Can You Pick the Bees Out of This Insect Lineup?
- 7 years ago
Can You Pick the Bees Out of This Insect Lineup?
“Everyone knew that bees were good, but even though they know that they’re good, most people had no idea how many kinds of bees live here.”
Tell us approximately how many different bee species you think there are in the United States.
But, however much we may value bees, we don’t know much about their diversity.
Since 2006, when researchers coined the phrase “colony collapse disorder” to describe the losses to commercial honeybee colonies, scientists, conservation groups, the government
and news media have issued warnings of declining bee populations and the necessity of conserving these economically and ecologically significant pollinators.
And knowing at least a bit about the diversity of bees — each with their own habitats, behaviors, shapes
and sizes — is crucial to efforts to save them, Dr. Wilson said.
Habitat loss and pesticides may threaten these wild bees,
but it’s unclear how much their numbers are changing, despite conservation reports warning of their decline
“Everyone knew that bees were good, but even though they know that they’re good, most people had no idea how many kinds of bees live here.”
Tell us approximately how many different bee species you think there are in the United States.
But, however much we may value bees, we don’t know much about their diversity.
Since 2006, when researchers coined the phrase “colony collapse disorder” to describe the losses to commercial honeybee colonies, scientists, conservation groups, the government
and news media have issued warnings of declining bee populations and the necessity of conserving these economically and ecologically significant pollinators.
And knowing at least a bit about the diversity of bees — each with their own habitats, behaviors, shapes
and sizes — is crucial to efforts to save them, Dr. Wilson said.
Habitat loss and pesticides may threaten these wild bees,
but it’s unclear how much their numbers are changing, despite conservation reports warning of their decline