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WASHINGTON — The Obama administration needs to do more to help curtail the sharp decline in the U.S. bee population because the problem shows no signs of abating, the Government Accountability Office said Friday.
The GAO, the independent investigative arm of Congress, said efforts by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Agriculture Department to address the wide range of factors affecting bee health — including pests, disease and pesticide exposure — will be “a complex undertaking that may take many years and require advances in science and changes in agricultural land-use practices.”
“USDA and EPA have taken numerous actions to protect the health of honeybees and other species of bees, thereby supporting agriculture and the environment,” Steve Morris, the GAO's director of natural resources and environment, said in the report. "Even with these efforts, honeybee keepers continue to report rates of colony losses that they say are not economically sustainable."
As part of a review into efforts to protect bee health requested by Senate lawmakers, the GAO said that while the USDA has improved oversight of honeybee colonies managed by beekeepers, it must do more to work with other agencies to monitor wild, native bees and evaluate gaps in staff expertise in conservation practices that exist.
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EPA: pesticide hurting bees in citrus, cotton plants W.D.M. may allow backyard beekeeping The GAO also supported steps taken by the EPA to protect bees from pesticide risks, such as revising label requirements for certain sprays and encouraging states and tribes to work with farmers and beekeepers to protect the insect. Still, the GAO encouraged the agency to identify the most commonly used mixtures of pesticides used on crops to improve its response.
USDA and EPA generally agreed with the recommendations. Catherine Cochran, a USDA spokeswoman, cited work and investment by the department to address the bee decline, noting that its Agricultural Research Service alone has invested more than $82 million during the last six years. "We appreciate GAO’s recommendations for improving our evaluation and tracking procedures, and we will take these into full consideration as we press forward with our work to boost pollinator populations,” she said.
EPA said it was reviewing the report and was committed to protecting pollinators.
Bees, butterflies and other species are instrumental in the production of $24 billion of crops, with honeybees alone accounting for $15 billion of more than 130 fruits and vegetables, the White House has estimated. About one-third of all food and beverages are made possible by pollination, mainly by honeybees.
Annual surveys of U.S. beekeepers have found that since 2006 about 29 percent of honeybee colonies die during the winter.
In 2014, the Obama administration ordered the USDA and the EPA to lead a government-wide effort to study more about why honeybees, Monarch butterflies and other species are dying off and figure out ways to stem the declines.
At Loess Hills Honey Company in Council Bluffs, Ia., owner Chris Ruhaak said he and other honey farmers in the area continue to see some hives abandoned by bees following the long winter. Ruhaak noted there is only so much beekeepers can do, and the industry remains dependent on a government that, so far, has been slow to respond to the crisis.
“It seems like that’s on the back burner,” said Ruhaak, who produces about 300 pounds of honey annually. “There is a lot of work that needs to be done and I think we are just starting.”
Contact Christopher Doering at cdoering@usatoday.com or reach him at Twitter: @cdoering
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