We have heard about colony loss, the phenomenon characterized by honey bees abandoning their hives, and other threats to native bees, but it wasn't until Friday that Federal authorities granted the powerful pollinators protection under the Endangered Species Act.

A yellow-faced bee in Hawaii.

The first bees in the United States named endangered are seven yellow-faced bee species, Hawaii's only native bees, according to the Associated Press.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the listing after years of study by the Portland-based conservation group Xerces Society, state government officials and independent researchers.

The rusty-patched bumble bee, found widely across the continental United States, is also being considered for protection, according to AP.

Threats to the native species in Hawaii come from feral pigs, invasive ants, loss of native habitat due to invasive plants, fire, as well as development, especially in some for the coastal areas, according to AP.

But it isn't only these species that are suffering.

Author Robbie Shell researched bee culture, beekeeping, pollination and Colony Collapse Disorder for her children's book, "Bees on the Roof."

Shell explains that Colony Collapse Disorder occurs when the majority of mature worker bees in a hive disappear. Since it was first identified in 2006, alarms have been sounded by the agricultural industry, which relies on bees to pollinate crops, and from commercial beekeepers.

Many factors contribute to collapse, but the major culprits seem to be overuse of pesticides and attacks from parasites, especially the deadly varroa mites and pests such as small hive beetles and wax moths, says Shell.

Several studies have linked neonicotinoids -- an insecticide that acts like nicotine -- and bee deaths. A Washington State University study, published in Journal of Economic Entomology, doesn't dispute that the insecticides can harm honey bees, but contends that bees don't encounter the substances enough in real-world circumstances to be regularly causing widespread bee die-offs.

What many scientists, environmentalists and organic beekeepers agree on is that all the different insecticides and herbicides used on farms and in fields -- as well as those sprayed in hives to fend off mites, fungi and other intruders -- create what has been called a "toxic soup" of chemicals, says Shell.

Chronic exposure to these chemicals can make it difficult for bee colonies to breed and resist disease, she adds.

How can you help?

Eric Lee-Mader, pollinator program co-director at the Xerces Society, said in a news release: "We have already seen incredible leadership from the agricultural community in restoring and protecting hundreds of thousands of acres of habitat for the rusty patched bumble bee and other native pollinators. Providing a landscape that sustains all of our native bees will require continued investment by public agencies, as well as efforts from private residents in both urban and rural areas."

He offers these tips for Oregon gardeners:

Reduce or eliminate insecticide use. Talk to neighbors about doing the same. Provide nesting sites. Many bees nest underground, in tree cavities or snags -- often clumps of leaves, branches and fallen grass, which makes them vulnerable to deep soil tillage or tree removal, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Also ensure there is bare ground, and Support organic food and seek out food from farms and companies that are actively working to protect bees and restore bee habitat.

Read more in Xerces' 380-page book, "Attracting Native Pollinators: Protecting North America's Bees and Butterflies" ($25).

Watch the video "A Bee Friendlier Flower Bombing" to learn more about the issues facing bees from the perspective of farmers. Also see as seeds are dropped from an airplane to grow 1 million wildflowers.

-- Homes and Gardens of the Northwest staff



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