Dave,

I think a national insect should be representative of the rich diversity of the US insect fauna. I'm not convinced (obviously!) that the honey bee does that. I mentioned the monarch butterfly because that was the only other insect I know has been suggested before. I also don't think it should necessarily be a pollinator. Several states have lady beetles as state insects, many others butterflies of one type or another, there are a couple with dragonflies and even a couple with mantids. There are nearly one hundred thousand insect species in North America. Somewhere in there there will be a suitable national symbol.

Best wishes,
        Matthew


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On 2/20/2004 at 12:48 PM Dave wrote:

>Since we are all immigrants, I think the insistance that our national
>insect be "native," is a case of "straining at a gnat."  That's not to
>say, I don't appreciate the role of native pollinators. But the
>honeybee is the workhorse of agricultural pollination.
>
>If it HAS to be a native, I would nominate the carpenter bee, which
>does an amazing amount of pollination. The monarch is pretty, and
>it's a pollinator, but only a minor one, compared to either Apis or the
>unappreciated Xylocopa.
>
>Dave Green
>The Pollination Home Page:  http://pollinator.com


______________________________________________________
Matthew Shepherd, Pollinator Conservation Program Director
The Xerces Society
4828 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland, OR 97215, USA
Tel: 503-232 6639 Fax: 503-233 6794
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______________________________________________________
The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization
dedicated to protecting the diversity of life
through the conservation of invertebrates.

For information and membership details,
see our website at www.xerces.org
______________________________________________________

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