Dear all,

I'm posting an email on behalf on one of my coworkers, who has been more directly involved in the issue of bumble bee declines and who worked on the petition we recently submitted to APHIS requesting the regulation of bumble bee movements. 

Matthew
-----------------

On this listserve and others, questions have arisen regarding the link between diseases from commercial bumble bees and the decline of wild bumble bees, in regard to the recent petition submitted to the USDA-APHIS by the Xerces Society et al. and some media stories about that petition. Unfortunately, some of the media stories contained misleading information.
 
Two recent studies have been published that provide a direct link between diseases in commercial bumble bees and the health of wild bumble bees: 
 
Otterstatter, M.C., and J.D. Thomson. 2008. Does Pathogen Spillover from
Commercially Reared Bumble Bees Threaten Wild Pollinators? PLoS One. Available online at http://www.plosone.org/doi/pone.0002771 
 
Colla, S.R., M.C. Otterstatter, R.J. Gegear, and J.D. Thomson. 2006. Plight of the Bumblebee: Pathogen Spillover from Commercial to Wild Populations. Biological Conservation 129: 461-467.
 
Otterstatter and Thomson note, in the Discussion section of their 2008 paper: 
“Based on our model, and our observations near greenhouses, it is probable that destructive pathogens have been spilling over into wild bee populations since the collapse of commercial B. occidentalis during the late 1990s, and this has contributed to the ongoing collapse of wild Bombus sensu stricto.”
 
These studies show that wild bumble bees near greenhouses have higher pathogen loads (of Crithidia bombi and Nosema bombi) than bumble bees farther away from greenhouses. While these studies demonstrate the mechanism by which pathogens can be transferred from commercial bumble bees in greenhouses to wild bumble bees, they do not prove that disease from commercially reared bumble bees caused the precipitous decline that has been observed in Bombus affinis, Bombus franklini, Bombus terricola and Bombus occidentalis. Dr. Robbin Thorp’s hypothesis that these species were infected by a selectively virulent strain of Nosema bombi that originated in Europe is currently being tested by Dr. Sydney Cameron, Dr. Lee Solter, Dr. Jamie Strange, and others. 

Regardless of whether or not their work identifies a “smoking gun,” the Xerces Society asserts that diseases from commercially transported bumble bees present a significant risk to wild, native bumble bees, and this risk warrants new regulations. We support the development of federal regulations that take a precautionary approach to safeguarding our wild, native pollinators. In fact, the USDA-APHIS conducted their own risk assessment in the 1990s and concluded that the risks to wild, native bumble bees were too great to allow Bombus impatiens to be shipped outside of its native range (west of the Rockies). For various reasons, they stopped regulating the interstate transport of this species – we’re asking that they reinstate that old regulation and develop some disease certification standards.
 
I’d also like to point out that there is no evidence demonstrating that moving bumble bees outside of their native ranges is safe for wild bumble bees. Because there are no federal regulations in place regarding the interstate transport of bumble bees, commercial bumble bees are currently not inspected for diseases when they’re moved between states. Drs. Paul Williams and Juliet Osborne, in their 2009 review paper “Bumble bee vulnerability and conservation worldwide” (published in Apidologie), recommend: “Until proven safe, we recommend that live bumblebees should not be moved across continents or oceans for commercial pollination.” As an aside, APHIS does not allow bumble bees to be imported from other countries (except Canada); we support that regulation.
 
On other listserves, the issue of habitat loss affecting bumble bees has been raised. The Xerces Society recognizes that there are many issues that may negatively impact wild bumble bees, including disease, habitat loss, and pesticide use. However, the USDA-APHIS does not have the regulatory authority to address habitat loss or pesticide use threats, and thus our petition did not address those two issues. We do recognize that those issues may be important factors contributing to the decline of wild bumble bees, and we have been addressing them through our other pollinator conservation work. 

______________________________________________________
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
The Xerces Society is an international nonprofit organization that 
protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their 
habitat. To join the Society, make a contribution, or read about our 
work, please visit www.xerces.org.

Matthew Shepherd
Senior Conservation Associate
4828 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland, OR 97215, USA
Tel: 503-232 6639 Cell: 503-807 1577 Fax: 503-233 6794
Email: [log in to unmask] 
______________________________________________________


             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html

Access BEE-L directly at:
http://community.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-LSOFTDONATIONS.exe?A0=BEE-L