Four key Bee species ‘imperiled’ because government failed to protect them, center says

Olivia Lloyd
Mon, October 9, 2023 

Gemma Evans via Unsplash

The loss of these buzzing creatures could have “disastrous consequences,” the Center for Biological Diversity said.

So, the center says it will sue the United States government for the protection of four species of bees, according to a pending lawsuit.

The center announced Oct. 5 its intent to sue the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services over their failure to respond to petitions to list the four species on the Endangered Species Act.

The agencies declined to comment to McClatchy News.

“The Biden administration has failed to step up for pollinators, but we won’t let them go extinct without a fight,” said Jess Tyler, a scientist at the center.

The center seeks protection for the American bumble bee, the Southern Plains bumble bee, the variable cuckoo bumble bee and the blue calamintha bee.

FWS is supposed to issue an initial finding 90 days after a petition is filed to list a species as endangered, according to Section 4 of the Endangered Species Act. If the finding yields evidence suggesting the species is endangered or threatened, the agency has 12 months to issue a finding determining whether the species will ultimately land under the protection of the act.

“Your parents’ generation may have seen American bumble bees all over their yards, but now trained biologists spend their summers looking and can’t find any,” Tyler said. “The loss of one of our most common bumblebees is a scary prospect.”

The findings for all four species are past due, the center says. One petition was filed in 2015, two were filed in 2021, and the fourth was filed in July 2022. The first three have been awaiting results of the 12-month finding, and the fourth petition is awaiting results of a 90-day finding.

It’s been over two years since FWS said it would issue a 12-month finding on several species, including the American bumble bee. The service said it would conduct that finding on Sept. 29, 2021.

The American bumble bee population has seen a near 90% decline in recent decades relative to other bee species, mostly affecting the northern edges of their range, according to FWS.

“The loss of this species on the landscape could have devastating impacts on pollination of the many native plants they are known to use, as well as agricultural crops,” FWS said.

As pollinators, bees are important players in the food crop cycle. Pollinators add an estimated $18 billion in value to crop production, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Pesticide use, habitat loss and disease contribute to declining bee populations, the center says.

The Endangered Species Act establishes protection and recovery programs for species listed as threatened or endangered, according to FWS.

FWS has failed to make sure these four species of bees were “timely protected to avoid an increased risk of extinction,” the center says.

Rare ‘cuckoo’ creature — not seen locally in 65 years — found in Canada, officials say