A First for Bees

Their importance to plant life is uncontested, yet their survival is uncertain.  Here is a start, in Hawaii, for a limited number of species.

After years of study, the US Fish and Wildlife Service have placed seven species of Hawaiian yellow-faced bees on the endangered species list, the first time any bee have received such classification.

The bees are native to Hawaii, and have been declining for a number of years due to intrusion from non-native plants and animals, as well as habitat destruction due to urban development. Scientists note that these bees are an integral to the Hawaiian ecosystem as pollinators, and that they are “critical for maintaining the health of plants and other animals across the islands,” according to conservation and restoration team manager Gregory Koob, of the Fish and Wildlife Service in Honolulu.

But, as we wrote in May, food production in America’s most vital agricultural region could be dramatically impacted by our failure to protect bees.