08-17-14 Abundant bees - Eagle River, Alaska, USA
Observation: There are several unusual environmental things this summer in Eagle River. We raise a lot of flowers and all during the summer we have noticed an abundance of bees. It’s not just in our neighborhood; a local TV* station also had a story on the large number of bees in SC Alaska. That is a very good thing because of their role in pollination. The other observation is a huge increase in birch seeds late this summer. In our 20 years here we have never seen so many. They are abundant & cover driveways, roads, sidewalks. I wonder if this is related to the increase in bees. Also just over the past 2 weeks leaf minors have struck a lot of birch trees. It has been rather dry this month and I wonder if this might account for the leaf minor infestation. The increase in the bee population will help improve farm produce and garden yields. Mike Bradley
Consult: John Lundquist from U.S. Forest Service states, "Use of insect pests as bio-indicators of climate change: Because of its unique geographic position at the northern edge of various forest types where ecosystems are notably sensitive to changing environment, the subarctic forests of Alaska and other circumpolar regions worldwide are vulnerable to changes in large-scale environmental conditions, including, of course, climate change. Since most insects are sensitive to temperature, they will probably play a major role in shifting vegetation dynamics resulting from such environmental events."
LEO says: Alaska's primary pollinators are native bumble bees, sweat bees andrenid bees, wasps and moths according to the USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service, an Introduction to Alaska Insects Pollinators). The USFWS, Alaska Pollinators provides a guide titled, Select Bumblebee Species of Alaska.
The Amber-Marked Birch leaf miner (Profenusa thomsoni), Birch Leafminer (Fenusa pusilla), and Late Birch Leaf Edgeminer Leaf miner (Heterarthrus nemoratus) are three known species of insects in Alaska since around 1996 with a total of 5 species in the US. John Lundquist. (2012). link. In US Forest Service Research & Development. Retrieved 8-21-14.
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