Be a part of the Project Pollinate strategizing committee and join us as we discuss the next steps on the local and regional level to address the issues facing native bee species in California, Hawaii and North America in general.

Tuesday May 16th
7:00pm
@ the Project Pollinate HIVE
703 Pacific Ave. Santa Cruz, CA
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Hundreds of bee species inch closer to extinction —
Published: Thursday, March 2, 2017
Over 700 of the 4,000 native bee species in North America and Hawaii are getting closer to extinction, according to a new study.

The study, from the Center for Biological Diversity, cites increased pesticide use and habitat loss as reasons for the declines.

"It's a quiet but staggering crisis unfolding right under our noses that illuminates the unacceptably high cost of our careless addiction to pesticides and monoculture farming," author Kelsey Kopec said in a statement.

Of the 1,437 native bee species for which the authors had enough data to analyze, the report found 749 to be declining. The study also found that of those 749 species, some 347 are imperiled and at risk of extinction.

Last month, the rusty patched bumblebee gained endangered status from the federal government, becoming the first wild bee in the continental United States to be listed as endangered (Greenwire, Jan. 10).

The study also cites climate change and increasing urbanization as causes of the declining populations (Gina Cherelus, Reuters, March 1). — CS