University of Vermont
BBC News
Cheerios "Bring Back the Bees" map
Cartography
of the Disappearing Honeybee
Each
year $3 billion of the United States economy depends on pollination from native
pollinators such as wild bees. A recent
study proves the fear that wild bees are disappearing, which could lead to
decreased U.S. crop production.
Ironically,
the disappearance of the wild bees is related to increased crop
production. According to Bee Culture.com, “the decline of bees
may be caused by the conversion of bee habitat into cropland. In 11 key states where the map shows bees in
decline, the amount of land tilled to grow corn spiked by 200% in five years,
replacing grasslands and pastures that once supported bee populations.”
A
University of Vermont study of wild bees indicated a mismatch between a
diminishing supply of bees and a rising demand on crop pollination. The study estimates that wild bee abundance
declined in 23% of the contiguous United States from 2008 to 2013. Commercial honeybee keepers and pollination
services have faced increased demand, so wild bees are even more important.
Nearly
40% of the croplands in the country depend on pollinators. Globally 66% of the most important crops
either benefit from or require pollinators, including coffee, cacao, and many
fruits and vegetables.
The
University of Vermont study’s map above identifies 139 counties in critical
regions for agriculture: California’s
Central Valley, the Pacific Northwest, the corn belt of the Midwest and Great
Plains, west Texas, and the Mississippi River valley. Even less pollinator-dependent crops like
soybeans and cotton are grown in large quantities in these areas. The most pollinator-dependent crops are
threatened in these areas—pumpkins, peaches, apples, blueberries, watermelons,
plums, and almonds.
The
BBC map of bee abundance was created by combining a number of databases with
expert opinion. The map shows bee
abundance in 2013 with a darker blue color.
Conservation
of bee habitats is the best solution, including incentives for farmers to grow
more pollinator-dependent crops and decreased production of crops produced for
biofuels. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service encourages Americans everywhere to plant pollinator gardens of
wildflowers, even in window boxes in urban environments.
Companies
that are consumers of bee-related products are also getting involved with the
conservation of wild bees. Burt’s Bees
is a popular lip balm and beauty products company. The founder was actually a beekeeper. The company has supported pollinator health
through research, education, conservation, and grants and supports of community
projects. In 2016, the company launched
the “Bring Back the Bees” campaign, which created more than 10,000 acres of
healthy honeybee forage.
General
Mills, maker of Honey Nut Cheerios, exceeded its goal of giving away 100
million seeds this year. The company
gave away 1.5 billion wildflower seeds through a successful social media “Bring Back the Bees” campaign. The map above
shows the locations of customers receiving the seeds.
