PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
I
Inside This Issue
How the Price Tariffs Affect Business
The ‘No Problem’ Problem
Are Metal Roofs Really Noisier in the Rain?
Why Metal Costs More Than Shingles
Save the Bees
Spring is officially here. The grass is green again, trees have regrown their leaves, and flowers are emerging from the earth. Busy bees are ready to pollinate the new blossoms, but sadly, the rusty patched bumblebee may not be around to pollinate much longer. Bumblebees are a small species of bee native to much of the Northern Hemisphere. There are 250 species of bumblebees in the world, and the rusty patched bumblebee is one of 47 species native to North America. Most bumblebees have larger body sizes and denser hairs than other bees. This makes it possible for them to remain active in cool temperatures, low light levels, and high elevations. Rusty patched bumblebees are “buzz pollinators,” which means they cling tightly to their flowers and vibrate their flight muscles to collect pollen. In this way, the bees pollinate blueberries, cranberries, clover, and tomatoes. SAVE THE BEES Populations Are Decreasing, but You Can Help!
87 percent since the 1990s. Experts now consider the rusty patched bumblebee to be on the brink of extinction.
Though it can take years to place an animal on the endangered species list, President Obama made the rusty patched bumblebee a priority by placing it on the list in January 2017. The reasons for the bee’s decline are not fully understood, but it is hypothesized that habitat loss, diseases, parasites, pesticides, pollution, and climate change may have something to do with it. Thankfully, not all hope is lost. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has some ideas about how the public can help stop the bee’s decline. Individuals can plant native flowers, limit their use of pesticides, and avoid cutting grass and garden plants after summer to provide a habitat for bees during the winter. This, along with the critically endangered species status, may prevent the bee from extinction and even increase future populations.
Once ranging from North Dakota to Maine and Quebec, and as far south as Georgia, the bee’s population has declined by
Central Michigan Roofing | (269) 758-3330 4
Did you know that honey is the only natural food that never spoils?
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online