The 1800s: Emily Dickinson is writing poetry about the power of imagination, in a time when it would be strange to think that bees could ever face extinction.

The Present: Bees and other pollinators are becoming few at an alarming rate!

Why should we care about pollinators? More than 75 percent of the world’s major food crops rely at least in part, including many nutrient-rich nuts, fruits, and veggies, would disappear without them. Chocolate, blueberries, and coffee are just a handful of foods that require pollinators to exist. Talk about essential! Every time we bite into an apple, take a sip of coffee or dip into guac, these overlooked creatures deserve a moment of gratitude!

SPECIES IN DECLINE:

• Bumblebees: They’re exceptional at what they do—helping pollinate the plants that grow the foods we love to eat, like tomatoes and peppers. Sadly, they’re one of the most at-risk species of pollinators. In 2017, the Rusty Patch Bumblebee made history, as the first bumblebee to land on the Endangered Species List. Analysts say that more than 25 percent of North American bumblebees face some threat of extinction.

• Other native bees: Wild bees provide significant benefits to many food crops like berries and watermelons, and improve the services of the honey bee. A review by the Center for Biological Diversity sheds light on the dangers facing native North American and Hawaiian bees. For those species with enough data to analyze, more than half are in decline, and one in four is in grave peril.

• Honey bees: We can’t have almonds without them, and they’re crucial for other delicious foods as well, including cranberries and cherries. The average percentage of seasonal colony loss in the U.S. over the last decade has doubled—it’s now at least 30 percent, compared to historical averages of 10-15 percent.

What’s happening to the bees? Many factors are contributing to the decline of our indispensable insect friends, including climate change and the following:

• Habitat loss: Monoculture farming has a huge detrimental impact on biodiversity. It leaves species like native bees without a home and reduces the variety of forage they need to survive. Case in point: One five-year study found that wild bee populations were among the lowest in California’s Central Valley and the Midwest Corn Belt, two monoculture agricultural strongholds.

• Neonicotinoids: They’re the most commonly used insecticides on the planet, sticking around in the soil and spreading through waterways. Bees get small doses of them throughout the year, and it’s this chronic exposure that seems to be the most damaging. Neonicotinoids present a range of problems for bees, including impairing development and foraging efficiency and increasing susceptibility to diseases.

• Chemical cocktails: Multiple classes of pesticides, including fungicides and acaricides (applied to control mites) end up in beehives. Researchers have found that the interaction of these substances amplifies their overall toxicity, especially to baby bees.

“Eating is an agricultural act.”―Wendell Berry

Fortunately, we can all be a part of the solution, and one of the most effective places to start is by choosing organic. Organic standards require farmers to preserve biodiversity and natural resources. They use integrated pest management systems, reducing the need for chemicals, with practices like providing habitats for beneficial insects. Toxic synthetic pesticides and neonicotinoid-coated seeds are prohibited. Organic principles recognize that every small component of an ecosystem is vital to its function, and organic certification provides accountability for upholding these principles. As the naturalist, John Muir, once stated, "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe."

References available upon request.