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 *********** REPLY SEPARATOR *********** 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 Email: [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________ 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 ______________________________________________________ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::