From:                   "Matthew Shepherd (Xerces Society)"
<[log in to unmask]>

> The honey bee is an amazing insect and one that has great economic value.
> However, in a nation that has an immensely rich and diverse insect
> community, it seems a terrible shame to have a non-native species as the
> national insect. If a single species is to be chosen as a representative
> of the USA, should it really have "European" in its name?

Are your people native, Matthew? Of course the answer is no. There
are no native human populations of North America. Some came
earlier; some came later. Why should we discriminate?

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

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