- Video shows beekeeper, Adam Albert, and Dahlem Conservancy Executive Director, Hannah Schauer.
- According to Albert, nationwide, commercial groups have lost 60-70% of their hives.
- This loss of honeybees could be from habitat loss, pesticides, or invasive species, according to Schauer.
"There are a lot of reasons pollinators are in trouble and need our help," says Executive Director of the Dahlem Conservancy, Hannah Schauer. Pollinators like moths, butterflies, and, of course, bees.
Adam Albert, and his wife Jill, caught the beekeeping bug about four years ago. Albert says, nationwide, commercial groups have lost 60-70% of their hives. He explains, "Approximately one in four bites you take requires a pollinator to produce the food you're eating."
But, what's the buzz about? According to Cornell University, the rate of decline is on track to be the biggest loss of honeybee colonies in U.S. history. Bees not only pollinate wildflowers and trees, but a multitude of food crops, like almonds. "Almond prices are going to rise up. Almond milk is going to rise. Anything almond related, and that transfers to all the other crops, even down to (the) soybeans we get here in Michigan," says Albert.
This means higher prices at the grocery store for pollinated foods, and impacts to the environment. Schauer says we could be losing bees and pollinators from habitat loss, pesticide use, and invasive species. "We don't want to lose pollinators, because that's going to impact our food resources as people, as well as other wildlife resources, and the beautiful flowers you like to look at," Schauer explains. However, she says neighbors can help protect pollinators in their own backyard by:
- Planting native plants
- Reducing pesticide use
"They (pollinators) do a huge service for us," says Schauer.
WATCH: Learn more about the Dahlem Conservancy
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