Bee Species Outnumber Mammals And Birds Combined

Tag : Natural Bee Honey

"The bee taxonomic community came together and completed thefirst global checklist of bee names since 1896," says Ascher."Most people know of honey bees and a few bumble bees, but wehave documented that there are actually more species of bees thanof birds and mammals put together."
The list of bee names finished by Ascher and colleagues was placedonline by John Pickering of the University of Georgia throughcomputer applications that linked all names to Discover Lifespecies pages, a searchable taxonomic classification for all bees,and global maps for all genera and species. Ascher and colleaguesrecently reviewed all valid names from his checklist and from thoseof experts from all over the world for the World Bee Checklistproject led by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum ofNatural History and available online ( http://www.itis.gov ).
The bee checklists were developed as a key component of theMuseum's Bee Database Project initiated in 2006 by Ascher andJerome G. Rozen, Jr., Curator of bees at the Museum, and withtechnical support from Curator Randall Schuh. A primary goal ofthis project is to document floral and distributional records forall bees, including now obscure species that may someday becomesignificant new pollinators for our crops. The vast majority ofknown bee species are solitary, primitively social, or parasitic.
These bees do not make honey or live in hives but are essentialpollinators of crops and native plants. Honey is made by nearly 500species of tropical stingless bees in addition to the well-knownhoney bee Apis mellifera. Honey bees are the most economicallyimportant pollinators and are currently in the news because ofcolony collapse disorder, an unexplained phenomenon that is wipingout colonies throughout the United States.
The crises facing traditionally managed pollinators like honey beeshighlight the need for more information about bee species and theirinteractions with the plants they pollinate. The National Academyof Sciences identified improved taxonomic data on bees as a highpriority, and the new online bee checklists, maps, and otherdatabases have for the first time made comprehensive data readilyaccessible.
The checklists compiled by Ascher and colleagues facilitate ongoingdatabasing of the Museum's worldwide collections of more than400,000 bee specimens. Funding was provided by Robert G. Goelet,Chairman Emeritus of the Museum's Board of Trustees.