The European bumblebee: 10 reasons why it must stop its proliferation in Chile
22/08/2018
Although the presence of the so-called "European bumblebee" (Bombus terrestris) in Chilean territory is not alien for many years, its practically uncontrolled expansion has ignited alarms within the scientific community of the country.
Specialists of the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB) of the University of Los Lagos released this week a document in which they review 11 recommendations that should be taken into account to keep at bay the expansion of the insect.
Cecilia Smith, spokesperson for the IEB, and part of the team that wrote the report, highlights the importance of becoming aware of the ecological damage caused by the entry of the European bumblebee in Chile.
- It could generate new genotypes of Bombus terrestris: One of the things that most worries the team of experts of the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB) of the University of Los Lagos is that new types of the insect are formed, and this, in turn, allows it to establish itself more successfully in diverse climates of Chile and Latin America. They advance that certain investigations have allowed them to know the high structuring and genetic differentiation in "feral" populations of the animal. That data, they continue, makes them suspect the great colonizing potential of the spice, more than 20 years of its introduction to the country.
- Create new strains of diseases: The IEB researchers demonstrated in a study carried out in 2014 that the bumblebee parasite called Crithidia bombi has shown a greater genetic diversity, which translates into a greater genetic variety over time. Likewise, they detail that between the 2004 and the 2012 the growth in the heterozygosity of the insect was observed, besides that its population is structured by remote isolation..
- It supposes problems of sobrepolinización: The presence of European bumble bees in Chile is "high", the scientists stress. This translates, they say, into the entry of hundreds of thousands of queens or colonies each year, which, in turn, doubles the number of insects in the areas where they have been established. When such a scenario occurs, it is when the problems in the crops are noticed. They speak of Mapuche communities that, for example, have stopped planting beans because bumblebees destroy their flowers. They also mention the damage to flowers of raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and even in apricot plantations.
- Your colonies do not increase yields: Contrary to what is believed, the Bombus terrestris it does not suppose any added value in the production of fruits and seeds of diverse crops, either in the greenhouse or in the field. In Chile it has become accustomed to insert hives of the European bumblebee, which has been considered "redundant". That is why they warn that it is a fallacy to want to place more colonies of bees "just in case", because in no way would it be talking about greater production. In the same way, it is established as an error to base the experience in Chile with what is done in Europe, where there is no overpopulation of the insect.
- They steal the nectar of native plants: The Bombus terrestris destroys the base of the flower's chalice, that is, steals it. This occurs mostly in plants that have longer, narrower flowers that produce nectar. Then, when taking the nectar from the flower, it does not allow it to carry out the pollination process, and therefore it brings with it a failure in the production of its seeds, and, consequently, in its production.
- It threatens the native bumblebee: Between the European bumblebee and the native one a process of transmission of diseases takes place that of course had not been evidenced before when the species of the "old continent" did not exist. This new "system" has made the European bumblebee turn the local into its repository of parasites, which puts it above the native species, and its recovery could be compromised.
- Threatens to expand throughout the continent: Only in South America are 42 species recorded Bombus. Of that total, 14 are in Peru, 12 in Bolivia and seven in Argentina. Before the panorama, the scientific forecasts estimate that the insect could arrive to Uruguay, Paraguay, and even to some zones of the south center of Brazil, specifically in the Atlantic coast. The situation would look serious, since the insect would put at risk the affected ecosystem services of local pollination generating socio-environmental and eventually political damage.
- The control measures are insufficient: IEB researchers believe that the methods of control of the European bumblebee are becoming insufficient, despite the commitments of social and business responsibility that have been agreed. They give as an example the case of Japan, a country where 2001 experienced a similar situation, and thanks to a control process, 21.000 copies of the European bumblebee were eliminated until the 2006 year. It only takes a little more consciousness to attack it, they say.
- It would suppose the disappearance of other species: The presence of Bombus terrestris represents such a threat that there is already talk of the possible extinction of Bombus dahlbomii. To be understood better, the scientists insist, this would mean a "catastrophe" for the ecosystem service, as well as an irreparable loss for the country's biodiversity. This species also represents the indigenous ethnic groups.
- They should not be used as an alternative to pollination in greenhouses: In Chile there are several species of native bumblebees that can be used for this task, so requesting the import of the European variation would not be necessary, specialists warn. They review the fact that in Chile there are several species of native humming bees that can be used in crops. These species could be used cultivated or use the same that naturally exist. Attracting these native bees to crops or greenhouses (semi-open) is probably mediated by the existence of corridors of vegetation through which they can move and use their habitat. The use of these species in closed greenhouses does not occur due to lack of knowledge and technology.
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