Blue Calamintha Bee (Osmia calaminthae)

The Blue Calamintha Bee meets at least three of the criteria for being listed as an Endangered Species. This Bee is susceptible to endangerment due to habitat destruction and overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes. It is also vulnerable to disease and predations as well as other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence. The main threat the Blue Calamintha Bee is facing is the destruction and modification of its habitat. This habitat is primarily in southern Florida, the area to which the Bee is endemic (Kyle 2015).

Scientists have been monitoring the Bee for some time, yet it has only been observed in unprotected areas and scattered undeveloped subdivision lots (Lethbridg 2015). Thus leading to insufficient data to calculate the exponential growth or decline, in order to create a management plan for the revival of the endangered Bee. Therefore, it is labeled as “potentially an endangered species,” since the immense scale of destruction and alteration to the coastal habitat has already eliminated the Bee from that habitat (Rightmyer et al. 2011). Alteration to the environment creates a disruption to the migration and genetic diversity in the ecosystem. The Bee is a keystone species which relies on the fire-dependent plant called Calamintha ashei. This plant has substantially decreased in the southeastern United States due to lower fire rate, conversion of habitat to pine plantations, developments, and agriculture.

By looking further into reviving the Calamintha ashei into the inland of southern Florida, a good management plan can be created. Starting off with a model of the areas where the plant can be safely burned would be ideal. Certain forests which are maintained by controlled fires already, such as Frenchman’s Forest, can provide an ideal natural preserve for the plant and the Bee. The Bee’s current habitat of Lake Wales Ridge, is the fastest declining ecosystem in the United States according to the Fish and Wild Life Service (2015). A management plan to protect the main habitat of Lake Wales Ridge, should be implemented. Since over 85% of the land has converted to citrus farms, commercial and residential developments, it is unlikely to revert the area back to its original ecosystem (Lethbridg 2015). However, preserving this land would not be enough for the endangered Bee to reproduce diversely.

Although part of managing the Bee is to create natural preserves like Lake Wales Ridge Wildlife and Environmental Areas, it is a Category Ib under the IUCN Protected Area Management Categories. This means that SFWS manages this area mainly for wilderness protection (Lethbridg 2015). This ecosystem has a large population of Calamintha ashei to feed the Osmia calaminthae Bee, however the site is unfenced and subject to pesticide drift from nearby orange farms. Since the natural preserve is acting as the last remaining ecosystem, it needs to be protected as much as possible. The first thing to do for this area is to build a buffer zone to protect the Calamintha ashei. A buffer zone could include planting more emergent vegetation, riparian bushes and trees. These will dilute any pesticide spray that may reach the Calamintha ashei and protect the Bee. The other protected site within the Lake, Holmes Avenue Preserve, has a large population of Calamintha ashei, but is also unfenced and unprotected. This area is subject to destructive use by off-road vehicles and needs to be protected with a fence and a buffer zone. The buffer zone should consist of shrubs and grasses as well as trees, surrounded by a metal fence with barbed wire. If this fence is implemented, anthropogenic impact may lessen significantly enough to protect the Bee’s natural habitat.

Due to so much destruction in recent years, habitat loss has impacted the genetic diversity of the Osmia calaminthae. This leads to potential inbreeding and vulnerability to disease. At this point, the best management plan would be captive breeding and reintroduction of both the Osmia calaminthae Bee and creating corridors of Calamintha ashei to increase biodiversity. These corridors can link reserve networks between buffer zones of shrubs throughout the forests. They can be placed along entrances to housing developments, as well as parking lots. They can even be grown in urban farms in each city as a basil plant. Moreover, contractors can arrange an agreement to remove unsightly cabbages that serve no purpose for any pollinators in general, and replace them with a more aesthetic Calamintha ashei. By creating corridors of the Calamintha ashei plant, it alleviates the migration for the Bee to travel through housing developments and parking lots. This is especially a good idea since it is not enough to just put buffers and a fence around a nature preserve since it is decreasing at an exponential rate. The Bee’s need as much of an option for food areas as possible if they want to increase genetic diversity and repopulation. All of these management options at this point are necessary if the Osmia calaminthae is to survive. There are more studies needed to be conducted before congress would be able to establish a plan. However, time is running out for the Bee and it is only a matter of time before other pollinators are affected as well.

It is known that the approach to create a captive breeding and reintroduction program is an expensive one. However, at this time it is imperative to do both habitat reproduction and species breeding. Due to the recentness of this crisis, the Bee is close to being completely extinct if careful measures are not implemented quickly. The best way to begin conserving the biodiversity of this Bee is by reducing the risk of further loss. As mentioned before, due to severe loss of genetic diversity in the Osmia calaminthae, genetic diseases are likely to occur. An inexpensive and effective way to create a captive breeding program is through a back yard breeding management plan. Stake holders can implement an easy way of creating a mini-ecosystem for the Bee, right in the community. By educating enough volunteers, civil scientists and interested workers to create a Calamintha Bee haven in their own neighborhood, the Bee will have a higher chance of surviving through genetic diversity and repopulation. This will cut extensive costs at the level of laboratory use and perhaps give funded opportunities for schools to participate and learn about the importance of conservation.

In addition to Lake Wales Ridge habitat, sufficient populations of the Blue Calamintha Bee’s host plant, as well as areas between the host plant populations, must be protected as a critical habitat. This will allow the species which is flight limited, to migrate between populations. By migrating between populations, it will reconnect to its metapopulational structure, which means it will be able to return to the queen for more reproduction and food source. It will also allow for potential expansion of the Bee’s current range through re-colonization, reintroduction, and translocation of the Bee to prevent genetic inbreeding disorders. This will also prevent the possibility of destructive events such as human interference, and increase the species resilience to changes in the environment. The primary threat facing the Bee is the increase of environmental destruction and modification of its only known habitat at Lake Wales Ridge. The petition for a ban or restriction on agricultural, residential, and commercial developments is another suggestion that may protect the Bee. The development to the area is expected to increase due to the increase of population size, constituting more threats to the biodiversity of the ecosystem. The other threat is the agricultural boom of citrus farms. It is difficult and nearly impossible to eliminate the agriculture industry in south Florida. The habitat is at stake from increased pesticide and herbicide drift. There are alternatives which are able to be proposed, such as safe pest deterrents like neem oil and lavender gardens. In addition to safe pest control, farm industries should be educated on how rare the Bee is in the area in order to have a positive and appreciative approach to the value of the species. Due to a constrained habitat, the Bee’s need as much biodiversity and understanding of their habitat survival and vulnerability to threats as possible.

Stake holders such as SFWS, Nature Serve, ESA and Defenders must recognize the fact that the Bee is also globally imperiled in a critical habitat. The ESA defines the term “critical habitat” to mean the specific areas within the geographical area occupied by the species which may require special management. More information on whether disease or any other threats are currently harming the Bee as well. Since the Bee is in Florida where disasters are common such as hurricanes, it is considered a stochastic vulnerability (Fish and Wildlife Service 2016). Hurricane damage can severely imperil the colony leaving many Bee’s dead. Stake holders may consider relocating the Bee’s habitat to a more northern region such as Georgia, where a hurricane may be buffered, and considered a “safe zone” for the Bee. The other problem is fire damage to colonies. It is a catch-22 to whether the Bee is able to survive without the Calamintha Ashe, if the plant does not undergo the fires it needs. The plant will not regenerate properly without fires, and fires kill the Bee. Perhaps if more studies were conducted on what other plants the Bee can survive from that is not fire necessary, would be ideal for the Bee’s survival.

All hope is not yet lost for the Osmia calaminthae since conservation planners, land managers, researchers, and educators are working diligently on restoring the Bee’s habitat. So far over 51% of the protected areas along Lake Wales Ridge is endemic-rich xeric uplands. The xeric upland communities are protected and studies have shown that 21 federally listed plant species are protected and narrowly endemic (Turner et al. 2006). The USFWS as well as the ESA are being urged constantly to protect the Bee’s habitat, and results are slowly displayed as information is delivered upon developers around Lake Wales Ridge. This leads to an optimistic view point that people do care more about the health of their environment rather than the income being produced from developments.

Some practical steps that can be made today is creating community gardens that act as conservation safe zones. They will add biodiversity to all pollinators, connectivity and a communion within the civil environmental activists close to home. The gardens, will be created using the Calmintha Ashe and other similar basil plants, in urban and suburban areas where green spaces are becoming fewer. School gardens are also going to be encouraged to participate, and perhaps gain federal money to help restore the Bee’s habitat. This way gardens can become a common place where children can learn about where their food comes from, how it comes to be there by learning about endangered species, ecology, pollination, and general nutrition. The benefit of a basil garden is to become an outdoor laboratory for environmental education of local residents, scientists and educators. The places for biological and ecological research can improve neighborhoods by bringing people together and providing a sense of community at a sufficiently low cost. Overall this can contribute to conservation of Osmia calaminthae, especially when utilizing the native plant for its habitat is proliferated in various locations, acting as corridors and increasing genetic diversity. Other native bees may also visit the garden and restore that current ecosystem. Scientists can design gardens to be easily taken care of and self-maintained to attract native bee species successfully. This will not only allow Bees to forage for pollen and nectar from flowers, but will also find spaces to nest, either in the ground or in existing cavities, regenerating bee colonies. Existing gardens and landscapes in developments have the potential to be modified to become more pollinator-friendly, specifically to cater to the Osmia calaminthae.

References

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