In the last decade, bee populations have been dying off at alarming rates -- declining up to 30 percent annually. The reason can be traced to a deadly combination of agricultural pesticides and invasive parasites, which can easily transfer between bees in the cramped conditions of managed colonies.

But according to Tom Seeley, a professor of neurobiology and behavior at Cornell University, wild bees may hold the key to a solution for the huge die-offs. Seeley's preliminary studies show that wild bees in upstate New York's Arnot Forest have withstood mite infestations since 2002, and thus, could offer crucial clues for how to help struggling bees in managed colonies.

In the latest episode of the HuffPost Originals series "Talk Nerdy To Me," host Karah Preiss sits down with Seeley to learn how "bee hunting" -- tracking down bees in their natural habitat to understand their biology -- could help prevent the collapse of more colonies.

Check it out in the video above.

This video was produced by Adriane Giebel, Karah Preiss and Liz Martinez, edited by Adriane Giebel and Mark Dubbs, and shot by Pascal Perich, Terence Krey and Maria Tridas.