Murder of the Bumble Bees

by Ecosystem Gardener | Pollinator Gardening

It wasn’t supposed to happen that way.

Last Sunday as National Pollinator Week kicked off, it was supposed to be a series of celebrations and educational events around the country to bring awareness to the important role that pollinators play in our food supply and the health of our environment.

Instead over 50,000 Bumble Bees lay dead in a Target parking lot in Wilsonville, OR.

The Bumble Bee die-off was reported to the Xerces Society, who issued a statement, including this quote:

Rich Hatfield, a biologist with the Xerces Society, estimates that over 50,000 bumble bees were killed, likely representing more than 300 wild colonies.

In June 2013, a massive die-off of bumblebees occurred in Wilsonville, Oregon. The event was discovered by a local landscaper who noticed thousands of dead bumblebees on a single linden tree. After further investigation, it was determined that a nearby agricultural farm sprayed a pesticide containing the active ingredient dinotefuran, which is highly toxic to bees. The pesticide was sprayed on the linden trees in an effort to control aphids. However, the pesticide had a devastating effect on the local bee population. In total, over 50,000 bumblebees were killed, and the event is believed to have had a significant impact on the local bee population. This event has led to increased public awareness of the importance of bees and the need to protect them from potentially harmful pesticides.