190 --> 00:13:36,775
with a yellow stripe
right across the tip
260
00:13:36,816 --> 00:13:38,443
in exactly the same place
261
00:13:38,485 --> 00:13:40,028
and they're
two different species.
262
00:13:40,070 --> 00:13:41,905
You actually have
to look under a microscope
263
00:13:41,947 --> 00:13:44,824
and see how long their cheek is,
264
00:13:44,866 --> 00:13:47,285
the difference
from their eye to their jaw
265
00:13:47,327 --> 00:13:50,163
and on a bumblebee
that's really small--
266
00:13:50,205 --> 00:13:51,915
--so telling
the difference,
267
00:13:51,957 --> 00:13:54,584
it takes-- it takes looking
at hundreds and hundreds
268
00:13:54,626 --> 00:13:56,419
of bees and then, suddenly,
269
00:13:56,461 --> 00:13:59,464
your brain is--
you know, it learns.
270
00:13:59,506 --> 00:14:02,300
It figures out how
to see what you're seeing.
271
00:14:06,137 --> 00:14:09,808
If I see a bee
with a black abdomen
272
00:14:09,849 --> 00:14:12,352
and virtually
no color on the abdomen,
273
00:14:12,394 --> 00:14:14,020
I'm gonna suspect
it's Franklin's
274
00:14:14,604 --> 00:14:15,939
and then I'm gonna
take it to Linc.
275
00:14:17,857 --> 00:14:21,653
You know, Linc's the man,
so, we'll, uh, always confirm.
276
00:14:21,695 --> 00:14:23,738
So, trust but verify, right?
277
00:14:23,780 --> 00:14:25,240
Yeah.
278
00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:34,249
If you
guys wanna go hike,
279
00:14:34,290 --> 00:14:36,209
it's-- there's a bowl
down there, it's super nice.
280
00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:40,088
The vegetation should be,
like-- it's really nice.
281
00:14:41,756 --> 00:14:43,925
Yeah, tons of flowers,
beautiful,
282
00:14:43,967 --> 00:14:45,885
and if you're adventurous,
you can go down to the bottom
283
00:14:45,927 --> 00:14:47,679
of the bowl where there's
different plant communities.
284
00:14:48,221 --> 00:14:49,556
Just be loud.
285
00:14:51,850 --> 00:14:54,144
There's bears, it's okay, just,
you know, make some noise, and--
286
00:14:54,185 --> 00:14:56,813
Don't try and, sus--
you know, surprise them.
287
00:14:56,855 --> 00:14:58,607
Ha, that's a bear!
288
00:14:58,648 --> 00:15:00,900
There's a big ol' black
bear that lives down here.
289
00:15:04,446 --> 00:15:08,575
So, there's often a lot of,
um, black bear activity,
290
00:15:08,617 --> 00:15:10,410
especially down near the bottom.
291
00:15:10,452 --> 00:15:12,245
You can see
where they've been rolling logs,
292
00:15:12,287 --> 00:15:13,580
foraging for ants.
293
00:15:16,625 --> 00:15:17,959
Well, you can
see it's a big one.
294
00:15:19,669 --> 00:15:22,631
- There?
- Yeah. Full size.
295
00:15:32,682 --> 00:15:36,019
I do, or I certainly
think it can be.
296
00:15:36,061 --> 00:15:40,023
It inhabited a really wild
and diverse region
297
00:15:40,065 --> 00:15:43,193
of the country in which
relatively few people live.
298
00:15:43,234 --> 00:15:47,197
And the areas that we've
searched for it are really,
299
00:15:47,238 --> 00:15:49,741
for the most part,
the most highly impacted areas
300
00:15:49,783 --> 00:15:52,952
where bees probably generally
aren't doing that great.
301
00:15:52,994 --> 00:15:55,163
But there's a bunch of mountains
in northern California
302
00:15:55,205 --> 00:15:57,665
that are wilderness,
that haven't been touched
303
00:15:57,707 --> 00:15:59,959
by agriculture
and there's really no--
304
00:16:00,001 --> 00:16:03,713
you know, no reason why we would
expect a rapid population crash.
305
00:16:03,755 --> 00:16:06,758
I'm hopeful that someone
will re-find this bee.
306
00:16:07,550 --> 00:16:09,469
Franklin's Bumblebee
is important
307
00:16:09,511 --> 00:16:13,515
because if we can figure out
exactly what happened to it,
308
00:16:13,556 --> 00:16:16,226
why did we see
that really steep decline
309
00:16:16,267 --> 00:16:19,813
in the bee and what changed
in how this critter
310
00:16:19,854 --> 00:16:21,481
interacted
with it's habitat
311
00:16:21,523 --> 00:16:23,316
and learn what happened,
312
00:16:23,358 --> 00:16:25,735
we can then apply
meaningful conservation
313
00:16:25,777 --> 00:16:27,404
from the lessons that we learn
314
00:16:27,445 --> 00:16:29,781
towards
other pollinator species,
315
00:16:29,823 --> 00:16:32,617
including a couple of bumblebees
that we're concerned about.
316
00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:38,665
One of the other bumblebees
317
00:16:38,707 --> 00:16:41,126
that we're interested
in is Western Bumblebee,
318
00:16:41,167 --> 00:16:42,877
which we still
have on the landscape
319
00:16:42,919 --> 00:16:44,879
but has seen
significant declines
320
00:16:44,921 --> 00:16:46,840
and we do find
them here most years.
321
00:16:46,881 --> 00:16:48,383
Not every year but most years.
322
00:16:48,425 --> 00:16:50,468
Yeah, two years ago, this--
323
00:16:50,510 --> 00:16:52,220
I found the Western Bumblebee,
324
00:16:52,262 --> 00:16:54,931
like, right over the edge
of this little ridge here.
325
00:16:57,475 --> 00:16:59,686
The Western
is very rare out here,
326
00:16:59,728 --> 00:17:05,900
in the western side of Oregon
and Washington, it's very few.
327
00:17:05,942 --> 00:17:09,112
I was the only one to find
a Western Bumblebee here,
328
00:17:09,154 --> 00:17:11,196
out of everybody
like two years ago
329
00:17:11,239 --> 00:17:14,492
and we didn't find the Western
Bumblebee at all last year.
330
00:17:14,534 --> 00:17:17,244
But overall,
it's population is down
331
00:17:17,287 --> 00:17:19,955
something like 95%
across its range,
332
00:17:19,998 --> 00:17:22,959
which really spans
the whole western United-States.
333
00:17:23,001 --> 00:17:24,752
And then,
Suckley's Cuckoo Bumblebee
334
00:17:24,794 --> 00:17:27,130
is another bee that
we've been petitioned to list
335
00:17:27,172 --> 00:17:29,966
under the Endangered Species Act
and that hasn't been seen
336
00:17:30,008 --> 00:17:32,802
in Oregon
in the last five or six years.
337
00:17:32,844 --> 00:17:35,430
And here
comes Mr. Bushman
338
00:17:35,472 --> 00:17:36,765
with something in his net.
339
00:17:38,016 --> 00:17:39,309
Do you got a bumblebee?
340
00:17:40,852 --> 00:17:42,145
Let's take a look.
341
00:17:43,271 --> 00:17:44,564
So, everyone,
watch your footing,
342
00:17:44,606 --> 00:17:45,899
it is-- uh, it's pretty steep.
343
00:17:53,031 --> 00:17:55,617
So, male bees
don't have stingers
344
00:17:56,242 --> 00:17:58,495
and so I can tell
this is a male bumblebee
345
00:17:58,536 --> 00:18:00,205
because it has
really long antennae.
346
00:18:01,748 --> 00:18:03,792
It's got long,
skinny hind legs
347
00:18:05,043 --> 00:18:07,837
and it has an extra long
and skinny abdomen.
348
00:18:08,421 --> 00:18:10,215
This is a male Cuckoo,
349
00:18:10,256 --> 00:18:12,383
so the female Cuckoos
are really big.
350
00:18:13,092 --> 00:18:15,345
Their bodies are really
thick and well-armored
351
00:18:15,386 --> 00:18:19,390
and, like a Cuckoo Bird,
they sneak into the nest
352
00:18:19,432 --> 00:18:23,520
of their host and lay an egg
and then the host's
353
00:18:23,561 --> 00:18:27,398
workers raise
the Cuckoo's egg for them.
354
00:18:28,149 --> 00:18:29,442
What do you got, Henry?
355
00:18:29,484 --> 00:18:30,777
It's interesting.
356
00:18:32,987 --> 00:18:36,115
This is the female
Cuckoo Bumblebee,
357
00:18:36,449 --> 00:18:39,828
all of the females
of this species look like this.
358
00:18:39,869 --> 00:18:43,748
They'd all be large and all be
capable of invading a nest.
359
00:18:45,291 --> 00:18:47,001
These Cuckoo Bumblebees
360
00:18:47,043 --> 00:18:49,212
are rare and special
and they're also in decline.
361
00:18:49,254 --> 00:18:52,340
Which is why the center's
petitioned for protections
362
00:18:52,382 --> 00:18:55,510
for Suckley's Cuckoo and
the Variable Cuckoo Bumblebee.
363
00:18:56,010 --> 00:18:58,179
If we catch
a female Bombus Flavidus,
364
00:18:58,221 --> 00:19:00,974
which is the other kind
of Cuckoo Bumblebee up here.
365
00:19:01,015 --> 00:19:04,978
It has a big stinger
but it also has S6,
366
00:19:05,019 --> 00:19:07,480
the apical sternite
modified into a big,
367
00:19:07,522 --> 00:19:12,360
curved spine
and presumably to open
368
00:19:12,402 --> 00:19:16,030
the abdominal segments
of the queen it's battling,
369
00:19:16,072 --> 00:19:17,949
to be able to sting it
more effectively.
370
00:19:18,533 --> 00:19:20,785
So, Cuckoo Bumblebees
don't collect pollen,
371
00:19:21,494 --> 00:19:23,788
they don't really
manage their own nest,
372
00:19:23,830 --> 00:19:26,541
it's just reproductive
females and males.
373
00:19:26,583 --> 00:19:31,296
And so, this is one of the males
and we can just let him go.
374
00:19:44,809 --> 00:19:47,812
When there's tons of forage
around, you don't travel far.
375
00:19:47,854 --> 00:19:50,690
You wanna forage really
efficiently, um,
376
00:19:51,149 --> 00:19:53,109
and so, you know,
up on Mount Ashland here,
377
00:19:53,151 --> 00:19:56,279
we have tons
of great flowers
378
00:19:56,321 --> 00:19:58,615
and so, these bees
shouldn't really need to,
379
00:19:58,656 --> 00:20:01,159
you know, travel kilometers
on a foraging bout.
380
00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:03,328
Um, they'll stick
as close to home as they can.
381
00:20:03,369 --> 00:20:05,914
Are these huge
things Delphinium?
382
00:20:06,539 --> 00:20:10,251
Wow! These
are all giant Delphinium
383
00:20:10,293 --> 00:20:11,711
and they're
probably still
384
00:20:11,753 --> 00:20:13,171
a week away
from blooming as well
385
00:20:13,212 --> 00:20:14,631
but these things
will go six feet high.
386
00:20:15,632 --> 00:20:20,637
Red flowers are usually
not for bees, however, y'know,
387
00:20:20,678 --> 00:20:23,598
bees, bumblebees and
solitary bees will visit
388
00:20:23,640 --> 00:20:26,225
the Red Paintbrush
and yesterday, y'know,
389
00:20:26,267 --> 00:20:28,895
I was suspicious
that any bees visited Columbine.
390
00:20:28,937 --> 00:20:30,772
Yesterday,
we were up at Table Mountain
391
00:20:30,813 --> 00:20:34,359
and we saw a little
Sweat Bee crawl up the corolla
392
00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:39,072
of the Columbine, so,
y'know, in some cases; yes.
393
00:20:42,992 --> 00:20:46,579
The story of Franklin's
Bumblebee is really interesting.
394
00:20:46,621 --> 00:20:49,040
They declined very
quickly over a very short amount
395
00:20:49,082 --> 00:20:53,336
of time and we don't
know exactly how abundant
396
00:20:53,378 --> 00:20:56,464
the overall population-- how
healthy the populations were,
397
00:20:56,506 --> 00:20:58,633
until we started
noticing that the species
398
00:20:58,675 --> 00:21:01,761
was becoming rarer and
rarer and harder to find.
399
00:21:01,803 --> 00:21:04,806
And this we see, for
many, many species and this sort
400
00:21:04,847 --> 00:21:09,060
of confirms our belief that many
of the bumblebee species are
401
00:21:09,102 --> 00:21:13,439
struggling to sort of, y'know,
keep their place in the world.
402
00:21:13,481 --> 00:21:15,733
Even though it hasn't
been observed recently,
403
00:21:15,775 --> 00:21:17,902
I'm optimistic that
it's still out there,
404
00:21:17,944 --> 00:21:19,529
we just haven't found it.
405
00:21:56,065 --> 00:21:57,859
It's one
of my favorite things to do,
406
00:21:57,900 --> 00:22:00,445
to be honest, is to go out and,
like, hunt for this bee.
407
00:22:02,196 --> 00:22:04,949
I'm looking at
thousands of bees every day,
408
00:22:04,991 --> 00:22:07,827
trying to look for
this one bee that's, like,
409
00:22:07,869 --> 00:22:10,913
just a little bit different
from all the rest of them.
410
00:22:10,955 --> 00:22:12,874
That would just be
so exciting, if we found,
411
00:22:12,915 --> 00:22:15,334
I think that-- I feel
like that's front page news.
412
00:22:20,548 --> 00:22:23,593
So there's not a single
issue that explains the decline
413
00:22:23,634 --> 00:22:26,387
of bumblebees,
it's a complex of factors.
414
00:22:26,429 --> 00:22:30,016
Most important ones are:
habitat destruction and loss.
415
00:22:30,058 --> 00:22:31,851
So simply,
y'know, natural habitat
416
00:22:31,893 --> 00:22:35,813
has been converted into
built-up areas or herbland.
417
00:22:36,355 --> 00:22:39,692
The second one is:
pests and diseases.
418
00:22:39,734 --> 00:22:41,778
The third one is: loss of food.
419
00:22:41,819 --> 00:22:45,531
So, the disappearance of flowers
from the countryside and,
420
00:22:45,573 --> 00:22:48,451
more recently,
it's exposure to pesticides.
421
00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:51,746
And the reasons for
bumblebee decline are
422
00:22:51,788 --> 00:22:54,248
poorly understood and
very complicated because
423
00:22:54,290 --> 00:22:56,209
it's not any
one particular thing.
424
00:22:56,250 --> 00:23:00,171
If you take a colony
of bumblebees and you load
425
00:23:00,213 --> 00:23:03,466
that colony
with a number of diseases,
426
00:23:03,508 --> 00:23:07,303
bumblebees fall victim to
a number of pretty nasty stuff.
427
00:23:07,345 --> 00:23:10,139
There's mites and
parasites and fungus and all
428
00:23:10,181 --> 00:23:11,766
kinds of other things.
429
00:23:11,808 --> 00:23:14,018
All of which act
to weaken the bee,
430
00:23:14,060 --> 00:23:15,937
make it's job harder to do.
431
00:23:15,978 --> 00:23:17,897
Make it sick,
make it harder to forage
432
00:23:17,939 --> 00:23:19,524
and fly, all those things.
433
00:23:19,565 --> 00:23:21,901
And then you throw
pesticide applications,
434
00:23:21,943 --> 00:23:25,363
broad-spectrum insecticides
and those kinds of things.
435
00:23:25,404 --> 00:23:28,282
Many of which are
really bad news for our bees.
436
00:23:28,324 --> 00:23:30,118
You're beating up
their immune systems,
437
00:23:30,159 --> 00:23:31,953
you're beating up
their ability to interact
438
00:23:31,994 --> 00:23:35,498
with their landscape
and grow and reproduce and then,
439
00:23:35,540 --> 00:23:38,251
you throw competition
for managed bees on top of
440
00:23:38,292 --> 00:23:41,879
it and a number of other
factors: large-scale habitat
441
00:23:41,921 --> 00:23:44,549
alterations and those
kinds of things and it's
442
00:23:44,590 --> 00:23:46,551
sort of a "death by
a thousand cuts" over time.
443
00:23:55,893 --> 00:23:59,063
Many of these bees are
threatened because they fail to
444
00:23:59,105 --> 00:24:03,484
reproduce successfully and then
the numbers dwindle and decline.
445
00:24:03,526 --> 00:24:05,778
They fail to
reproduce because of lack
446
00:24:05,820 --> 00:24:09,157
of floral resources within
a foraging range of their nests.
447
00:24:09,198 --> 00:24:12,243
Of course, y'know,
bees are fixed to their nests,
448
00:24:12,285 --> 00:24:16,539
so any food needs to
be available within, say,
449
00:24:16,581 --> 00:24:18,166
five hundred
meters of their nests,
450
00:24:18,207 --> 00:24:21,085
otherwise it becomes
too costly to collect it.
451
00:24:21,794 --> 00:24:23,796
An interesting fact
that many people don't
452
00:24:23,838 --> 00:24:26,924
know is that bees are
just about the only species
453
00:24:26,966 --> 00:24:30,761
group that rely on
flowers for everything.
454
00:24:30,803 --> 00:24:33,723
So they need the nectar
themselves to fuel them and
455
00:24:33,764 --> 00:24:38,144
they need pollen and
nectar to feed their offspring.
456
00:24:38,186 --> 00:24:42,857
It's the only thing they need,
flowers, so it's increasingly
457
00:24:42,899 --> 00:24:45,735
difficult for
bumblebees to find food.
458
00:24:45,776 --> 00:24:50,615
They have this colony that lives
for two months up to six months
459
00:24:50,656 --> 00:24:53,409
and throughout that whole
period, there needs to be food.
460
00:24:53,451 --> 00:24:57,747
If there's a gap of two weeks,
for example, the colony dies
461
00:24:57,788 --> 00:25:00,416
and then they won't
produce a single new queen.
462
00:25:01,209 --> 00:25:03,836
With other bee species,
that's much simpler,
463
00:25:03,878 --> 00:25:07,215
they can reproduce immediately
but with bumblebees they need
464
00:25:07,256 --> 00:25:10,968
this continuous period of time,
with floral resources.
465
00:25:13,304 --> 00:25:17,350
Bees are exceptionally important
for the pollination of plants,
466
00:25:17,391 --> 00:25:21,229
and pollination of plants
simply refers to the process
467
00:25:21,270 --> 00:25:24,815
where pollen from one
flower is being transferred to
468
00:25:24,857 --> 00:25:28,527
another flower and
pollen is required to
469
00:25:28,569 --> 00:25:31,989
fertilize the other
flower and thereby produce
470
00:25:32,031 --> 00:25:35,368
the seeds or the fruits
with which the plants reproduce.
471
00:25:35,409 --> 00:25:37,495
There's a number of
statistics you can hear
472
00:25:37,536 --> 00:25:40,122
when you start looking
at pollinator conservation
473
00:25:40,164 --> 00:25:43,918
that you hear soundbites like:
"three out of every four
474
00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:46,629
bites of food that we take are,
in one way or another,
475
00:25:46,671 --> 00:25:49,090
dependent upon bees."
Whether it's honeybees,
476
00:25:49,131 --> 00:25:53,052
or bumblebees or other
species of managed bees.
477
00:25:53,094 --> 00:25:55,263
And so pollination is
fundamentally important to
478
00:25:55,304 --> 00:25:57,974
the human existence because
it provides such an incredible
479
00:25:58,015 --> 00:26:01,310
ecosystem service in
terms of food production for us.
480
00:26:02,228 --> 00:26:04,063
So, there is this statement
481
00:26:04,105 --> 00:26:06,816
going around
that if the bees go extinct,
482
00:26:06,857 --> 00:26:09,443
then four years later
people will go extinct.
483
00:26:09,485 --> 00:26:12,530
It's not as black and white
as that, fortunately for us,
484
00:26:12,571 --> 00:26:16,367
but we will lose many, many
wild plant species and we will
485
00:26:16,409 --> 00:26:18,744
lose all kinds of animals
that depend on these bees.
486
00:26:18,786 --> 00:26:20,997
Yes, we will suffer
as well because we have
487
00:26:21,038 --> 00:26:23,291
a lot of
the really nice foodstuffs.
488
00:26:23,332 --> 00:26:27,461
Especially the fruits
and the nuts and the oil crops,
489
00:26:27,503 --> 00:26:30,798
that produce more when
they are pollinated or produce
490
00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:34,051
products of a better quality
and that, of course,
491
00:26:34,093 --> 00:26:36,178
will become worse
if we don't have bees anymore.
492
00:26:36,220 --> 00:26:39,181
And it could
be that some places will
493
00:26:39,223 --> 00:26:42,059
become less suitable
for bees in general because
494
00:26:42,101 --> 00:26:44,437
there's not
as many flowering species.
495
00:26:44,895 --> 00:26:47,315
If the bees disappear,
then the plants don't
496
00:26:47,356 --> 00:26:50,568
reproduce as well and
then they might decline as well.
497
00:26:51,235 --> 00:26:54,071
So sometimes,
individual bee species just
498
00:26:54,113 --> 00:26:57,992
forage on one single plant
species and then you can imagine
499
00:26:58,034 --> 00:27:00,745
that if you lose that species,
then this particular
500
00:27:00,786 --> 00:27:02,663
plant species will
suffer the consequences.
501
00:27:11,297 --> 00:27:15,926
It looks like we're pretty
good for floral resources here.
502
00:27:15,968 --> 00:27:19,972
This is corn lily,
this is lupin.
503
00:27:20,014 --> 00:27:22,016
You can always tell when
504
00:27:22,058 --> 00:27:23,893
something's foraging
on the lupins because
505
00:27:23,934 --> 00:27:28,064
they have these neon
orange-red pollen stashes.
506
00:27:29,315 --> 00:27:32,526
And there's a variety of
other things blooming here.
507
00:27:32,568 --> 00:27:36,530
The stuff over here that's
got these little white flowers,
508
00:27:36,572 --> 00:27:38,449
is a favorite
of Western Bumblebee,
509
00:27:38,491 --> 00:27:39,533
that's bistort.
510
00:27:40,785 --> 00:27:43,079
That's a good place to
look for target species.
511
00:27:43,120 --> 00:27:45,748
If you're looking for
Western Bumblebees, that's one
512
00:27:45,790 --> 00:27:48,292
of the flowers you might
pay pretty close attention to.
513
00:27:48,334 --> 00:27:50,336
Not only is this
the last known location for
514
00:27:50,378 --> 00:27:53,506
Franklin's Bumblebee
but as far as bumblebee habitat,
515
00:27:53,547 --> 00:27:56,175
this is about as good
as it gets in this area.
516
00:27:56,217 --> 00:27:57,843
This is really
high quality stuff.
517
00:27:57,885 --> 00:28:00,805
'Cause higher elevation
and federally owned,
518
00:28:00,846 --> 00:28:03,808
there's a lot of
naturally occurring wildflowers.
519
00:28:03,849 --> 00:28:06,602
There's not a lot of
disturbance, or anthropogenic
520
00:28:06,644 --> 00:28:09,146
impacts, development,
those kind of things.
521
00:28:09,188 --> 00:28:13,275
There's also very little,
if any, pesticide use and other
522
00:28:13,317 --> 00:28:16,320
things that can really
harm our bees but in particular,
523
00:28:16,362 --> 00:28:18,656
at this elevation,
this whole hillside here,
524
00:28:18,697 --> 00:28:22,284
there's some naturally occurring
springs that are in here and
525
00:28:22,326 --> 00:28:25,287
the steeper slopes that have
this kind of geography,
526
00:28:25,329 --> 00:28:27,832
they tend to hold moisture
very late in the growing season,
527
00:28:27,873 --> 00:28:30,501
when a lot of this stuff dries
out and the lupin can be as tall
528
00:28:30,543 --> 00:28:33,379
as I am and the bees
will pile into those areas.
529
00:28:43,722 --> 00:28:46,642
Oh, here's
a different bumblebee: a mixtus.
530
00:28:47,268 --> 00:28:49,103
- You got a mixtus?
- Yeah.
531
00:28:49,145 --> 00:28:51,647
And so, soon as we see this
different kind of flower,
532
00:28:51,689 --> 00:28:53,441
we get a different
kind of bumblebee.
533
00:28:53,482 --> 00:28:57,194
She has a pale tail but
you can see, y'know,
534
00:28:57,236 --> 00:28:59,071
compared to
the bees we've seen so far,
535
00:28:59,113 --> 00:29:01,407
which primarily just have
yellow shoulders and then
536
00:29:01,449 --> 00:29:03,534
some yellow markings
near the end of the abdomen,
537
00:29:03,576 --> 00:29:06,537
this one has
extensive yellow on the thorax.
538
00:29:06,579 --> 00:29:09,248
Although there's not hundreds
of species of bumblebees,
539
00:29:09,290 --> 00:29:12,418
there's tons of variation
in their color-forms and so
540
00:29:12,460 --> 00:29:15,337
that makes it actually
really difficult to identify
541
00:29:15,379 --> 00:29:17,798
a lot of bumblebees
because you have to become
542
00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:20,176
accustomed to seeing
these subtle differences.
543
00:29:20,217 --> 00:29:21,760
You hear me
today talking about: "Oh,
544
00:29:21,802 --> 00:29:23,596
this bumblebee
has yellow shoulders."
545
00:29:23,637 --> 00:29:25,139
Well, like
eight bumblebee species
546
00:29:25,181 --> 00:29:26,557
up here have yellow shoulders.
547
00:29:28,058 --> 00:29:30,269
So just little differences
that you can learn over time.
548
00:29:30,311 --> 00:29:34,023
Linc always laughs
when the new OBA students
549
00:29:34,064 --> 00:29:36,442
say: "Oh I'm gonna start
on bumblebees 'cause they'll be
550
00:29:36,484 --> 00:29:42,907
easy and to a person it's
like: "Bumblebees are so hard!"
551
00:29:44,283 --> 00:29:46,035
Oh yeah,
I think you can add this
552
00:29:46,076 --> 00:29:48,662
one to your list too,
look at how big this one is.
553
00:29:48,704 --> 00:29:50,664
I don't think I've
seen one quite so yellow.
554
00:29:50,706 --> 00:29:53,334
It's a trophy,
it's-- and it's also,
555
00:29:53,375 --> 00:29:56,712
like a little bit bigger, so
it feels like its "let's look!".
556
00:29:56,754 --> 00:29:58,339
Do you think
it's a queen or a worker?
557
00:29:58,380 --> 00:30:00,424
It's
probably a worker, to be honest.
558
00:30:00,466 --> 00:30:02,468
Oh,
you think it's a ???
559
00:30:03,677 --> 00:30:05,304
It's appositus.
560
00:30:05,346 --> 00:30:07,014
Yellow further down.
561
00:30:07,056 --> 00:30:08,766
Yeah,
White-Shouldered Bumblebee.
562
00:30:08,807 --> 00:30:11,810
The shoulders aren't
super white on this one
563
00:30:11,852 --> 00:30:14,730
but western Oregon
sometimes has a novel
564
00:30:14,772 --> 00:30:17,358
color form with more
yellowy-orange shoulders.
565
00:30:17,399 --> 00:30:19,443
What was your big tell on that?
566
00:30:19,485 --> 00:30:23,614
So,
nevadensis has black on T4 and
567
00:30:23,656 --> 00:30:27,618
T5 and this bee obviously
has more yellow...
568
00:30:27,660 --> 00:30:29,870
-Yeah it's yellow on--
-...apical on the abdomen.
569
00:30:30,788 --> 00:30:33,415
Yeah, apical part of the...
570
00:30:33,457 --> 00:30:35,751
That's a big one and yeah,
I've never seen-- I've seen
571
00:30:35,793 --> 00:30:37,962
appositus before but
never a big one--
572
00:30:38,003 --> 00:30:39,588
This is actually
an appositus worker,
573
00:30:39,630 --> 00:30:41,882
so the queens are another
a full size bigger,
574
00:30:41,924 --> 00:30:43,217
-they're huge.
-Holy moly.
575
00:30:52,851 --> 00:30:54,603
What makes
bees a bit vulnerable is
576
00:30:54,645 --> 00:30:56,272
that they are tied to a nest.
577
00:30:56,313 --> 00:30:59,775
So they,
in the nest, they provide food
578
00:30:59,817 --> 00:31:03,988
to their offspring,
usually eggs and they have
579
00:31:04,029 --> 00:31:06,907
to find food within
foraging range of that nest.
580
00:31:06,949 --> 00:31:09,410
This is usually no
more than five hundred meters,
581
00:31:09,451 --> 00:31:12,496
so if there are no
flowers within that distance
582
00:31:12,538 --> 00:31:15,207
from the nest entrance,
then they will not survive.
583
00:31:16,125 --> 00:31:18,794
We can find bumblebee nests,
584
00:31:18,836 --> 00:31:21,922
colony sites but they're
remarkably difficult to find.
585
00:31:21,964 --> 00:31:23,757
So this is it,
it's just a little hole
586
00:31:23,799 --> 00:31:25,551
into the ground and
you might see bumblebees
587
00:31:25,593 --> 00:31:26,885
going in and out of there.
588
00:31:28,304 --> 00:31:30,055
And that's, y'know, could
be the entrance to a colony.
589
00:31:30,097 --> 00:31:32,516
Many bumblebee species nest
590
00:31:32,558 --> 00:31:36,312
below ground
in abandoned vole's nests.
591
00:31:36,353 --> 00:31:38,689
And, of course,
in many parts in the world,
592
00:31:38,731 --> 00:31:42,151
we don't have those
anymore because we manage
593
00:31:42,192 --> 00:31:44,194
the land with these
big machines and they sort
594
00:31:44,236 --> 00:31:46,614
of flatten
everything down below.
595
00:31:49,033 --> 00:31:52,036
And so, one
of the things that makes
596
00:31:52,077 --> 00:31:54,288
this high
quality bumblebee habitat
597
00:31:54,330 --> 00:31:58,584
is pretty granular,
loose, easily dug soils.
598
00:31:58,626 --> 00:32:03,088
It's really remarkably dry,
as we know but there's a ton of
599
00:32:03,130 --> 00:32:06,634
naturally occurring
rodent activity here and so,
600
00:32:06,675 --> 00:32:09,303
as we walk around
and look through here,
601
00:32:09,345 --> 00:32:11,889
you'll see lots and
lots of rodent holes.
602
00:32:11,930 --> 00:32:14,642
Those are primarily
what a lot of these bumblebees
603
00:32:14,683 --> 00:32:16,143
use for their nesting sites.
604
00:32:16,185 --> 00:32:17,561
There we go,
this would be a great
605
00:32:17,603 --> 00:32:19,229
bumblebee nest right here.
606
00:32:19,271 --> 00:32:21,190
They're not very deep,
they don't have to be,
607
00:32:21,231 --> 00:32:23,984
it could be just a couple of
centimeters below the surface.
608
00:32:24,026 --> 00:32:26,904
A fully grown
bumblebee colony wouldn't
609
00:32:26,945 --> 00:32:29,782
necessarily be any
bigger than a softball.
610
00:32:29,823 --> 00:32:31,533
Over the last
twenty years or so,
611
00:32:31,575 --> 00:32:33,619
we've helped install
y'know, in the neighborhood
612
00:32:33,661 --> 00:32:35,996
of a million acres
of pollinator habitat and
613
00:32:36,038 --> 00:32:39,416
invertebrate habitat on
farms throughout North America.
614
00:32:39,458 --> 00:32:41,543
Bees and other
pollinators need food,
615
00:32:41,585 --> 00:32:45,047
they need shelter and they also
need a place to over-winter and
616
00:32:45,089 --> 00:32:47,591
that place to over-winter
is different than their nest.
617
00:32:47,633 --> 00:32:50,636
They actually will dig a hole,
underneath the ground,
618
00:32:50,678 --> 00:32:52,638
just a couple
inches below the ground,
619
00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:55,974
we believe under leaf litter,
underneath pine needles and
620
00:32:56,016 --> 00:32:57,976
that's where
they spend the winter.
621
00:32:58,018 --> 00:33:01,480
So, half of their life is sort
of spent in this solitary life
622
00:33:01,522 --> 00:33:04,108
phase and then they need
these sites to be connected.
623
00:33:04,149 --> 00:33:06,735
So, we need to be working
not just at a homeowner scale
624
00:33:06,777 --> 00:33:09,988
but we need to be working at
a neighborhood, at a community,
625
00:33:10,030 --> 00:33:12,658
at a city-wide,
at a state-wide scale,
626
00:33:12,700 --> 00:33:16,620
to allow connectivity between
these islands of habitat.
627
00:33:16,662 --> 00:33:19,498
Nesting is one of
the big unknowns for bumblebees.
628
00:33:19,540 --> 00:33:22,084
Like, we know almost
nothing about--
629
00:33:22,126 --> 00:33:24,628
especially at
a species by species level,
630
00:33:24,670 --> 00:33:26,422
we almost know
almost nothing about
631
00:33:26,463 --> 00:33:28,090
where they nest,
what components are
632
00:33:28,132 --> 00:33:29,800
important or
where they over-winter.
633
00:33:30,426 --> 00:33:32,344
Once a species
is protected under
634
00:33:32,386 --> 00:33:35,556
the Endangered Species Act,
it regulates activities that can
635
00:33:35,597 --> 00:33:37,975
happen in
the spaces that they live.
636
00:33:38,016 --> 00:33:41,311
Whenever a federal
action has the capacity
637
00:33:41,353 --> 00:33:43,313
to harm an endangered species.
638
00:33:43,355 --> 00:33:45,691
So, like,
you might think of road-building
639
00:33:45,733 --> 00:33:48,610
or building
a railroad or something.
640
00:33:48,652 --> 00:33:50,988
These have the capacity
to destroy habitat,
641
00:33:51,029 --> 00:33:52,990
which might
harm endangered species.
642
00:33:53,031 --> 00:33:56,535
A species could be designated
critical habitat, which protects
643
00:33:56,577 --> 00:34:00,289
a certain piece of it's habitat
from development or other harms.
644
00:34:00,330 --> 00:34:05,294
And most of those impacts are
where there's a federal nexus.
645
00:34:05,335 --> 00:34:09,130
So, on a project that's being
funded by the federal government
646
00:34:09,172 --> 00:34:13,385
or on federal lands,
those animals are protected.
647
00:34:21,310 --> 00:34:23,771
Well certainly, it's
arguable that municipalities
648
00:34:23,812 --> 00:34:28,817
have access to more idle
lands that could be put to use
649
00:34:28,859 --> 00:34:31,695
for bee conservation
than most of us do and
650
00:34:31,737 --> 00:34:36,449
these involve acres
that are otherwise unoccupied.
651
00:34:36,492 --> 00:34:41,121
It's the margins along a park,
the margins along a fence row,
652
00:34:42,039 --> 00:34:45,542
power right-of-ways,
which tend to be mowed.
653
00:34:45,583 --> 00:34:49,755
These could very easily be,
instead, converted into bee
654
00:34:49,797 --> 00:34:52,632
forages, perennial flowers,
clovers at the very least,
655
00:34:52,674 --> 00:34:55,886
that come back and re-seed
themselves each year and provide
656
00:34:55,928 --> 00:34:59,598
forage for land that's
otherwise a pollinator desert.
657
00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:02,184
This is a good thing
municipalities can do:
658
00:35:02,226 --> 00:35:05,062
the roadsides,
the medians in between
659
00:35:05,103 --> 00:35:09,608
four-lane highways could
be converted into forage space.
660
00:35:10,150 --> 00:35:14,822
Grass doesn't do pollinators any
good but if it's this blooming
661
00:35:14,863 --> 00:35:19,076
plant, like clovers, this
is one step above just grass.
662
00:36:00,701 --> 00:36:03,871
My daughter and I,
Allie, thought: "We need this.
663
00:36:03,912 --> 00:36:06,957
A community garden
that will give to others.
664
00:36:06,999 --> 00:36:10,168
We put together
a business plan and what
665
00:36:10,210 --> 00:36:12,880
it would take and
materials and budget and
666
00:36:12,921 --> 00:36:15,340
then we contacted
somebody in the city.
667
00:36:15,382 --> 00:36:18,218
He took it to the town
council and the mayor,
668
00:36:18,260 --> 00:36:21,471
they got behind it,
set aside the land.
669
00:36:21,513 --> 00:36:24,016
The garden reports
to the tree commission,
670
00:36:24,057 --> 00:36:25,893
within the city of Acworth.
671
00:36:25,934 --> 00:36:28,770
If people donate money,
we put it all into the garden
672
00:36:28,812 --> 00:36:32,107
and then we take all
the produce and we donate it to,
673
00:36:32,149 --> 00:36:35,193
right now,
we're supporting one subsidized
674
00:36:35,235 --> 00:36:38,906
senior apartment complex;
we hope to have two next year.
675
00:36:41,491 --> 00:36:47,080
Mark has become our leader
in plant health and happiness.
676
00:36:47,122 --> 00:36:51,793
He is the reason we are
at 1000 plus pounds this week.
677
00:36:51,835 --> 00:36:58,842
His talent and his dedication
to keeping this organic,
678
00:36:58,884 --> 00:37:03,388
no-till garden alive and
thriving through the heat and
679
00:37:03,430 --> 00:37:07,768
the drought and the watering and
the non-watering and his talents
680
00:37:07,809 --> 00:37:10,896
help the garden take
off at the other end.
681
00:37:10,938 --> 00:37:13,815
My background is
almost entirely construction
682
00:37:13,857 --> 00:37:15,567
but I've always
loved to garden.
683
00:37:15,609 --> 00:37:18,403
I've been gardening
the entire time I've lived here,
684
00:37:18,445 --> 00:37:20,197
gardened when I was a kid.
685
00:37:20,238 --> 00:37:22,783
I got, I dunno,
seventy or eighty house-plants,
686
00:37:22,824 --> 00:37:27,871
I love plants and actually
Lori set up a plant-swap,
687
00:37:27,913 --> 00:37:30,666
take a plant,
leave a plant kinda thing.
688
00:37:30,707 --> 00:37:33,293
I came down there, they were
signing up volunteers and I was
689
00:37:33,335 --> 00:37:35,963
like: "Oh this is perfect,
it's half a mile from my house."
690
00:37:36,004 --> 00:37:38,632
And I came down here the first
day when they were literally
691
00:37:38,674 --> 00:37:42,719
building the beds and I guess
I arrived way more prepared than
692
00:37:42,761 --> 00:37:46,848
everybody else did, I had
a full set of tools and, y'know.
693
00:37:46,890 --> 00:37:49,726
'Cause I understand
the plants and the construction.
694
00:37:50,727 --> 00:37:53,522
Look at him,
jumpin' right on the flower,
695
00:37:54,940 --> 00:37:56,900
that'll be
a raspberry in three days.
696
00:38:01,530 --> 00:38:04,825
These were just a few seeds,
you can see the stumps
697
00:38:04,866 --> 00:38:07,786
that we had to cut,
over there and over there.
698
00:38:07,828 --> 00:38:10,247
That was okra,
how tall was our okra?
699
00:38:10,288 --> 00:38:11,748
- Ten, twelve feet.
- Big,
700
00:38:11,790 --> 00:38:13,917
gorgeous beautiful blooms
701
00:38:13,959 --> 00:38:16,962
and we interspersed
zinnias in it.
702
00:38:17,004 --> 00:38:20,215
You can see the stumps,
I mean, that's a massive
703
00:38:20,257 --> 00:38:21,675
new okra plant.
704
00:38:21,717 --> 00:38:24,469
We just threw
so many seeds down,
705
00:38:24,511 --> 00:38:27,222
I mean we're probably on
seed overload but
706
00:38:27,264 --> 00:38:30,684
it created
such a full, thriving,
707
00:38:30,726 --> 00:38:35,022
diverse pollinator
section and some of the--
708
00:38:35,063 --> 00:38:39,067
we get some campers here and
we host little programs.
709
00:38:39,109 --> 00:38:42,112
What I say to
the kids is "the pollinator
710
00:38:42,154 --> 00:38:45,073
bed is the party,
it's the dance.
711
00:38:45,115 --> 00:38:49,161
All the bees and the wasps and
the butterflies and ladybugs,
712
00:38:49,202 --> 00:38:52,080
they come to party and
they party hard down here.
713
00:38:52,122 --> 00:38:54,291
And then they're
lookin around and they go 'Oh!
714
00:38:54,332 --> 00:38:55,876
Hey! What's over there?'
715
00:38:55,917 --> 00:38:57,919
And then they all
move into the garden.
716
00:38:57,961 --> 00:39:02,424
So it draws-- this big section,
kinda draws them in
717
00:39:02,466 --> 00:39:04,509
and they just hop on
right through the fence.
718
00:39:04,551 --> 00:39:07,387
Hidden under
some of this is the native
719
00:39:07,429 --> 00:39:10,974
milkweeds and then
we've got merit golds
720
00:39:11,016 --> 00:39:13,185
-and I don't even know--
- Zinnias.
721
00:39:13,226 --> 00:39:15,020
- Zinnias.
- Cosmo.
722
00:39:15,062 --> 00:39:17,981
Eighty percent of everything
here was grown by seed.
723
00:39:18,023 --> 00:39:21,276
Those were just two little seeds
that plopped in the ground.
724
00:39:21,318 --> 00:39:23,695
I guess it must be
about ten feet tall,
725
00:39:23,737 --> 00:39:26,907
'cause our fence is eight
feet tall to keep the deer out.
726
00:39:28,241 --> 00:39:30,202
Yeah, we do
have a problem with the deer.
727
00:39:30,702 --> 00:39:33,413
So that was our biggest
reason why we had to have such
728
00:39:33,455 --> 00:39:37,417
a high fence and when you
see this in full bloom
729
00:39:37,459 --> 00:39:40,587
-it is just amazing.
- It is amazing,
730
00:39:40,629 --> 00:39:43,590
and then we plant some in
with the plants as well,
731
00:39:43,632 --> 00:39:45,342
so there's always something
732
00:39:45,383 --> 00:39:47,094
blooming because if
there's always something
733
00:39:47,135 --> 00:39:48,970
blooming there's
always bees 'cause you want
734
00:39:49,012 --> 00:39:51,306
those bees there 'cause
they're really good for
735
00:39:51,348 --> 00:39:54,601
tomatoes, melons,
'cause they need something
736
00:39:54,643 --> 00:39:58,605
that really shakes it and
bumblebees do that for sure.
737
00:39:58,647 --> 00:40:00,899
And actually,
they stay out here, in the cold
738
00:40:00,941 --> 00:40:03,151
mornings you can come out here,
they're asleep in the flowers.
739
00:40:03,193 --> 00:40:05,153
They don't
even leave the flowers,
740
00:40:05,195 --> 00:40:07,864
they stay out here overnight
and wait for the sun to come up
741
00:40:07,906 --> 00:40:09,991
and come back to life
and start eating again.
742
00:40:10,033 --> 00:40:12,202
They'll sleep on the flowers,
I've seen it all the time.
743
00:40:12,244 --> 00:40:15,330
And in the afternoons, it's
hundreds and hundreds of them.
744
00:40:15,372 --> 00:40:17,207
They're everywhere,
they're buzzin' around.
745
00:40:17,249 --> 00:40:20,043
Clearly,
the addition of the wildflowers
746
00:40:20,085 --> 00:40:22,087
was the key right there.
747
00:40:27,050 --> 00:40:30,762
The cucumbers did really well,
we got 130 pounds of cucumbers
748
00:40:30,804 --> 00:40:32,764
from that one eight by four bed.
749
00:40:32,806 --> 00:40:36,935
'Cause cucumbers and everybody--
every member of that family has
750
00:40:36,977 --> 00:40:39,604
male and female
flowers and they're individual.
751
00:40:39,646 --> 00:40:44,067
So, if a bee doesn't come along,
hit your male flower and then
752
00:40:44,109 --> 00:40:46,570
hits your female flower,
you get no fruit and they are
753
00:40:46,611 --> 00:40:50,073
covered in blooms, I mean,
hundreds are open all the time.
754
00:40:50,115 --> 00:40:52,868
They're not open that long,
either, they're only open for,
755
00:40:52,909 --> 00:40:55,287
generally three,
four hours in the morning.
756
00:40:55,328 --> 00:40:57,414
So, the bees getting at
it first thing in the morning
757
00:40:57,455 --> 00:40:59,416
is crucial to get in that fruit.
758
00:40:59,457 --> 00:41:01,918
In the squashes here, any kind
of squashes here, the flowers
759
00:41:01,960 --> 00:41:06,673
are huge, there's a bee in every
single bloom in the morning.
760
00:41:06,715 --> 00:41:08,341
So we don't have to
worry about comin' out
761
00:41:08,383 --> 00:41:09,676
here and doing it ourselves.
762
00:41:42,876 --> 00:41:44,461
So, what's this one, Jess?
763
00:41:44,502 --> 00:41:46,004
Oh, you're
putting me on the spot here?
764
00:41:46,046 --> 00:41:47,797
Yeah,
I'll put you on the spot.
765
00:41:47,839 --> 00:41:50,050
Oh man, I'm
probably gonna get this wrong.
766
00:41:50,091 --> 00:41:53,011
My first guess is
melanopygus but...
767
00:41:53,053 --> 00:41:56,306
Yeah, so the local
morph of melanopygus
768
00:41:56,348 --> 00:41:58,600
looks very much
like this but if you see
769
00:41:58,642 --> 00:42:00,685
on the posterior thoracic band,
770
00:42:00,727 --> 00:42:02,854
it's bisected with
a little bit of black.
771
00:42:02,896 --> 00:42:04,773
-It is, yeah.
-And this is a queen, too.
772
00:42:04,814 --> 00:42:07,651
This is what was formerly
known as bombus bifarius.
773
00:42:07,692 --> 00:42:10,278
So now this would
be considered bombus
774
00:42:10,320 --> 00:42:14,491
vancouverensis and
the subspecies nearcticus,
775
00:42:14,532 --> 00:42:17,077
which is widespread
through the west.
776
00:42:17,118 --> 00:42:18,745
She's really mad about
being in there.
777
00:42:18,787 --> 00:42:20,455
- Oh yeah.
- She thinks she can
778
00:42:20,497 --> 00:42:22,916
get out of there, but...
so we're gonna let her go,
779
00:42:22,958 --> 00:42:25,585
she was visiting this cool
little flower that's
780
00:42:25,627 --> 00:42:27,504
just covering this hillside.
781
00:42:30,465 --> 00:42:32,217
There she is
just crawling around,
782
00:42:33,009 --> 00:42:35,470
crawling into
the vegetation to escape.
783
00:42:37,806 --> 00:42:41,434
Here's a good example
of how the bumblebees will
784
00:42:41,476 --> 00:42:43,186
use multiple different plants.
785
00:42:43,228 --> 00:42:45,647
This bumblebee here
has it's pollen baskets
786
00:42:45,689 --> 00:42:48,900
full of lupin pollen
but it's nectaring on this
787
00:42:48,942 --> 00:42:52,445
other plant
to get some carbohydrates.
788
00:42:52,487 --> 00:42:55,365
The reason for that is,
lupin's don't have any nectar,
789
00:42:55,407 --> 00:42:59,786
so this bee is collecting
the lupin pollen and then coming
790
00:42:59,828 --> 00:43:03,039
over here to
drink nectar and fuel up.
791
00:43:25,937 --> 00:43:28,898
It takes a lot
of skill and control for this
792
00:43:28,940 --> 00:43:33,653
thing to fly efficiently,
so when we do find them resting
793
00:43:33,695 --> 00:43:36,906
because bumblebee flight
is very energetically expensive,
794
00:43:36,948 --> 00:43:38,992
we also find
them grooming as well.
795
00:43:39,034 --> 00:43:41,453
It helps keep them as
efficient and clean as possible.
796
00:43:41,494 --> 00:43:44,164
Also, a lot of these bumblebees,
like we were mentioning earlier,
797
00:43:44,205 --> 00:43:47,417
have naturally occurring
pathogen and parasite loads
798
00:43:48,168 --> 00:43:50,295
and so grooming
helps keep things down,
799
00:43:50,337 --> 00:43:52,756
like mites and other nasty
800
00:43:52,797 --> 00:43:55,633
things that tend to live on
and hitch rides with bumblebees.
801
00:43:58,428 --> 00:44:00,847
The decline of
Franklin's is interesting
802
00:44:00,889 --> 00:44:04,434
and I think one major
issue was definitely disease
803
00:44:04,476 --> 00:44:06,728
spread from
honeybees in the area.
804
00:44:06,770 --> 00:44:08,772
They really
started seeing widespread
805
00:44:08,813 --> 00:44:11,691
population declines
and losses of entire hives
806
00:44:11,733 --> 00:44:13,693
and a lot of people
who were paying attention to
807
00:44:13,735 --> 00:44:16,279
the honeybees really
started raising the alarm.
808
00:44:18,323 --> 00:44:20,492
I think the first colony
was thinkin' about swarming.
809
00:44:20,533 --> 00:44:23,161
Oh really?
That would be a spectacle.
810
00:44:23,203 --> 00:44:24,537
I think they are swarming!
811
00:44:24,954 --> 00:44:27,957
This is a real--
you need to get this!
812
00:44:27,999 --> 00:44:29,793
This is a rare event!
813
00:44:29,834 --> 00:44:32,545
What we have happening here,
is a honeybee colony
814
00:44:32,587 --> 00:44:36,174
that is swarming and
swarming means colony division.
815
00:44:36,216 --> 00:44:39,636
It's a colony's way of
splitting and forming a new one
816
00:44:39,677 --> 00:44:43,264
and this colony is--
they have reared a queen,
817
00:44:43,306 --> 00:44:46,226
this blue hive there on the end,
818
00:44:46,267 --> 00:44:50,688
the new queen stays
at the parent nest but the old
819
00:44:50,730 --> 00:44:54,484
queen flies away with about
half of the worker population.
820
00:44:55,026 --> 00:44:58,405
And you can see that cloud
of bees up in that tree,
821
00:44:59,197 --> 00:45:03,410
they're forming a visual
focal point and they're going to
822
00:45:03,451 --> 00:45:07,038
consolidate on a limb up
there and they will cluster
823
00:45:07,080 --> 00:45:10,041
there temporarily for
about an hour or so and then
824
00:45:10,083 --> 00:45:13,628
the cluster will eventually move
away to a more permanent site.
825
00:45:14,546 --> 00:45:17,257
When I started
keeping bees in the 1970s,
826
00:45:17,298 --> 00:45:20,593
it was standard for
a queen to live four years.
827
00:45:20,635 --> 00:45:22,512
We would have marked queens,
828
00:45:22,554 --> 00:45:25,765
we knew her age and history,
that lasts for four years.
829
00:45:25,807 --> 00:45:27,892
Well this never happens anymore,
830
00:45:27,934 --> 00:45:31,980
we're fortunate now if we get
a queen to last one season.
831
00:45:32,605 --> 00:45:36,234
So there's a hundred
different reasons for this,
832
00:45:36,276 --> 00:45:39,446
it's probably
attached to the types of
833
00:45:39,487 --> 00:45:42,699
things that are making
bees decline in general.
834
00:45:42,740 --> 00:45:44,659
Y'know, pesticides
in the environment,
835
00:45:44,701 --> 00:45:48,580
viruses that are spread
by parasites and that all adds
836
00:45:48,621 --> 00:45:51,332
up to poor longevity
for queens as well.
837
00:45:55,545 --> 00:45:57,547
There're
about five or six species
838
00:45:57,589 --> 00:46:00,091
of honeybees worldwide.
839
00:46:00,133 --> 00:46:04,220
All the other bee species,
so the other 20,000
840
00:46:04,262 --> 00:46:06,473
bee species,
they don't make honey.
841
00:46:06,514 --> 00:46:09,559
So they just collect
the nectar from the flowers
842
00:46:09,601 --> 00:46:11,561
and they feed
it directly to their young.
843
00:46:11,603 --> 00:46:14,814
And, y'know,
honeybee, for all the headlines
844
00:46:14,856 --> 00:46:17,775
that we read about them,
there's probably more honeybees
845
00:46:17,817 --> 00:46:20,987
on Earth today at this
moment than at any time in
846
00:46:21,029 --> 00:46:23,364
natural history
because of managed beekeeping.
847
00:46:24,866 --> 00:46:27,744
I'm gonna use the smoke
just to kinda puff the bees and
848
00:46:27,785 --> 00:46:30,914
let them know that I'm arriving
and that disorients them,
849
00:46:30,955 --> 00:46:33,458
so they're less
likely to get excited.
850
00:46:33,917 --> 00:46:37,879
This is a comb of honey,
the freshest food product in
851
00:46:37,921 --> 00:46:39,631
all agriculture is honey.
852
00:46:42,050 --> 00:46:45,720
Honeybees are valuable
pollinators because they're so
853
00:46:45,762 --> 00:46:49,390
manageable and the techniques
are worked out and they can be
854
00:46:49,432 --> 00:46:54,687
cultured in the millions
and commercial-scale beekeepers
855
00:46:54,729 --> 00:46:57,315
will have thousands of
colonies in one operation.
856
00:46:57,357 --> 00:46:59,901
They're mechanized,
they can be moved and hauled
857
00:46:59,943 --> 00:47:04,197
with a lot of ease and facility,
so it's for this reason
858
00:47:04,239 --> 00:47:07,825
that honeybees are the standard
pollinator but they're by no
859
00:47:07,867 --> 00:47:10,828
means the most efficient
on an individual basis.
860
00:47:10,870 --> 00:47:16,167
And because they're year-long
active colony, they are adapted
861
00:47:16,209 --> 00:47:19,963
to visit a lot of types
of flowers, they're generalists.
862
00:47:20,004 --> 00:47:22,715
Whereas the solitary bees,
who have a very brief
863
00:47:22,757 --> 00:47:25,510
life-cycle,
they are adapted to be very good
864
00:47:25,552 --> 00:47:28,638
pollinators for whatever
crop or plant is blooming at
865
00:47:28,680 --> 00:47:32,225
the same brief window
of the bees' active season.
866
00:47:32,267 --> 00:47:35,144
One of the flagship
examples we grow here at
867
00:47:35,186 --> 00:47:38,106
the UGA horticulture
farm and that's blueberries.
868
00:47:38,147 --> 00:47:41,609
We have a native crop
of blueberries that grow here at
869
00:47:41,651 --> 00:47:44,737
the farm and throughout
the south-east and we have
870
00:47:44,779 --> 00:47:47,198
lots of native bumblebees
that pollinate them very well.
871
00:47:47,240 --> 00:47:50,618
Bumblebees contribute,
like, millions of dollars to
872
00:47:50,660 --> 00:47:54,080
the agricultural economy
every year and they live there
873
00:47:54,122 --> 00:47:56,916
and provide pollination service;
which is really important.
874
00:47:56,958 --> 00:48:00,169
Bumblebees have value
much beyond how they can
875
00:48:00,211 --> 00:48:04,132
grow food for humans.
Without bumblebees and a whole
876
00:48:04,173 --> 00:48:07,427
community of bees,
our natural ecosystems would
877
00:48:07,468 --> 00:48:10,763
really become impoverished
because there're so many
878
00:48:10,805 --> 00:48:14,559
flowering plants that depend
on bees for pollination.
879
00:48:14,601 --> 00:48:17,061
And if they don't have that,
they can't produce seed,
880
00:48:17,103 --> 00:48:19,105
to continue to produce.
881
00:48:19,147 --> 00:48:21,482
Bumblebees are
absolutely better pollinators
882
00:48:21,524 --> 00:48:23,568
for some plants
compared to honeybees.
883
00:48:23,610 --> 00:48:26,070
That's why in a lot
of greenhouse situations,
884
00:48:26,112 --> 00:48:28,239
the bumblebee
is the preferred bee.
885
00:48:33,036 --> 00:48:36,331
One of
the main effects and leading,
886
00:48:36,372 --> 00:48:38,374
sort of,
hypotheses for the decline in
887
00:48:38,416 --> 00:48:41,085
Franklin's Bumblebee and
the Rusty Patch Bumblebee and
888
00:48:41,127 --> 00:48:43,546
the Western Bumblebee, these
bees that have been petitioned
889
00:48:43,588 --> 00:48:46,382
for endangered species
listing is actually a disease.
890
00:48:46,424 --> 00:48:50,053
It's a fungal pathogen,
that we believe has been spread
891
00:48:50,094 --> 00:48:53,056
and amplified by the commercial
bumblebee industry.
892
00:48:53,097 --> 00:48:56,142
If you're a farmer right
now and you grow tomatoes in
893
00:48:56,184 --> 00:48:58,686
a greenhouse,
you can buy a box of
894
00:48:58,728 --> 00:49:01,439
bumblebees from a lab
and they'll ship it to you.
895
00:49:01,481 --> 00:49:04,233
And it's believed that,
in the mid 1990's that these
896
00:49:04,275 --> 00:49:08,237
colonies had a fungal
pathogen that was then spread
897
00:49:08,279 --> 00:49:10,990
and amplified throughout
North America and transmitted to
898
00:49:11,032 --> 00:49:14,285
our wild bumblebees and
likely caused the rapid declines
899
00:49:14,327 --> 00:49:16,996
that we saw in these
bees in the mid-1990's
900
00:49:17,038 --> 00:49:20,708
and that industry is
basically unregulated.
901
00:49:20,750 --> 00:49:23,795
We have no idea where those
colonies are being shipped,
902
00:49:23,836 --> 00:49:27,131
we have no idea how many of
them are being shipped around,
903
00:49:27,173 --> 00:49:28,591
y'know, the industry's not
904
00:49:28,633 --> 00:49:30,218
sharing this
information with us.
905
00:49:30,259 --> 00:49:32,220
In my mind, if the federal
906
00:49:32,261 --> 00:49:33,888
government takes an interest in
907
00:49:33,930 --> 00:49:36,641
pollination services,
which, they should,
908
00:49:36,683 --> 00:49:39,018
i's a billion-dollar
industry and it's feeding
909
00:49:39,060 --> 00:49:42,021
the people who live here,
they should be interested in
910
00:49:42,063 --> 00:49:44,524
pollinator conservation
and regulating that industry,
911
00:49:44,565 --> 00:49:47,443
at least understanding
where those are being
912
00:49:47,485 --> 00:49:49,404
shipped so that
we can potentially track
913
00:49:49,445 --> 00:49:51,531
disease outbreaks if
they happen again in the future.
914
00:49:51,572 --> 00:49:55,368
And then also establishing
a clean stock program,
915
00:49:55,410 --> 00:49:57,620
so that those
animals are actually tested
916
00:49:57,662 --> 00:50:00,498
independently before
they leave the laboratory,
917
00:50:00,540 --> 00:50:03,376
so the farmer can be sure
that the colony that they're
918
00:50:03,418 --> 00:50:05,294
putting on their farm,
that's gonna interact with
919
00:50:05,336 --> 00:50:07,839
their wild bees, isn't
spreading diseases to them.
920
00:50:07,880 --> 00:50:10,633
They should know
that and right now, we don't.
921
00:50:10,675 --> 00:50:13,928
There's no independent
clean stock program out there
922
00:50:13,970 --> 00:50:17,140
that's protecting native
bees from these commercial bees.
923
00:50:17,181 --> 00:50:18,808
Many people
bring their honeybees
924
00:50:18,850 --> 00:50:22,061
out to public lands,
just like grazing cattle,
925
00:50:22,103 --> 00:50:24,397
it's a similar
process for honeybees.
926
00:50:24,439 --> 00:50:26,733
Unfortunately,
bringing in honeybees,
927
00:50:26,774 --> 00:50:30,194
which are effectively livestock,
to an area where there
928
00:50:30,236 --> 00:50:34,157
weren't honeybees before,
they can out-compete the wild
929
00:50:34,198 --> 00:50:36,784
bees in the area because
there's just so many of them.
930
00:50:36,826 --> 00:50:39,704
A honeybee hive
can be millions of bees,
931
00:50:39,746 --> 00:50:41,706
across multiple colonies.
932
00:50:41,748 --> 00:50:45,460
In addition, the honeybees
can bring in diseases with them,
933
00:50:45,501 --> 00:50:48,421
which can be
spread to wild bees.
934
00:50:48,463 --> 00:50:51,549
For the extent
of the decline that we've seen
935
00:50:51,591 --> 00:50:54,302
for these bumblebees
that are at risk of extinction,
936
00:50:54,343 --> 00:50:57,513
the only real thing
that explains it is probably
937
00:50:57,555 --> 00:51:01,309
an introduced disease
that they were not evolved with
938
00:51:01,350 --> 00:51:05,229
because it happened so rapidly
over such a large landscape.
939
00:51:05,271 --> 00:51:07,690
It's still a little bit
of a guessing game but in terms
940
00:51:07,732 --> 00:51:10,443
of the amount of area
where they've declined from,
941
00:51:10,485 --> 00:51:14,071
something like COVID
for bees makes the most sense.
942
00:51:14,113 --> 00:51:16,616
And this has happened
in so many other animals,
943
00:51:16,657 --> 00:51:22,163
like Serengeti Lions and
mad cow and bird flu,
944
00:51:22,205 --> 00:51:24,707
it happens
actually all the time,
945
00:51:24,749 --> 00:51:26,501
where we see novel diseases
946
00:51:26,542 --> 00:51:28,961
being brought in and
it just wipes out wildlife.
947
00:51:29,003 --> 00:51:33,591
So this is probably the leading
hypothesis for these species.
948
00:51:33,633 --> 00:51:36,385
They're being introduced through
the use of managed bees,
949
00:51:36,427 --> 00:51:38,679
so, managed bumblebees
in greenhouses
950
00:51:38,721 --> 00:51:40,473
and managed honeybees.
951
00:51:40,515 --> 00:51:42,600
Honeybees are bringing
in a whole bunch of viruses
952
00:51:42,642 --> 00:51:44,602
from Asia and Europe,
for example,
953
00:51:44,644 --> 00:51:47,104
that our native bees
have not co-evolved with.
954
00:51:47,814 --> 00:51:50,775
Taking that agricultural
problem and bringing it to
955
00:51:50,817 --> 00:51:53,486
our wild lands,
our wilderness areas,
956
00:51:53,528 --> 00:51:57,865
our national parks,
our state lands that are refuges
957
00:51:57,907 --> 00:52:00,493
for these animals and some
of the last places that haven't
958
00:52:00,535 --> 00:52:03,371
been impacted by,
y'know, pesticides and
959
00:52:03,412 --> 00:52:06,457
disease and agriculture
is not the right solution.
960
00:52:06,499 --> 00:52:09,418
Leave our natural wild
areas for our wild bees,
961
00:52:09,460 --> 00:52:12,839
we can't be bringing honeybees
there and bringing diseases and
962
00:52:12,880 --> 00:52:16,217
competing with our native
bees in our public lands.
963
00:52:16,259 --> 00:52:18,886
That's just, for me,
for the most part,
964
00:52:18,928 --> 00:52:20,304
a pretty clear no-no.
965
00:52:20,888 --> 00:52:23,516
You will
find in garden centers,
966
00:52:23,558 --> 00:52:26,352
oftentimes,
bee houses which are little
967
00:52:26,394 --> 00:52:28,646
blocks of wood that'd
have had holes drilled in 'em
968
00:52:28,688 --> 00:52:31,399
to invite tunnel
nesting bees to nest in 'em.
969
00:52:31,440 --> 00:52:34,861
This is good but you have to
also be aware that the parasites
970
00:52:34,902 --> 00:52:38,239
and diseases can accumulate
in those tunnels as well.
971
00:52:38,281 --> 00:52:41,367
So sometimes they may
work for a season or two
972
00:52:41,409 --> 00:52:44,954
but then be a death
trap in later generations.
973
00:52:44,996 --> 00:52:48,583
So, bee condos-- I mean,
once people started caring about
974
00:52:48,624 --> 00:52:52,503
honeybees, or bee declines,
they popped up at CostCo right?
975
00:52:52,545 --> 00:52:55,673
They became so mainstream,
like, "Oh, you can just put this
976
00:52:55,715 --> 00:52:57,341
out and you'll save the bees."
977
00:52:57,383 --> 00:52:59,260
But a researcher here in Toronto
978
00:52:59,302 --> 00:53:03,514
studied bee condos for
three years and what they found
979
00:53:03,556 --> 00:53:09,312
was that they tend to
be non-native bees mostly
980
00:53:09,353 --> 00:53:14,400
that are using them and
that they are-- the native bees
981
00:53:14,442 --> 00:53:17,111
that are in them are
more highly parasitized.
982
00:53:17,695 --> 00:53:19,572
So when you think about it,
983
00:53:19,614 --> 00:53:22,658
you're basically
making a buffet of bees.
984
00:53:22,700 --> 00:53:25,578
The bees are in a more
highly dense situation
985
00:53:25,620 --> 00:53:27,246
than they would be in
nature if they were just
986
00:53:27,288 --> 00:53:29,457
kind of nesting
in their own twigs.
987
00:53:29,498 --> 00:53:32,001
There's a lot that needs
to be figured out in terms of
988
00:53:32,043 --> 00:53:35,212
cleaning them out and
fungus growing inside those
989
00:53:35,254 --> 00:53:39,091
things and
parasites thriving in them.
990
00:53:39,133 --> 00:53:42,470
So I would just be
super cautious about any kind of
991
00:53:42,511 --> 00:53:48,976
human-made solution that is not
really scientifically supported.
992
00:53:49,018 --> 00:53:51,854
There's this broad
education out there,
993
00:53:51,896 --> 00:53:55,066
I think people have learned
the "save the bee" message and
994
00:53:55,107 --> 00:53:57,985
they immediately start
thinking about honeybees and,
995
00:53:58,027 --> 00:54:00,863
like, the backyard honey bee
industry has taken off.
996
00:54:00,905 --> 00:54:02,490
And all of
these things, probably,
997
00:54:02,531 --> 00:54:04,617
are not good,
like, ultimately right?
998
00:54:04,659 --> 00:54:07,703
Keeping honeybees in
your backyard is not a good
999
00:54:07,745 --> 00:54:09,997
thing to do,
it's not conservation.
1000
00:54:10,039 --> 00:54:12,208
Right, that would
be like me saying: "Oh,
1001
00:54:12,249 --> 00:54:14,627
look at these chickens
I have in my backyard,
1002
00:54:14,669 --> 00:54:16,587
this is bird
conservation right?"
1003
00:54:16,629 --> 00:54:19,757
That is not what you do
when you have chickens in
1004
00:54:19,799 --> 00:54:22,051
your backyard, you say: "Look,
these are beautiful animals.
1005
00:54:22,093 --> 00:54:24,136
I learn from them,
I get eggs from them
1006
00:54:24,178 --> 00:54:26,097
and that's great;
that's why I'm doing this.
1007
00:54:26,138 --> 00:54:28,307
I'm not practicing
bird conservation."
1008
00:54:28,349 --> 00:54:30,476
That's the same thing
with honeybees in your backyard.
1009
00:54:30,518 --> 00:54:33,771
You get honey, you can have wax,
they're beautiful animals,
1010
00:54:33,813 --> 00:54:36,774
you can learn from them
and enjoy them and educate
1011
00:54:36,816 --> 00:54:39,235
your neighbors about
them but it's not conservation;
1012
00:54:39,276 --> 00:54:41,570
there's no
conservation that's happening.
1013
00:54:41,612 --> 00:54:43,406
In fact,
they're probably competing
1014
00:54:43,447 --> 00:54:45,116
with the native
bees that used to live
1015
00:54:45,157 --> 00:54:47,159
in your backyard and
stealing pollen from them.
1016
00:54:47,201 --> 00:54:50,663
The reality is,
anytime we manage any animal,
1017
00:54:50,705 --> 00:54:55,209
whether it's salmon,
or cow, or chickens, or pigs,
1018
00:54:55,251 --> 00:54:57,378
there's always
high levels of diseases.
1019
00:54:57,420 --> 00:55:02,174
The human species,
we have not figured out how to
1020
00:55:02,216 --> 00:55:06,095
put a whole bunch of
animals together and breed them
1021
00:55:06,137 --> 00:55:08,347
at high densities, much
higher than are found in
1022
00:55:08,389 --> 00:55:11,559
nature and not have
disease outbreaks happen.
1023
00:55:11,600 --> 00:55:14,520
So, if you look at
honeybee hives in the U.S.
1024
00:55:14,562 --> 00:55:17,231
for example,
it's over 95% that they will
1025
00:55:17,273 --> 00:55:20,526
have Varroa mite, or
some other virus or something.
1026
00:55:20,568 --> 00:55:24,447
So beekeepers really just try
to treat their honeybee hives,
1027
00:55:24,488 --> 00:55:29,076
keep those disease levels low
but it doesn't stop the diseases
1028
00:55:29,118 --> 00:55:31,954
from being spilled over
into the wild because honeybees
1029
00:55:31,996 --> 00:55:34,582
are not like chickens,
they're not inside a coop but
1030
00:55:34,623 --> 00:55:37,918
the solution that the public
and policy-makers have come up
1031
00:55:37,960 --> 00:55:42,256
with has been more honeybee
hives in cities, for examples.
1032
00:55:42,298 --> 00:55:45,843
Like, how many sustainable
initiatives for businesses are
1033
00:55:45,885 --> 00:55:48,846
throwing a honeybee
hive up on the rooftop, right?
1034
00:55:48,888 --> 00:55:51,599
So, it actually made
the number one threat
1035
00:55:51,640 --> 00:55:55,478
a lot worse and it's
frustrating because these
1036
00:55:55,519 --> 00:55:57,730
people are actually
thinking that they're helping.
1037
00:55:58,355 --> 00:56:01,025
The research that we've
done and that others have done,
1038
00:56:01,067 --> 00:56:04,570
show that in many crop systems,
that if there's enough
1039
00:56:04,612 --> 00:56:06,781
habitat on a farm,
that there will be enough native
1040
00:56:06,822 --> 00:56:10,034
bees to provide 100%
of the pollination services.
1041
00:56:10,076 --> 00:56:15,623
Pollination
is a strategic input in
1042
00:56:15,664 --> 00:56:17,500
modern food production.
1043
00:56:17,541 --> 00:56:20,920
In part because
it increases yield,
1044
00:56:20,961 --> 00:56:22,713
think about it,
so much of what we do
1045
00:56:22,755 --> 00:56:26,592
in agriculture is
oriented at conserving losses.
1046
00:56:26,634 --> 00:56:28,594
Y'know, we worry about a pest,
1047
00:56:28,636 --> 00:56:31,597
so we spray to
keep the pest pressure down
1048
00:56:31,639 --> 00:56:34,892
so that we don't lose
more of a yield but pollination
1049
00:56:34,934 --> 00:56:37,645
is one of those inputs
that actually raises yield.
1050
00:56:37,686 --> 00:56:40,940
The more pollination you get,
the more yield you get.
1051
00:57:19,311 --> 00:57:20,813
Oh, I think I got a good one.
1052
00:57:21,313 --> 00:57:23,357
Black face but yeah,
it's just like,
1053
00:57:23,399 --> 00:57:25,317
it's abdomen
is almost entirely black but
1054
00:57:25,359 --> 00:57:27,528
there's, like,
this little white patch.
1055
00:57:28,529 --> 00:57:30,406
If you're
gardening for pollinators,
1056
00:57:30,447 --> 00:57:33,242
you can put a sunflower
in your garden to get sunflower
1057
00:57:33,284 --> 00:57:36,370
bees to come to your garden,
yeah, exactly like that.
1058
00:57:36,412 --> 00:57:38,539
I haven't looked at
enough of the Franklin specimens
1059
00:57:38,581 --> 00:57:41,709
to really have a good
sense of what they look like,
1060
00:57:41,750 --> 00:57:43,627
I just look
for the black abdomen.
1061
00:57:48,257 --> 00:57:51,385
If we just get right over here,
the ground is just
1062
00:57:51,427 --> 00:57:53,053
nothing but flowers.
1063
00:57:53,095 --> 00:57:54,889
- Pretty black.
- Yeah, I mean,
1064
00:57:54,930 --> 00:57:56,515
that's as black as they get,
really.
1065
00:57:56,557 --> 00:57:58,017
That's really black.
1066
00:57:58,058 --> 00:57:59,560
Oh, no,
we gotta go-- we gotta
1067
00:57:59,602 --> 00:58:01,103
show this one to Linc, too.
1068
00:58:01,145 --> 00:58:02,521
- Hey Linc!
- Oh cool!
1069
00:58:02,563 --> 00:58:03,731
Come 'ere.
1070
00:58:05,316 --> 00:58:06,775
We got another good one, here.
1071
00:58:06,817 --> 00:58:08,194
Jess Tyler,
did it again.
1072
00:58:13,490 --> 00:58:14,825
Apparently so.
1073
00:58:16,410 --> 00:58:20,164
And so, there you go,
that's a worker...
1074
00:58:21,790 --> 00:58:23,000
Western Bumblebee.
1075
00:58:26,587 --> 00:58:28,672
Yeah, they've
become very rare out here,
1076
00:58:28,714 --> 00:58:31,926
we only find
just one or two a year.
1077
00:58:31,967 --> 00:58:34,136
You can see
the yellow shoulders and then
1078
00:58:34,178 --> 00:58:37,598
Western Bumblebees in this
region have a novel color form.
1079
00:58:37,640 --> 00:58:40,226
So they don't have a long,
white tail.
1080
00:58:40,267 --> 00:58:42,811
The ones in this area
have the apical segments,
1081
00:58:42,853 --> 00:58:46,982
just T5 and 6 with
the hairs off-white.
1082
00:58:47,024 --> 00:58:50,444
So it's a little hard to
tell but the face is very round.
1083
00:58:50,486 --> 00:58:52,905
Hmm, round face,
yeah I haven't looked at them
1084
00:58:52,947 --> 00:58:54,698
-closely enough--
-And the round face
1085
00:58:54,740 --> 00:58:58,077
is a consequence of
having a short cheek and so,
1086
00:58:58,118 --> 00:58:59,620
like Franklin's,
1087
00:58:59,662 --> 00:59:01,789
bombus occidentalis,
Western Bumblebee,
1088
00:59:01,830 --> 00:59:04,250
has a short cheek and
relatively short tongue.
1089
00:59:04,291 --> 00:59:06,877
So if this was a Franklin's,
it would be the exact same
1090
00:59:06,919 --> 00:59:09,296
except that yellow
would extend further
1091
00:59:09,338 --> 00:59:11,674
between the wing bases,
whereas between the wing bases
1092
00:59:11,715 --> 00:59:13,384
on this specimen,
it's just black.
1093
00:59:13,968 --> 00:59:17,054
So this is a worker, so it means
there's already an established
1094
00:59:17,096 --> 00:59:21,600
nest and that the queen
was successfully mated and so,
1095
00:59:21,642 --> 00:59:24,186
I'm sure she's building
up her workforce right now.
1096
00:59:25,020 --> 00:59:26,897
We don't know
how big her colony is,
1097
00:59:26,939 --> 00:59:29,149
'cause we don't know where
it is but this is the first
1098
00:59:29,191 --> 00:59:31,986
Western Bumblebee that we found,
thanks to Jess.
1099
00:59:32,027 --> 00:59:33,988
We've seen hundreds
and hundreds of bumblebees,
1100
00:59:34,029 --> 00:59:36,282
we've seen
one occidentalis so far.
1101
00:59:37,741 --> 00:59:39,118
Good thing we have Jess with us.
1102
00:59:39,660 --> 00:59:41,578
So Kyle caught another species,
1103
00:59:41,620 --> 00:59:44,581
this is a bombus appositus,
a White Shouldered Bumblebee.
1104
00:59:44,623 --> 00:59:47,126
Really kinda nice
looking with white shoulders
1105
00:59:47,167 --> 00:59:49,420
and a more yellow, tawny body.
1106
00:59:50,045 --> 00:59:53,215
Y'know the Western Bumblebee
we just saw was a worker and so
1107
00:59:53,257 --> 00:59:55,342
is this one but you can see
the size difference, that this
1108
00:59:55,384 --> 00:59:59,722
bee is probably twice as big as
the one we were just looking at.
1109
01:00:03,809 --> 01:00:04,935
Real beauty.
1110
01:00:07,646 --> 01:00:11,275
This bee is in the subgenus
subterranean bombus and so there
1111
01:00:11,317 --> 01:00:14,903
are concerns worldwide
for members of that subgenus,
1112
01:00:14,945 --> 01:00:16,864
that they're in decline,
especially in Europe.
1113
01:00:18,282 --> 01:00:20,451
So we got--
how many do we have so far?
1114
01:00:20,492 --> 01:00:24,330
We've got vase,
insularis, occidentalis,
1115
01:00:25,831 --> 01:00:29,168
appositus, mixtus, any others?
1116
01:00:29,209 --> 01:00:33,380
Yep, six species and
so if we can detect six just
1117
01:00:33,422 --> 01:00:36,425
by swinging nets, there's
probably nine or ten present.
1118
01:00:36,884 --> 01:00:39,136
Some of the other ones
are just more difficult to find.
1119
01:00:55,110 --> 01:00:58,530
Yeah, we-- yeah,
as we're having this interview,
1120
01:00:58,572 --> 01:01:00,699
we've noticed across
the street there's some
1121
01:01:00,741 --> 01:01:05,287
landscapers
spraying pesticide and
1122
01:01:05,329 --> 01:01:11,126
mowing the neighbor's
yard and as someone who really
1123
01:01:11,168 --> 01:01:15,798
appreciates wildflowers and
bees I can see that this--
1124
01:01:16,715 --> 01:01:20,677
their lawn could have so much
potential for pollinators.
1125
01:01:20,719 --> 01:01:22,930
Currently,
it's a patch of green grass,
1126
01:01:22,971 --> 01:01:25,724
which really does
nothing for wildlife.
1127
01:01:27,768 --> 01:01:29,478
You're right when
you say that we shouldn't
1128
01:01:29,520 --> 01:01:31,021
be planting grass.
1129
01:01:31,063 --> 01:01:33,607
Native green grass
provides basically
1130
01:01:33,649 --> 01:01:37,528
no habitat for native
animals of any sort and,
1131
01:01:37,569 --> 01:01:41,073
in fact, may contribute
to the invitation of non-native
1132
01:01:41,115 --> 01:01:43,575
species like ants and
other animals into your home.
1133
01:01:43,617 --> 01:01:47,704
So planting native plants is
the best thing you can possibly
1134
01:01:47,746 --> 01:01:51,458
do and even being a little bit
messy with those native plants.
1135
01:01:51,500 --> 01:01:53,877
So, y'know,
we like our gardens to look
1136
01:01:53,919 --> 01:01:57,589
really neat and tidy and I think
sometimes it's okay to be
1137
01:01:57,631 --> 01:01:59,258
a little messy and
that doesn't have to be
1138
01:01:59,299 --> 01:02:01,427
in your front yard,
or in your showy garden
1139
01:02:01,468 --> 01:02:04,721
but in your backyard,
create a space that doesn't look
1140
01:02:04,763 --> 01:02:06,223
different from where
I'm sitting right now.
1141
01:02:06,265 --> 01:02:07,891
Don't mow it
for a couple of months.
1142
01:02:07,933 --> 01:02:09,893
There's no reason
necessarily that you need to.
1143
01:02:09,935 --> 01:02:11,687
And that's gonna just create
1144
01:02:11,728 --> 01:02:15,232
biodiversity and all of
that biodiversity is going
1145
01:02:15,274 --> 01:02:18,193
to create benefits
which ultimately will
1146
01:02:18,235 --> 01:02:21,572
also reduce the need
for using insecticides.
1147
01:02:21,613 --> 01:02:25,117
The ecosystem works if we create
all the different parts for it,
1148
01:02:25,159 --> 01:02:27,077
it's had millions of
years to figure that out.
1149
01:02:27,119 --> 01:02:29,788
There are tons of
alternatives out there,
1150
01:02:29,830 --> 01:02:33,834
that use less pesticides and
rely more on natural enemies.
1151
01:02:33,876 --> 01:02:36,545
I'm hopeful that we can continue
moving in that direction.
1152
01:02:39,965 --> 01:02:42,718
For decades,
since the EPA's inception,
1153
01:02:42,759 --> 01:02:45,762
EPA has never consulted with
Fish and Wildlife when it comes
1154
01:02:45,804 --> 01:02:49,016
to registering pesticides
but things are changing thanks
1155
01:02:49,057 --> 01:02:54,146
to pressure to force EPA to
consult with Fish and Wildlife,
1156
01:02:54,188 --> 01:02:57,524
to factor in endangered species
when they think about what
1157
01:02:57,566 --> 01:03:01,487
pesticides should be allowed
to use and what shouldn't be.
1158
01:03:01,528 --> 01:03:05,282
Right now,
the majority of testing happens
1159
01:03:05,324 --> 01:03:09,453
for these insecticides
for approval to be used in
1160
01:03:09,495 --> 01:03:12,039
the United States
on farms and backyards,
1161
01:03:12,080 --> 01:03:16,251
all that testing happens
on European Honeybees but
1162
01:03:16,293 --> 01:03:19,588
European honeybees have
a vastly different lifecycle,
1163
01:03:19,630 --> 01:03:23,592
a vastly different life
history and a vastly different
1164
01:03:23,634 --> 01:03:26,011
physiologies
than our native bees.
1165
01:03:26,053 --> 01:03:28,931
And so just testing
European Honeybees and
1166
01:03:28,972 --> 01:03:32,059
using that as a proxy
for our 3600 species of
1167
01:03:32,100 --> 01:03:34,686
native bees doesn't work.
1168
01:03:34,728 --> 01:03:37,397
And because bumblebees,
unlike honeybees, go through
1169
01:03:37,439 --> 01:03:41,193
a complete lifecycle every year,
their success depends
1170
01:03:41,235 --> 01:03:44,154
upon the survival of
the next generation of
1171
01:03:44,196 --> 01:03:47,950
queens that begin diapause
or hibernation late in the fall,
1172
01:03:47,991 --> 01:03:50,244
stay underground over
the winter and then emerge
1173
01:03:50,285 --> 01:03:53,455
in the spring to start
new colonies and so that's
1174
01:03:53,497 --> 01:03:56,208
a different reproductive
strategy than honeybees.
1175
01:03:57,751 --> 01:03:59,545
Pesticides
are a huge issue for
1176
01:03:59,586 --> 01:04:02,422
bumblebees and
the thousands of native bees.
1177
01:04:02,464 --> 01:04:05,008
We need to actually
find out the effects of these
1178
01:04:05,050 --> 01:04:08,428
chemicals on our native
bees before we approve them
1179
01:04:08,470 --> 01:04:10,556
for broad use
across the United States.
1180
01:04:10,597 --> 01:04:12,182
And I think the other
thing we really need
1181
01:04:12,224 --> 01:04:14,810
to keep in mind there,
is that our native bees,
1182
01:04:14,851 --> 01:04:17,813
because they live in the ground
they have different
1183
01:04:17,854 --> 01:04:20,274
routes of exposure
for these chemicals, right?
1184
01:04:20,315 --> 01:04:22,901
So anything applied on
the ground, it doesn't only
1185
01:04:22,943 --> 01:04:26,113
affect their flowers,
it affects their nests and
1186
01:04:26,154 --> 01:04:28,073
that's not tested
in honeybees, right?
1187
01:04:28,115 --> 01:04:30,534
We're not spraying
their nests with insecticides
1188
01:04:30,576 --> 01:04:32,244
and seeing
how that impacts them.
1189
01:04:32,286 --> 01:04:35,372
So I think putting
some changes like that,
1190
01:04:35,414 --> 01:04:38,875
could make a huge difference
for understanding how these
1191
01:04:38,917 --> 01:04:42,838
chemicals affect bees and what,
maybe, small or large things
1192
01:04:42,879 --> 01:04:45,299
that applicators
could do to protect bees.
1193
01:04:45,340 --> 01:04:48,468
We've been working
to force the EPA to consider
1194
01:04:48,510 --> 01:04:52,180
endangered species specifically
when they register pesticides.
1195
01:04:52,222 --> 01:04:54,725
If we can protect
endangered species,
1196
01:04:54,766 --> 01:04:57,811
threatened with extinction,
from pesticides that's gonna
1197
01:04:57,853 --> 01:05:00,147
benefit all
kinds of other species,
1198
01:05:00,188 --> 01:05:02,858
as well as human
health and water quality.
1199
01:05:02,899 --> 01:05:05,235
We've been looking
specifically at how many
1200
01:05:05,277 --> 01:05:08,822
pesticides are found on
farms and in wildflowers and in
1201
01:05:08,864 --> 01:05:12,451
nurseries and there're some
concerning results that we found
1202
01:05:12,492 --> 01:05:15,412
in the level of pesticides
that are being found in plants,
1203
01:05:15,454 --> 01:05:20,250
both horticultural and nursery
plants as well as farm plants.
1204
01:05:20,292 --> 01:05:22,461
The science tells us
that there are some pesticides
1205
01:05:22,502 --> 01:05:25,005
where the harms are really
just too great to wildlife.
1206
01:05:31,219 --> 01:05:33,013
I think
it's important to recognize
1207
01:05:33,055 --> 01:05:36,933
that we've been talking
about neonicotinoids for awhile.
1208
01:05:36,975 --> 01:05:38,769
Like that's the class
of insecticides that we're
1209
01:05:38,810 --> 01:05:40,812
worried about, that a lot
of people are talking about.
1210
01:05:40,854 --> 01:05:44,983
They're nicotine-based, they're
a neurotoxin, so they're highly,
1211
01:05:45,025 --> 01:05:47,986
highly toxic for almost
any animal that ingests them.
1212
01:05:48,028 --> 01:05:50,489
Almost all
neonic use in Europe,
1213
01:05:50,530 --> 01:05:52,783
for example, is restricted.
1214
01:05:52,824 --> 01:05:54,743
Y'know in
response to some of this
1215
01:05:54,785 --> 01:05:57,454
negative information
about neonicotinoids,
1216
01:05:57,496 --> 01:06:00,457
these companies are now
producing different chemicals
1217
01:06:00,499 --> 01:06:02,793
that are still systemic,
still have the same mode of
1218
01:06:02,834 --> 01:06:05,295
action but have
different active ingredients.
1219
01:06:05,337 --> 01:06:08,173
So we like to,
instead of just using the term
1220
01:06:08,215 --> 01:06:10,092
"neonicotinoids",
we're trying to just
1221
01:06:10,133 --> 01:06:13,095
use the word "systemic
insecticides" at this point.
1222
01:06:13,136 --> 01:06:15,931
Systemic means that,
if it's in the soil,
1223
01:06:15,972 --> 01:06:19,059
a plant will take up
the pesticide and it will
1224
01:06:19,101 --> 01:06:21,645
travel throughout
the tissue of the plant.
1225
01:06:21,687 --> 01:06:23,897
So it'll be in it's
leaves and it'll be in
1226
01:06:23,939 --> 01:06:25,357
it's pollen and nectar.
1227
01:06:25,399 --> 01:06:27,651
These
are basically the most
1228
01:06:27,693 --> 01:06:30,696
broadly used
insecticides on the market.
1229
01:06:30,737 --> 01:06:34,658
They're what would probably
be recommended if any homeowner
1230
01:06:34,700 --> 01:06:37,244
went somewhere to find
something and they're obviously
1231
01:06:37,285 --> 01:06:41,248
heavily marketed by pesticide
companies to farmers as well.
1232
01:06:41,289 --> 01:06:44,292
One of the main issues with
these chemicals because they're
1233
01:06:44,334 --> 01:06:47,587
water-soluble they're
actually absorbed by the plant
1234
01:06:47,629 --> 01:06:52,008
tissues and expressed
in every cell in the plant.
1235
01:06:52,050 --> 01:06:55,470
So every time a bee drinks
nectar, or eats pollen,
1236
01:06:55,512 --> 01:06:57,389
which is their
only source of food,
1237
01:06:57,431 --> 01:07:00,559
if that plant has been
treated with that insecticide,
1238
01:07:00,600 --> 01:07:03,103
they're getting a microdose
of that insecticide for
1239
01:07:03,145 --> 01:07:04,896
the entire life of the plant.
1240
01:07:04,938 --> 01:07:07,566
Their nectar and
pollen is contaminated and
1241
01:07:07,607 --> 01:07:11,319
that nectar and pollen is then
brought back to the bee's nest.
1242
01:07:11,361 --> 01:07:13,530
In fact,
in some woody plants,
1243
01:07:13,572 --> 01:07:16,241
it's been shown that those
chemicals can still be active
1244
01:07:16,283 --> 01:07:19,119
even up to seven years
after a single application.
1245
01:07:20,203 --> 01:07:23,331
It's complicated,
there are a lot of
1246
01:07:23,373 --> 01:07:28,336
factors involved,
including obviously an industry
1247
01:07:28,378 --> 01:07:30,380
that makes money from
selling these products,
1248
01:07:30,422 --> 01:07:34,634
that have a heavy lobby
and have a lot of influence.
1249
01:07:34,676 --> 01:07:37,179
Probably a lot more
influence than you and
1250
01:07:37,220 --> 01:07:38,847
I would like to actually admit.
1251
01:07:38,889 --> 01:07:41,099
The EPA often
says that they, y'know,
1252
01:07:41,141 --> 01:07:44,978
they look at the best
available science but the truth
1253
01:07:45,020 --> 01:07:51,026
really is that they often ignore
independent, even peer-reviewed,
1254
01:07:51,067 --> 01:07:55,989
literature studies that look
at the impact of pesticides.
1255
01:07:56,031 --> 01:08:00,911
They almost entirely
rely on studies that come from
1256
01:08:00,952 --> 01:08:03,789
the companies that want
to register these pesticides.
1257
01:08:03,830 --> 01:08:06,750
So you can see that there's
a conflict of interest.
1258
01:08:06,792 --> 01:08:09,336
In reality,
the EPA is a captured agency,
1259
01:08:09,377 --> 01:08:11,171
especially the pesticide office.
1260
01:08:11,213 --> 01:08:14,591
The companies that want
to get a pesticide approved,
1261
01:08:14,633 --> 01:08:17,260
pay a fee to
get a pesticide registered.
1262
01:08:17,301 --> 01:08:18,887
If you're
a farmer and you have
1263
01:08:18,929 --> 01:08:20,721
an economic threshold
for your livelihood,
1264
01:08:20,764 --> 01:08:23,517
that's a separate conversation
that I'm willing to have.
1265
01:08:23,558 --> 01:08:26,978
Still, we shouldn't be
using them prophylactically,
1266
01:08:27,020 --> 01:08:29,147
y'know we should
have some threshold at
1267
01:08:29,189 --> 01:08:30,816
which we say: "Okay,
there's a danger here,
1268
01:08:30,857 --> 01:08:32,024
we should apply them."
1269
01:08:32,067 --> 01:08:33,818
Farmers generally want to help
1270
01:08:33,860 --> 01:08:36,362
bees and if they actually
know that they don't need to use
1271
01:08:36,404 --> 01:08:38,907
pesticides and can be
assured that they can still
1272
01:08:38,949 --> 01:08:42,952
make a living managing
their lands in different ways,
1273
01:08:42,994 --> 01:08:47,332
then they probably would be
allies for bee conservationists.
1274
01:08:47,374 --> 01:08:48,750
Pesticides like Dicamba,
1275
01:08:48,791 --> 01:08:50,544
which is
a really popular herbicide.
1276
01:08:50,585 --> 01:08:52,504
It's incredibly volatile,
so when it's applied
1277
01:08:52,546 --> 01:08:55,631
on one piece of land
it can just blow over to
1278
01:08:55,674 --> 01:08:58,926
a neighboring farm and
it can harm the crops there.
1279
01:08:58,969 --> 01:09:02,055
But more than that,
it has the ability to just blow
1280
01:09:02,096 --> 01:09:06,268
into a more natural environment
and then poison wild vegetation
1281
01:09:06,309 --> 01:09:11,022
and wildlife that relies
on these little bits of habitat.
1282
01:09:11,064 --> 01:09:12,816
But right now,
farmer's are--
1283
01:09:12,858 --> 01:09:14,401
they're on seeds
and they're treated
1284
01:09:14,442 --> 01:09:16,403
before the plants
are even in the ground.
1285
01:09:16,443 --> 01:09:19,238
Before there's a pest to treat,
the plants have already been
1286
01:09:19,281 --> 01:09:22,826
treated and it's really
having a profound impacts on
1287
01:09:22,868 --> 01:09:25,370
invertebrate communities
throughout the world.
1288
01:09:25,412 --> 01:09:28,497
Next to a farm field
that's been pretreated with
1289
01:09:28,540 --> 01:09:30,876
these insecticides,
the weeds that are growing there
1290
01:09:30,916 --> 01:09:34,796
that once provided important
food for bumblebees and other
1291
01:09:34,837 --> 01:09:38,884
pollinators is now laced with
these toxic chemicals because of
1292
01:09:38,925 --> 01:09:41,094
how easily the move
through the environment.
1293
01:09:41,678 --> 01:09:43,971
I think that's kind of
an elephant in the room,
1294
01:09:44,014 --> 01:09:46,600
the fact that we are so
reliant on artificial
1295
01:09:46,640 --> 01:09:48,351
systems to produce food.
1296
01:09:48,393 --> 01:09:50,270
Whether that's
through irrigated water,
1297
01:09:50,312 --> 01:09:53,064
herbicides,
fungicides, insecticides.
1298
01:09:53,106 --> 01:09:55,483
We need to look at
more sustainable ways to
1299
01:09:55,525 --> 01:10:00,405
get their benefits without
the toxic collateral effects.
1300
01:10:00,447 --> 01:10:02,991
We've made
some steps but largely,
1301
01:10:03,032 --> 01:10:05,702
you can buy these over
the counter at most home
1302
01:10:05,744 --> 01:10:09,956
improvement stores and apply
them without a license and...
1303
01:10:09,998 --> 01:10:12,834
it's dangerous, it's really,
honestly quite dangerous.
1304
01:11:12,894 --> 01:11:14,938
Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring",
1305
01:11:14,980 --> 01:11:17,691
one of the books that started
the environmental movement,
1306
01:11:17,732 --> 01:11:20,818
celebrated it's
sixtieth birthday this year.
1307
01:11:20,860 --> 01:11:24,072
If you could bring Rachel Carson
back from the dead and ask her
1308
01:11:24,114 --> 01:11:28,159
how we're doing right now,
she would be disgusted.
1309
01:11:28,201 --> 01:11:31,329
We have made strides to
get rid of some of the worst
1310
01:11:31,371 --> 01:11:34,165
ones but we still
have a long way to go.
1311
01:11:34,207 --> 01:11:37,752
And there's been a very
promising study out of Canada,
1312
01:11:37,794 --> 01:11:41,673
using canola growers and
these scientists were able to
1313
01:11:41,715 --> 01:11:45,300
show in this particular system
that farmers could take certain
1314
01:11:45,343 --> 01:11:49,097
numbers of their canola acreage
out of production,
1315
01:11:49,139 --> 01:11:52,726
convert that acreage
into pollinator habitat
1316
01:11:52,767 --> 01:11:54,352
and in the end of the season,
1317
01:11:54,394 --> 01:11:58,273
the grower would
still gain more profit than in
1318
01:11:58,314 --> 01:12:02,443
the conventional system
of putting it all in production.
1319
01:12:02,485 --> 01:12:04,362
That's remarkable.
Think about that,
1320
01:12:04,404 --> 01:12:06,948
if you're a farmer:
"Wait a minute, you're asking me
1321
01:12:06,990 --> 01:12:10,201
to take some of my acres out of
production just for the bees?"
1322
01:12:10,952 --> 01:12:13,913
Well yes, yes,
we think this would
1323
01:12:13,955 --> 01:12:16,249
work under these conditions.
1324
01:12:16,541 --> 01:12:18,376
Think about that as a win-win.
1325
01:12:18,418 --> 01:12:22,464
The farmers are saving the bees,
protecting the environment
1326
01:12:22,505 --> 01:12:25,550
and making more money;
that's what I call a win-win.
1327
01:12:37,437 --> 01:12:39,481
Several species,
like the Rusty Patched and
1328
01:12:39,522 --> 01:12:41,733
the American Bumblebee,
their declines have been
1329
01:12:41,775 --> 01:12:45,236
really steep in only
the last several decades.
1330
01:12:45,278 --> 01:12:47,530
They don't
rely on native prairie,
1331
01:12:47,572 --> 01:12:49,574
so they're
actually really adaptable.
1332
01:12:49,616 --> 01:12:53,787
Trying to pull apart this puzzle
about why they're declining,
1333
01:12:53,827 --> 01:12:57,499
it's not just habitat,
it's not just invasive species,
1334
01:12:57,540 --> 01:12:59,876
it's really this
combination of factors.
1335
01:12:59,918 --> 01:13:02,462
I think it's no
coincidence that the decline
1336
01:13:02,504 --> 01:13:05,757
of the bumblebees,
that's also at the same point
1337
01:13:05,799 --> 01:13:09,177
that the use of neonic
pesticides has really gone up.
1338
01:13:09,219 --> 01:13:12,639
Like, neonics started
being used in the 1990's
1339
01:13:12,680 --> 01:13:16,809
and they really ramped
up production after 2000.
1340
01:13:16,851 --> 01:13:19,562
So this widespread
adoption of this insecticide
1341
01:13:19,603 --> 01:13:22,565
that is really toxic,
it has all kinds of affects.
1342
01:13:22,607 --> 01:13:26,986
It impairs their immune systems,
it alters their macro-biome,
1343
01:13:27,028 --> 01:13:29,531
then they have-- it modifies
their behavior, like,
1344
01:13:29,572 --> 01:13:31,157
all these things
are known and you add
1345
01:13:31,199 --> 01:13:32,909
the introduction of honeybees,
1346
01:13:32,951 --> 01:13:36,037
which are unfortunately
able to spread disease.
1347
01:13:36,079 --> 01:13:38,414
So unfortunately it's
really this combination.
1348
01:13:38,456 --> 01:13:39,874
We have
to have a fundamental
1349
01:13:39,916 --> 01:13:42,710
reckoning of
the way we use toxins.
1350
01:13:42,752 --> 01:13:46,172
At the end of the day,
we're still unloosing into
1351
01:13:46,214 --> 01:13:48,550
a habitat with,
far less than complete
1352
01:13:48,591 --> 01:13:53,012
knowledge of its outcome,
acute toxins that do have
1353
01:13:53,054 --> 01:13:57,475
non-target effects and none
of us likes this situation but
1354
01:13:57,517 --> 01:14:00,853
we do need to be aware
that these consequences are
1355
01:14:00,895 --> 01:14:04,440
accumulating and we just have
to ask ourselves what kind of
1356
01:14:04,482 --> 01:14:07,235
a world are we gonna pass on to
our children or grandchildren.
1357
01:14:07,277 --> 01:14:08,945
Do we like that picture,
1358
01:14:08,987 --> 01:14:11,906
or would like to
maybe start changing it now?
1359
01:14:14,993 --> 01:14:18,037
When we start talking
about systemic solutions to
1360
01:14:18,079 --> 01:14:21,374
these problems, none of them,
of course, are easy, are they?
1361
01:14:21,416 --> 01:14:24,252
I mean, we're talking
about changing a system,
1362
01:14:24,294 --> 01:14:27,547
changing the way we produce
food and that's not gonna happen
1363
01:14:27,589 --> 01:14:31,634
overnight, it's not gonna happen
easily but the kinds of systemic
1364
01:14:31,675 --> 01:14:36,639
changes that need to
happen are making our habitats
1365
01:14:36,681 --> 01:14:41,227
less hostile to pollinators
and other beneficial organisms.
1366
01:14:41,269 --> 01:14:45,690
To at the very least be mindful
of their life history needs,
1367
01:14:45,732 --> 01:14:50,486
for nesting sites and for
forage and to give it to them.
1368
01:14:50,528 --> 01:14:54,199
Whether through private
practices of leaving fence rows
1369
01:14:54,240 --> 01:14:58,202
un-mowed or, y'know,
government agency level
1370
01:14:58,244 --> 01:15:01,539
through lands set aside
or incentivization programs.
1371
01:15:01,581 --> 01:15:04,334
To incentivize farmers
to make their lands
1372
01:15:04,375 --> 01:15:05,835
friendly for pollinators.
1373
01:15:05,877 --> 01:15:07,754
If we can all work
together on this,
1374
01:15:07,795 --> 01:15:10,673
I'm hopeful that
we can help them and a lot
1375
01:15:10,715 --> 01:15:12,175
of species can make a comeback.
1376
01:15:21,309 --> 01:15:23,353
We're holding out hope that
we're gonna find Franklin's,
1377
01:15:23,394 --> 01:15:27,357
it's definitely--
could be out here and I think
1378
01:15:27,398 --> 01:15:29,943
that's what brings all
these people together to
1379
01:15:29,984 --> 01:15:31,486
come look for this species.
1380
01:15:31,527 --> 01:15:33,446
We know it needs
help and if we find it,
1381
01:15:33,487 --> 01:15:36,782
then that means
it can get the help
1382
01:15:36,824 --> 01:15:39,077
that it needs to
potentially recover.
1383
01:15:39,118 --> 01:15:41,704
Until we find it,
it's potentially extinct
1384
01:15:41,746 --> 01:15:43,456
and that's just...
1385
01:15:43,498 --> 01:15:47,835
it's unfortunate but
unfortunately we just never
1386
01:15:47,877 --> 01:15:51,798
studied it well
enough before to...
1387
01:15:51,839 --> 01:15:55,134
Yeah, we don't know as
much about its biology or
1388
01:15:55,175 --> 01:15:57,178
its populations
as we could have.
1389
01:15:57,219 --> 01:16:00,807
I think moving forward, there
are a collection of insects
1390
01:16:00,848 --> 01:16:03,434
specifically that are waiting
to be listed under the act.
1391
01:16:03,476 --> 01:16:05,561
So that's, like,
the Monarch Butterfly,
1392
01:16:05,603 --> 01:16:08,147
the Western Bumblebee,
the American Bumblebee
1393
01:16:08,189 --> 01:16:10,108
and then a few others.
1394
01:16:10,148 --> 01:16:13,443
These, I think, are really
special species that have seen
1395
01:16:13,486 --> 01:16:15,612
broad declines across
their huge...
1396
01:16:15,655 --> 01:16:19,492
Like, the Monarch Butterfly
travels from Mexico all
1397
01:16:19,534 --> 01:16:21,327
the way to Maine and into Canada
1398
01:16:21,369 --> 01:16:24,121
every year and so it touches,
like, every single state.
1399
01:16:24,163 --> 01:16:26,499
And it's the same for
the American Bumblebee,
1400
01:16:26,541 --> 01:16:29,460
previously found in forty-seven
of the lower forty-eight states.
1401
01:16:29,502 --> 01:16:33,255
So having one of these
species protected under the act
1402
01:16:33,298 --> 01:16:37,885
would have huge benefits to all
kinds of species along the way.
1403
01:16:49,355 --> 01:16:51,107
Just such
a great habitat up here,
1404
01:16:51,148 --> 01:16:55,193
we've already found about
have a dozen species already and
1405
01:16:55,236 --> 01:16:58,072
there's potentially several
more that we haven't found yet.
1406
01:16:58,948 --> 01:17:00,491
Yeah, Franklin's Bumblebee
1407
01:17:00,532 --> 01:17:04,495
will probably be
the first species to have
1408
01:17:04,537 --> 01:17:06,456
gone extinct in North America.
1409
01:17:06,496 --> 01:17:11,252
Franklin's was really unique but
it doesn't mean that we can't do
1410
01:17:11,294 --> 01:17:14,839
something positive for
the other 45 bumblebees
1411
01:17:14,880 --> 01:17:17,425
in North America and
I think through raising
1412
01:17:17,467 --> 01:17:22,305
awareness through regulation,
through the intentional habitat
1413
01:17:22,347 --> 01:17:25,058
restoration, I think we can
have a lot of positive impact.
1414
01:17:25,933 --> 01:17:29,270
It will take a lot of effort and
time but, we're workin' on it.
1415
01:20:01,880 --> 01:20:04,008
So let's keep looking
and see if we find a queen.
1416
01:20:10,723 --> 01:20:13,184
It's congested but--
that's mature broods.
1417
01:20:13,226 --> 01:20:15,269
See that cardboard colored
stuff in the middle?
1418
01:20:15,728 --> 01:20:17,230
That is--
1419
01:20:17,271 --> 01:20:18,689
It's ready
to get out of here.
1420
01:20:18,731 --> 01:20:20,691
It is.
Well, it's broods.
1421
01:20:20,733 --> 01:20:22,860
-These are baby bees.
-Oh, okay.
1422
01:20:22,902 --> 01:20:25,321
So, I'm going to
show you a baby bee.
1423
01:20:25,362 --> 01:20:27,281
You can kind of tell
from their appearance.
1424
01:20:29,407 --> 01:20:30,660
See this one right here?
1425
01:20:30,701 --> 01:20:32,745
She's kind of white-- white-ish.
1426
01:20:34,371 --> 01:20:36,415
I'm going to stop her,
pick her up.
1427
01:20:36,457 --> 01:20:38,000
-See how she's white?
-Oh, yeah!
1428
01:20:38,041 --> 01:20:39,585
Her hair is still matted.
1429
01:20:39,627 --> 01:20:41,254
Yeah, she does
look like a baby.121711
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