washington—native bees contribute an estimated $3.5 billion to the u.s. economy each year, but their dwindling numbers must be addressed to avoid possible extinction of some species, department of agriculture officials said june 28.

among all native, or u.s.-born, bee species, more than half—about 750—are declining in population and nearly one in four is imperiled and at increasing risk of extinction, a recent study by the center for biological diversity said.

the prolific pollinators are vital to natural ecosystems and enhance the yield of fruits, vegetables, nuts, specialty crops, horticultural plants, and native wildflowers. commercial tomato growers rely heavily on native bees to pollinate their crops, said mary purcell of the national institute of food and agriculture.

“when we are counting the density of native bees in a crop, we are finding significantly more yield, and we are talking about native bees that are local to an area, to a region, and are the most prolific for that season,” said dave hunter of crown bees, a washington-based beekeeping business.

“the world resource institute suggests that between 2016 and 2050 the world needs 69 percent more calories,” he said, “and we can do that with bees.”

president barack obama’s landmark 2014 pollinator memorandum created a task force from the usda, the environmental protection agency, and a dozen other government agencies, to work together on a plan to restore the native bee population. the 2018 farm bill specifies $75 million for the creation and implementation of the plan.

in 2015, the task force released its research plan to “develop baseline data, assess trends in pollinator populations, expand bee identification capacities, and expand collaboration between government and university scientists.”

the government accountability office issued a report last year that concluded, ‘‘the usda has increased monitoring of honey bee colonies managed by beekeepers to better estimate losses nationwide but does not have a mechanism in place to coordinate the monitoring of wild, native bees.”

this year, the usda and others are holding meetings to gather outside testimony as the task force finalizes its plan, pending funding from the farm bill.

at a recent meeting, university of virginia graduate student kathryn lecroy emphasized the importance of the citizen scientist in monitoring bee losses.

“we engaged 98 citizen scientists throughout virginia, with participants using pan trap data and trap nesting data,” lecroy said. “the … study reveals that virginians are passionate about bee data and the demand for more knowledge on bees is strong. they are very interested to see the full results of our study when they come out.”

to get the needed nationwide data, studies like lecroy’s need to be standardized and conducted in every state because there are many species of bees to tabulate and only a handful of bee experts to evaluate the samples, said jonathan mawdsley, science advisor at the association of fish and wildlife agencies.

the task force next will meet with scientists and farmers as it aims to create a standardized method of tracking native bees.

roof to table takes it to the next level. literally. not just one, but a few levels up: to the roof. all it takes is a smartphone — and the youtube app. 

this 360° video puts the power in your hands. because up here, you’re not alone. look up, look down, look all around. it’s buzzing with life. 

the roof’s no longer over your head, but the food’s still on the table — for now.

where’s it going? follow it from roof to table. suit up and join us. and when you’re done, shout “hey honey” across the room because they’ll want to experience this too.

go ahead — see for yourself. this is moving the planet forward.

pretty difficult, right?

that sort of situation actually isn’t too far away from the predicament that we are currently in. these foods, along with countless others, are all foods that are pollinated by bees.

those tiny little yellow and black critters that sting are a vital part to our diets? yep.

to make the problem worse, these hard-working bees are dying at a rapid rate like no one has ever seen before. scientists call this colony collapse disorder, and they believe a multitude of factors contribute to it: such as, pesticide exposure, invasive parasitic mites, an inadequate food supply, and a new virus. according to the natural resources defense council, the u.s. could lose $15 billion worth of crops without bees to pollinate them, and imagine the consequences that this could have on your own health! if you care about eating healthy food, you should care about bees.

so, what can you do to help save the bees?

1. plant things that bees like. for bees, certain flowers are yummier than others. for example, they prefer flowers that are blue purple or yellow. some crops also do better than others. planting the right flowers help feed bees better.
2. eliminate garden pesticides. pesticides are bad for humans. they’re worse for bees. try to use organic gardening strategies so that bees are unaffected by pesticides.
3. provide bee habitat. just like us, bees need places to live. beekeeping is rapidly becoming a new hobby to many. additionally, bees can live in a lot of places—even cities.