It never rains , but it rain buckets . Only last weekit was announcedthat the US Fish and Wildlife Service was see list a species of bee under the Endangered Species Act for the very first sentence . Now it seems that the rusty patched bumblebeehas been outwit to the finish note , as anothersevenspecies of bee , all of which are only found on Hawaii , have this week been formally put on the listing , as recommended byThe Xerces Society .
The bees in question are scandalmongering - faced bees , and are theonly native bee specieson Hawaii . From a unmarried species of insect that must have made the initial ocean crossing long before man got there , there are now 63 species of white-livered - faced bees on the islands . With no other bee live on on the archipelago to compete with , the yellow - face up bee develop to exploit all the islands habitats , from the shoreline to the alpine comeupance , and all the unlike timber types in between . But this closing off and specialism has made them extremely vulnerable .
Of the 63 original species , nine have not been seen in the last yr and are thought to be nonextant , while seven are sufficiently jeopardize that they arenow considered endangered . The terror face by the tireless slight insect are wide-ranging , but many relate to human being altering the native vegetation that the bees rely on . An increment in forest fires coupled with the foundation of non - aboriginal plants has deepen the succession of habitats , while cattle and goats falsify the grasslands , and even the introduction of nightcrawler has shifted the local nutrient balance in forests .
The yellow - faced bees almost exclusively prey on native plants , so as these are fragmented and touch , the bees feel the effects . Not only that , but the introduction of emmet has also had a negative impact , as they do n’t just prey on the bees , they outcompete them for the ambrosia . These factors have all taken their cost on the species , something that The Xerces Society has been try out to document . In fact , it has taken them10 year of studyand campaigning to in the end get the bees federal aegis .
While things are not appear swell for the seven species now list ( not all coinage of bee , as some web site have report ) , it is not all bad word . The increment in research has in reality wangle to turn up even more species of chickenhearted - faced bees , with 11 new species described in the last 15 years alone . Either direction , more protection needs to be give to the unique flora and animate being of Hawaii to ensure it is not further damage by human interference .
