Daily Archives: March 18, 2016

Low doses of pesticides found to harm wild bees

Researchers discover that bumblebees feed on less nutritious flowers after being exposed to small amounts of a neonicotinoid insecticide

Emily J. Gertz

TakePart

As bee colonies have continued to collapse around the world, wild bees have received less attention than their domesticated cousins.

But wild bees are important pollinators for both agricultural crops and wild plants, and a new study suggests they can be harmed by the same pesticides affecting honeybee colonies.

The study is the first to look at how small amounts of neonicotinoid pesticides affect bees as they feed on wildflowers, said Nigel Raine, an ecologist at the University of Guelph in Canada who focuses on pollinator conservation.

Bumblebees had a harder time foraging for nectar and pollen from wildflowers after being exposed to a sublethal 10 parts per billion concentration of a widely used neonicotinoid insecticide called thiamethoxam, according to the research, which was published Monday in the journal Functional Ecology.

The dosage was based on the pesticide levels bees would encounter on or near farms where neonics are used.

A recent study in Poland found that bees from collapsed colonies carried low-level residues of dozens of pesticides, including neonics.

Raine and ecologist Dara Stanley conducted the research while both were at the Royal Holloway University of London.

“The most significant thing we found was that the pesticide-treated bees chose different flowers among two species we know bumblebees really like and can usually handle,” said Raine.

Bees exposed to thiamethoxam foraged more often from bird’s foot trefoil than from white clover, a more sugar- and amino-acid-packed wildflower.

All things being equal, you would expect the bees to prefer the more nutritious flower,” said Raine.

The two groups of bees also showed different learning capacities. “The untreated bees took significantly fewer visits to learn how to handle the same wildflowers successfully compared to the pesticide-treated bees,” Raine said.

If exposure to neonics changes how bees forage from wildflowers, it could also change how they handle flowering food crops. “There are more and more studies suggesting that the diversity of visitors to crops is important, and that the visits by these wild pollinators are undervalued economically and practically,” Raine said.

He said the study’s findings were consistent with recent research showing that bees were less effective at pollinating apple trees after being exposed to low concentrations of pesticides.

Wild plant biodiversity is also at risk.

“Most people think of honeybees in a hive—it’s about honey production and commercial pollination,” Raine said. “We need to start looking at solitary bees, which make up the vast number of bees, and start looking at other pollinators.”

Emily J. Gertz is an associate editor for environment and wildlife at TakePart.

The right to hunt, fish and trap heads to November ballot

On March 17th, House Concurrent Resolution 5008, the Right to Hunt, Fish and Trap Wildlife, was unanimously passed by the Kansas Senate—meaning, this November, Kansans will have the opportunity to vote on this state constitutional amendment to create permanent protections for sportsmen and conservation.  The Right to Hunt, Fish and Trap Wildlife ensures that wildlife conservation and management decisions continue to be based on sound science in order to preserve Kansas’ hunting heritage for generations to come and to protect it against future attacks from well-funded, anti-hunting organizations.

HCR 5008 proposes an amendment to the Kansas Constitution that will affirm that it is a right of the public to hunt, fish, and trap as such:

The people have the right to hunt, fish and trap, including by the use of traditional methods, subject to reasonable laws and regulations that promote wildlife conservation and management and that preserve the future of hunting and fishing. Public hunting and fishing shall be a preferred means of managing and controlling wildlife. This section shall not be construed to modify any provision of law relating to trespass, property rights or water resources.

Hunting, fishing, and trapping are not only cherished American traditions, but paired with science, are an integral part of wildlife management and conservation.  This year alone, Kansas received $12,833,780 of Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Funds thanks to

excise taxes paid by Kansas sportsmen and women on firearms, ammunition and archery equipment.  Pittman-Robertson funds fuel important conservation efforts such as the acquisition and improvement of wildlife habitat, wildlife species introduction, wildlife research, public access programs, and hunter education programs.  Furthermore, sportsmen and women are an essential part of the Kansas economy.  According to the latest data, they spend more than $629 million annually and support 9,331 jobs.

Misguided extremists have been trying for decades to incrementally or outright ban hunting, fishing, and trapping.  Now is the time to safeguard your outdoor heritage.

Kick off Spring with 21 crazy fun ideas for you and your kids

Try these clever, creative, cool, and crafty ways to get the season going

By Mary Sears

Highlights for Children

Kansas reaches $1 million in state grants to Canada habitat program

Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KWPT) was recognized March 18th for its cumulative $1 million in contributions supporting wetlands protection and restoration on the Canadian breeding grounds, which are important to Kansas’ waterfowl populations. The ceremony took place at the 81st North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Pittsburgh, Pa.

“Ducks Unlimited is very pleased to recognize Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism for its commitment to making wise investments in habitat important to the birds that migrate through Kansas each year,” said Paul Schmidt, DU chief conservation officer.

For 25 years, Kansas has helped fund nesting habitat in prairie Canada through the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ (AFWA) State Contributions to Canada program.

“Conserving this vital habitat takes state and federal agencies, nonprofit organizations and others working collaboratively to ensure waterfowl populations are there for future generations,” said KWPT Assistant Secretary Keith Sexson. “The science tells us that waterfowl predominantly nest in Canada, so we need to make our investment in habitat conservation there.”

The AFWA program, which funds North American Waterfowl Management Plan habitat projects in Canada, started in 1965 as one of the very first international public/private partnerships to support migratory bird conservation and is funded primarily by hunting license sales. Through this program, states help fund long-term partnerships that conserve and restore breeding habitat for waterfowl that migrate through, and winter in, their own states.

“The importance of state contributions to Canadian habitat conservation and restoration projects cannot be overstated,” said Pat Kehoe, DU Canada’s director of international partnerships. “Ducks Unlimited’s programs in the U.S. and Canada are consistent with the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, and our prairie programs are structured to protect native, highly productive habitat while also improving waterfowl production in working agricultural landscapes.”

As with all states that contribute to the program through Ducks Unlimited, Kansas’ contribution will be matched by DU and funds from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. Habitat conservation efforts focus on habitats important to waterfowl migrating through Kansas each spring and fall.

“We are very pleased to have Kansas as a partner in waterfowl habitat conservation in Canada,” Schmidt added. “They have reached the Gold Award level, and their commitment to wetland conservation continues to build.”