Story highlights Other bees from Hawaii are on endangered list

Bees pollinate more than one-third of the world's food

(CNN) For the first time, a bee species in the continental United States has been declared endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

The rusty patched bumblebee is in worrisome decline and it is a race to keep it from becoming extinct, the agency said.

"Listing the bee as endangered will help us mobilize partners and focus resources on finding ways right now to stop the decline," Wildlife Service Midwest Regional Director Tom Melius said.

The population of the rusty patched bumblebee has shrunk by 87% since the late 1990s, the wildlife service said.

Bees help pollinate 35% of the world's food, and bumblebees pollinate everything from tomatoes to cranberries, blueberries and melons.

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