Wild bees are disappearing in some of the nation’s most crucial agricultural areas – a phenomenon that may have devastating effects on crops such as blueberries, almonds and apples. That’s the conclusion of researchers at the University of Vermont’s Gund Institute for Ecological Economics, who have prepared the first national map of bee populations in response to a 2014 White House memo calling for a “national assessment of wild pollinators and their habitats.”
Their research is further confirmation that something is causing a rapid decline in wild bee populations in the United States – a decline which could soon begin having noticeable effects in terms of prices and availability of the many foods which depend on wild bee pollination, while negatively impacting the agricultural industry in general. From the researchers’ report: “If losses of these crucial pollinators continue, the new nationwide assessment indicates that farmers will face increasing costs — and that the problem may even destabilize the nation’s crop production.” FULL REPORT
