Wild bees on the decline in key US agricultural ecosystems – study

Researchers point to concerns over pesticides as diseases as bee numbers drop while farmland requiring the pollinators increases

Wild bees, crucial pollinators for many crops, are on the decline in some of the main agricultural regions of the United States, according to scientists who produced the first national map of bee populations and identified numerous trouble spots.

The researchers on Monday cited 139 counties as especially worrisome, with wild bee numbers decreasing while farmland for crops dependent on such pollinators is increasing.