Saturday, February 4th, several members from the Biodiversity Club were able to attend an excellent program on Michigan’s native bumblebees. The program was put on by the Land Conservancy of West Michigan, an organization of over 2,200 members protecting thousands of acres of land from the eight counties of west Michigan. It was held at the Howard Christensen Nature Center in Kent City, a land preserve protected by the LCWM. Before the program started, we were able to look around the different displays in the conference building at the nature center. Then Michelle Harris, a coordinator for the organization, gave a brief run-down of the Land Conservancy and its various programs. Jacqueline, the stewardship coordinator, then presented the program on bumblebees and their adaptations to thrive in Michigan’s climate. Did you know that bumblebees rapidly vibrate their wings to help heat their bodies, much like we would shiver? Did you know that they practice a special type of pollen-gathering technique called “buzz pollination,” where they cling upside down to a flower and shake it to force the pollen to fall out onto their hairy bodies, making them the only type of insect able to pollinate tomato plants? Did you know that bumblebees smell with their antennae, and actually develop individual taste preferences for certain flowers? Jackie also covered the decline of bumblebee populations caused by a decrease in habitats (there’s no sources of food for bumblebees to forage in massive cornfields or completely urbanized areas), overuse of pesticides and herbicides, and diseases brought in from bumblebees used to commercially pollinate greenhouse-grown produce. Afterwards, Jackie opened up the presentation for questions, which ranged from general physiology and phenology of bumblebees to conservation and safe pesticides.
Pictures from the event to come!
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