THREATS TO TEXAS BUMBLEBEES: Our native bees are in 
danger [08 ��like bumblebees.�]� ahead on Passport to Texas. 

This is Passport to Texas

We all know about colony collapse disorder whereby 
colonies of European honeybees seem to vanish. 

05�Less well known are the threats facing a lot of our native bumblebees. 

Michael Warriner is an invertebrate biologist with a soft spot 
for native bumblebees. Like other native wildlife species in 
Texas, habitat loss is taking its toll on native bumblebees. 

09�Bumblebees need open, flower-rich habitat�like grasslands. And, a lot 
of that habitat�s been converted to agriculture.

Warriner says pesticide use is another concern, but the 
threats to these big black and yellow insects doesn�t stop 
there.

12�And also, there�s been the importation of bumblebees from Europe 
into this country which has brought in parasites and diseases that may be 
impacting them. So, there�s a lot of concern how they�re faring in North 
America.

One of the threats to Texas bumblebees might actually be 
honeybees, which have colonies in the tens of thousands 
compared to the hundreds of insects in a bumblebee colony.

19�Honeybees have these tens of thousands of workers, and so they can 
go out and monopolize a flower resource�like nectar or pollen�and that 
reduces what�s available for our native bees. And there�s some research 
that suggests that the presence of honeybees in natural sites can reduce 
native bees.

We�ll have the potential impact from bumblebee decline 
tomorrow.

That�s our show for today�The WR program supports our 
series�For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I�m Cecilia Nasti




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