The decline of honeybees hasn't been in the news as much as it was, but that doesn't mean the problem's gone away. Last fall a National Research Council Report, Status of Pollinators in North America, concluded that
There is evidence of decline in the abundance of some pollinators, but the strength of this evidence varies among taxa. Long-term population trends for several wild bee species (notably bumble bees) and some butterflies, bats, and hummingbirds are demonstrably downward. For most pollinator species, however, the paucity of long-term population data and the incomplete knowledge of even basic taxonomy and ecology make definitive assessment of status exceedingly difficult.Concerns about the loss of pollinators are not confined to North America. Last week The United Nations Environment Program announced that it will commit $7.8 million dollars to a program designed to conserve pollinators through sustainable agriculture.1 Details are available at the Global Environment Facility web site.
1According to the press release, UNEP expects a total of more than $26 million to be committed to the project. The other $18.65 million will be leveraged (their words) "from other partners which include multilateral organizations, governments and academic institutions."
Help the honeybees! Prevent the loss of the world food supply.
Learn how you can help cure Colony Collapse Disorder. What is the bee tree?
thebeetree(dot)org