Bug Banter with the Xerces Society

• Protecting Bees from Pesticides: Why EPA Regulations Need to Change

  The United States Environmental Protection Agency, also known as the EPA, is tasked with regulating pesticides to protect people and the environment from their impacts. To test these impacts, the EPA uses honey bees. This might seem reasonable, but the honey bee is not native to North America and its social colony structure is unique and not representative of the thousands of native species of bees in the United States. The reliance on the honey bee for testing has profound implications for the safety of our native bees and other pollinators, given their vastly different life histories.Joining us to cover this topic are Aimee Code from the Xerces Society and Sharmeen Morrison from Earthjustice. Aimee is Xerces’s pesticide program director. She and her staff evaluate the risks of pesticides, develop technical guidance, and advocate for actions that reduce reliance on and risks of pesticide use in both urban and agricultural settings. Sharmeen is a senior associate attorney with Earthjustice’s Biodiversity Defense Program, which engages in national litigation to confront the major drivers of biodiversity loss. In this role, she has worked to protect manatees in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon, golden-cheeked warblers in Texas Hill Country, and insect pollinators nationwide. Together, Aimee and Sharmeen are working to change how the EPA regulates pesticides.Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

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• Monarch Conservation: Tracking Migration with Rice-Sized Technology

  The monarch butterfly is popular and currently in the news a lot. You might think that we know all there is to know about it, but there are many mysteries remaining, particularly about their migration and how they use their habitat. This may be more so for the western population that overwinters in California. Radio tracking has long been used for studying the movement and habitat use of bigger animals. Advances in this technology mean it is emerging as a tool that can provide scientists with some answers about tiny animals too.To explore how radio tracking — also called radio telemetry — can be used with monarchs, we are joined by Ashley Fisher. Ashley is an endangered species conservation biologist and a monarch overwintering specialist with the Xerces Society. Based near the overwintering sites in California, Ashley manages Xerces’ overwintering habitat database and helps facilitate research projects, working with Xerces partnering organizations and universities. She also works with local land managers in communities along the central coast of California to provide guidance on the management and restoration of overwintering sites.Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

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  40:58
• Insects in the Balance: Why Monitoring Matters

  Bees, butterflies, beetles — populations of almost any group of insects you can name seem to be falling. But how do we know they are falling, how can we find out how well insects are doing? Monitoring is an essential tool for understanding the abundance and distribution of species, as well as how they respond to conservation efforts.To explore this further, we are talking with Matt Forister, professor of biology and insect ecology in the Biology Department at the University of Nevada, Reno. He has studied butterflies and other insects in the western US for the last 20 years, and has published more than 100 journal articles and book chapters on issues that include insects adapting to exotic plants and butterflies responding to a changing climate. Matt is also a long-time scientific advisor to the Xerces Society and our staff have undertaken several research projects with his lab.Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

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  42:25
• The Power of Policy: Insect Protection Through State Authority

  In one of our first episodes we spoke with Sarina Jepsen, the director of our Endangered Species team, about what it means for a species to be federally listed, specifically through the Endangered Species Act. However, species can also be listed through individual states, but not all states are the same, and some states don’t have legislation to protect insects. It is an interesting story!Joining us to talk about the importance of a state’s authority to protect insects are Kevin Burls and Rosemary Malfi. As Xerces’ Director of Conservation Policy, Rosemary supports and advocates for policy solutions at the local, state, and federal levels that promote the health and conservation of invertebrate species. Presently, Rosemary is leading Xerces’ campaign to pass legislation to define insects as wildlife in states where they are omitted from this definition under the law. Rosemary holds a Doctorate in environmental sciences with a background in native pollinator protection and pesticide policy reform.Kevin is one of Xerces Endangered Species Conservation Biologists. His work includes collaborating with land managers and scientists to understand the conservation needs of butterfly species, then advocating for their protection by crafting conservation guidelines and legislation with agencies and policy makers at the regional, state, and federal levels. Kevin holds a Doctorate in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology with a background in western butterflies and other native pollinators, and science education.Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

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  35:50
• The Secret Lives of San Diego Zoo Insects

  Many of us likely have childhood memories of a zoo visit: gibbons swinging above us, lions pacing, a polar bear taking a plunge. Zoos also can play an important role in conservation, particularly for insects. One example is the work done at the San Diego Zoo to help invertebrates by solving mysteries about their habitat and life cycle needs, in some cases bringing back species on the brink of extinction.Joining us to talk about this work is Paige Howorth. Paige leads the Entomology Department at the San Diego Zoo, where she is involved with the day-to-day care of dozens of species of insects, arachnids, and other invertebrates in the zoo’s collection, as well as leading conservation programs for rare species. In addition, Paige serves on the steering committee of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Terrestrial Invertebrate Taxon Advisory Group and co-leads the AZA SAFE (save animals from extinction) program for the North American monarch butterfly. She’s also been a collaborator with Xerces for many years.Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

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