The White House has joined the fight to save the American honeybee and other pollinators such as birds, bats and butterflies from decline to protect their vital work in sustaining the growth of fruits, nuts and vegetables.
President Barack Obama has unveiled a US government strategy involving a host of federal agencies to take measures to reverse the loss of pollinators and restore populations.
The honeybee population has been declining steadily for decades from six million colonies in 1947 to 2.5 million today, according to the US Department of Agriculture. The decline has been attributed to diseases, parasites, pesticides, pathogens and the loss of habitats.
Commercial beekeepers in the US have since 2006 reported bee colony losses over the winter months at far higher rates, from 10 to 15 per cent on average historically to 30 per cent.
Butterflies
The number of migrating Monarch butterflies fell to their lowest recorded population in 2013-14 and there is an “imminent risk of failed migration,” Mr Obama said in a statement issued on Friday.
The White House said that pollinators contribute more than $24 billion (€17.5 billion) to the value of agriculture crops every year, of which more than $15 billion is attributed to the honeybee.
The bee ensures the production of at least 90 commercially grown crops, including almonds, cranberries and avocados, on US farms.
California’s almond industry requires pollination from about 1.4 million beehives every year, or about 60 per cent of all beehives in the US. The state produces 80 per cent of the world’s almonds worth about $4.8 billion a year. The decline in bee colonies threatens that supply.
“The problem is serious and requires immediate attention to ensure the sustainability of our food production systems, avoid additional economic impact on the agricultural sector and protect the health of the environment,” said the president.
Taskforce
The Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency will lead a task force to determine why populations of bees, butterflies and other pollinators are declining, in particular to try to understand the reason behind the "colony-collapse disorder" among bees, and to take steps to conserve them.
Among the measures introduced are incentives for farmers and ranchers in Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin who set up new habitats for bees. The five states account for more than half of the commercially managed honeybees in the summer.
"American agricultural production relies on having a healthy honeybee population," said Tom Vilsack, the US agricultural secretary, announcing the $8 million conservation programme.
