NRDC: Vanishing Bees

NRDC: Vanishing Bees

Honey bees are disappearing across the USA, putting $15 billion worth of fruits, nuts and vegetables at risk

A solid article from the National Resource Defenses Council, which includes the list below of all the crops bees pollinate - it's a great reference when speaking to the dangers of pesticide use.

Why are the bees leaving? Scientists studying the disorder believe a combination of factors could be making bees sick, including pesticide exposure, invasive parasitic mites, an inadequate food supply and a new virus that targets bees' immune systems. More research is essential to determine the exact cause of the bees' distress.

Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture has allotted $20 million over the next five years for research, that amount pales in comparison with the potential loss of $15 billion worth of crops that bees pollinate every year. And the USDA has so far failed to aggressively seek out a solution.

If we don’t act now to save the honey bee, it might be too late. And no honey bees will mean no more of your favorite fruits and vegetables

Here’s a list of what bees pollinate:

Fruits and Nuts	Vegetables	Field Crops
Almonds Apples Apricots Avocadoes Blueberries Boysenberries Cherries Citrus Cranberries Grapes Kiwifruit Loganberries Macadamia nuts Nectarines Olives Peaches Pears Plums/Prunes Raspberries Strawberries	Asparagus Broccoli Carrots Cauliflower Celery Cucumbers Cantaloupe Honeydew Onions Pumpkins Squash Watermelons	Alfalfa Hay Alfalfa Seed Cotton Lint Cotton Seed Legume Seed Peanuts Rapeseed Soybeans Sugar Beets Sunflowers