HONEYBEES AMPLIFY THREATS AGAINST NATIVE BEES

Abstract

Both native bee species and managed honeybees are being threatened by overlapping sets of causes such as changes to their environments and habitats, as well as increased usage of pesticides and other stressors. The increase in honeybee transport for agricultural pollination has increased honeybee mortality due to a combination of factors that ultimately lead to CCD. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service lists eight species of native bees listed as endangered, including the rusty patched bumble bee, Bombus affinis, and seven yellow faced bee species, Hylaeus sp., (FWS- Listed U.S. Species by Taxonomic Group - All Animals, n.d.). However, native bees may face additional harm from the presence of honeybees as well, even to the point of extinction. Conflict can arise when trying to protect both native species and honeybees due to the additional threats that honeybees, both managed and feral, can pose to native species. This review summarizes the threats to bee populations, how honeybees amplify these threats towards native species, and why native bee species are critical to protect. In order to better manage all threats, there needs to be reform in agricultural practices towards protecting and supporting the pollinators that crops rely on, as well as analysis of the consequences of different protection efforts. Seven different protection strategies and how they influence native bees, managed honeybees, and feral honeybees are diagramed to show the consequences of protection efforts. This review also demonstrates the importance of critical analysis of protection efforts due to the possibility of further harm to native bee populations.