Why Bees Matter—And How You Can Help Save Them

The Indispensable Bee

Bees play a vital role in pollinating the crops we eat. Without them, most of our fruits, vegetables, nuts, and even coffee would disappear from our tables. In fact, over a third of the world’s food production depends on bees. ¹ A landmark 2011 study estimated that as many as 87.5% of all flowering plant species rely on animal pollination to reproduce—a figure that underscores just how deeply bees are woven into the fabric of life on Earth. ²

The economic stakes are equally staggering. Honey bee pollination services alone are estimated to contribute approximately $15 billion annually to the U.S. economy, while globally, the value of pollinator-dependent agricultural output runs into the hundreds of billions of dollars per year. ³ Beyond agriculture, bees are foundational to wild ecosystems: they pollinate the native plants that provide habitat, food, and shelter for countless other species—from songbirds to bears.

The Crisis Unfolding Around Us

Unfortunately, both wild and managed bee populations around the world are declining at a rapid, unprecedented rate due to threats like habitat loss, pesticide use, industrial farming practices, climate change, and disease. ⁴

A landmark 2024 study documented broad trends of population loss across four major families of bees and butterflies in North America, finding diversity has declined most sharply in the western United States and southern Mexico—changes consistent with the fingerprints of climate change and habitat disruption. ⁵

The scale of the crisis for managed honey bee colonies is stark. Beekeepers in the United States reported losing an estimated 55.6% of managed colonies between April 2024 and April 2025—the highest annual loss rate recorded since national surveys began in 2010–2011. In early 2025, commercial beekeepers reported sudden, unexplained mass losses of 60–100% of colonies in a single season, prompting emergency investigations by USDA, university researchers, and industry groups. ⁶

The picture for wild bees is no less alarming. An estimated 34.7% of assessed native bee species in North America are currently at risk of extinction. ⁷ The American bumblebee (Bombus pensylvanicus), once a familiar sight across the continent, has lost nearly 90% of its population over the last two decades and has vanished entirely from at least eight states. The federally endangered Rusty Patched Bumblebee (Bombus affinis) has lost over 95% of its historic range.

The Causes: “Death by a Thousand Cuts”

Scientists broadly agree that no single factor is responsible. The decline of bees results from a synergy of interlocking stressors—what University of Maryland researcher Nathalie Steinhauer has described as “death by a thousand cuts.” ⁸ These stressors include habitat loss, pesticide exposure, parasites and diseases, industrial farming practices, and climate change. Each threat alone might be manageable, but in combination, they overwhelm bees’ capacity to recover.

The parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, is considered the most serious biological threat to managed honey bee colonies worldwide. ⁹ The mite acts as a vector for harmful viruses—most notably Deformed Wing Virus—that compromise immune function and reduce bees’ ability to survive winter. A 2023 review in Science of the Total Environment confirmed that Varroa-associated viral coinfections are among the predominant causes of colony collapse. ¹⁰ Compounding the problem, Varroa has evolved resistance to many of the chemical treatments used to control it, leaving beekeepers with a shrinking toolkit.

Neonicotinoid pesticides—the world’s most widely used class of insecticides—pose a parallel threat. These systemic chemicals, which are taken up by plants and expressed in pollen and nectar, impair bee navigation, learning, memory, foraging behavior, and immune function. ¹¹ Laboratory studies have shown that exposure to neonicotinoids reduces colony growth, suppresses queen production, and decreases sperm viability in male drones by approximately 39%. ¹²

Climate change adds a further dimension of threat. Rising temperatures and drought have been directly linked to range contractions in bumble bee species. In a 2023 study published by the U.S. Geological Survey, researchers found that the western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis), once one of the most common bees in the American West, has suffered a 57% decline in historical range since 1998—driven primarily by increasing summer temperatures, drought, and neonicotinoid use. ¹³ The same study projects that under moderate climate scenarios, western bumble bee populations will decline an additional 51–97% from 2020 levels by the 2050s.

Bees vs. Other Pollinators

While bees are the star pollinator in most temperate ecosystems, they are not alone. Butterflies, moths, flies (especially hoverflies), wasps, beetles, bats, and hummingbirds all contribute to the pollination of specific plant species. In some regions and for certain crops—like figs (pollinated by specialized wasps) or agave (dependent on bats)—non-bee pollinators are irreplaceable.

That said, bees are uniquely efficient pollinators. Unlike butterflies that sip nectar passively, bees actively collect pollen as a protein-rich food source for their young, ensuring that pollen is transferred between flowers with extraordinary reliability.

If we want food security and thriving ecosystems, we need to protect all of our pollinators. The good news? You don’t have to be a farmer or beekeeper to make a difference. Every yard, balcony, and community action can help. Here are ten powerful ways you can help save the bees—and pollinators more broadly.

1. Plant bee-friendly flowers and plants.

Bees need nectar and pollen from flowers to survive. Planting bee-friendly flowers in your garden, window box, or patio containers can provide bees, butterflies and other pollinators with the food they need. Native plants are especially valuable because they have co-evolved alongside local bee species over thousands of years, and often provide the most nutritious nectar and pollen that support bee immune function and colony health.

Plant a variety of flowers that bloom from spring to autumn to ensure a steady source of food for bees. Some bee favorites include lavender (Lavandula spp.), bee balm (Monarda spp.), echinacea, sunflowers, and wild asters. Many herbs—lavender, rosemary, mint, and borage—are also outstanding bee magnets, and can be grown even in small containers on a balcony.

Research by the Xerces Society has shown that including a mix of bloom times and flower shapes supports a broader range of bee species, including long-tongued bumblebees, short-tongued mining bees, and specialist species. The Xerces Society’s Pollinator Plant Lists ¹⁴ can help you choose the best flowers to attract bees and other pollinators in your area. The USDA Forest Service also provides free regional planting guides for pollinators. ¹⁵

2. Avoid using pesticides.

Synthetic pesticides, especially neonicotinoids such as imidacloprid, clothianidin, and thiamethoxam, are among the most toxic substances bees can encounter in agricultural and suburban landscapes. These chemicals are systemic—meaning they are absorbed by the whole plant and expressed in pollen, nectar, and leaf tissue—so bees can be exposed even when pesticides are not sprayed directly on blooms. Normal doses have been shown to impair navigation (making it harder for bees to find their way home), suppress the immune system, reduce queen reproductive success, and lower the viability of drone sperm. ^{16, 17}

Instead of reaching for chemical sprays, try organic pest control methods: companion planting (e.g., basil near tomatoes to deter aphids), attracting beneficial insects like lacewings and ladybugs, and targeted natural sprays like neem oil or insecticidal soap that break down rapidly in the environment.

If pesticide use is unavoidable, apply them in the early morning or late evening when bees are least active, and never apply to open flowers. Check all product labels—many products marketed for garden use contain neonicotinoids under different trade names.

3. Provide nesting sites.

There are approximately 4,000 bee species native to North America ¹⁸, and the vast majority are solitary ground-nesters or cavity-nesters—not hive-forming social insects. The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is actually a European species that was introduced to the Americas in the 1600s and naturalized here. Of the native species, around 70% nest underground in bare or sparsely vegetated soil, while the remaining 30% nest in hollow plant stems, pre-existing cavities in wood, or the pithy stems of certain shrubs.

You can offer native bees vital nesting habitat by: leaving patches of bare, undisturbed sandy soil in sunny spots of your garden; keeping piles of dried twigs, leaf litter, or brush; and preserving standing dead wood (“snags”), which many solitary bees bore into.

Pre-made native bee houses (often called “insect hotels”) can also be valuable if designed correctly—tubes should be 6–8 mm in diameter for most mason and leafcutter bees, made from natural materials, and positioned facing south or southeast in a sheltered spot.

4. Support organic farming.

Organic farming practices prohibit the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, dramatically reducing bees’ chemical exposure. But beyond simply buying organic, you can support regenerative agriculture—a broader farming approach that actively improves soil health, increases on-farm biodiversity, and integrates flowering cover crops and hedgerows that provide continuous forage for pollinators.

Choosing to buy organic produce, visiting local farmers’ markets, participating in community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs, or advocating for pollinator-friendly agricultural policies at a local or national level help shift farming practices in a bee-friendly direction. When possible, buy from farms that are certified as pollinator-friendly or that participate in programs like USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which funds the establishment of pollinator habitat on farmland.

5. Reduce your carbon footprint.

Climate change disrupts the synchronization between flower blooming and pollinator emergence—a phenomenon ecologists call “phenological mismatch.” As springs arrive earlier and seasons shift, bees may emerge to find that the flowers they depend on have already peaked, or vice versa. This temporal uncoupling threatens bee nutrition at the most critical period of colony build-up. ¹⁹

The 2023 PNAS study by Janousek et al. ²⁰ found that increasing summer temperatures were the single most important driver of western bumble bee decline over a 23-year period spanning 14,457 surveys across 2.8 million km². Climate projections suggest that without aggressive emissions reductions, these declines will accelerate substantially. Reducing your personal carbon footprint—by walking, cycling, using public transit, switching to renewable energy, reducing meat consumption, and supporting climate-forward policies—directly contributes to a more stable climate that bees can adapt to.

6. Create a bee-friendly environment.

Bees need more than flowers—they need a mosaic of habitats that provide nesting sites, clean water, refuge from predators, and diverse forage across the season. In your own outdoor space, this means resisting the urge to over-tidy: leave dandelions and daisies in the lawn, let some areas of grass grow longer, and leave the seed heads of flowers standing through winter.

A shallow, clean water source is also vital, especially during hot, dry summers. A dish filled with pebbles or marbles (so bees can stand without drowning), replenished every day or two, can serve dozens of foraging bees. Bees also need access to mineral-rich mud for nest-building—leaving a damp patch of bare soil is a low-effort way to provide this. Collectively, these micro-habitat features can make even a small urban garden a refuge for a remarkable variety of bee species.

7. Support beekeeping.

Beekeepers play a crucial role in maintaining managed honey bee populations for crop pollination—an industry valued at billions of dollars annually in the United States alone. ²¹ Buying local, raw honey is one of the most direct ways to support beekeepers in your community and keep the industry financially viable.

However, it is important to be aware that placing managed honey bee colonies in areas with declining wild bee populations can, in some circumstances, increase competition for pollen and nectar. For this reason, supporting beekeeping is best combined with active habitat enhancement. The ideal approach is to plant more flowers—enough to support both managed and wild bees—rather than simply increasing colony density without expanding forage resources.

Look for local beekeeping associations, honey festivals, and community beekeeping initiatives. Some urban areas also have rooftop or community garden beekeeping projects that provide excellent opportunities for hands-on learning.

8. Educate others.

Public awareness is the foundation of political will, and political will is ultimately what drives the policy changes—pesticide regulations, agricultural subsidies, urban planning decisions—that will make the greatest difference for bees at scale. Spreading accurate, science-based information about pollinators is therefore one of the most powerful contributions any individual can make.

Share information with friends and family, correct myths (“bees are dangerous” or “bees are only about honey”), support your local beekeeping and conservation organizations, and consider writing to your elected representatives about pollinator-friendly policies.

9. Advocate for Pollinator-Friendly Policies

Individual actions matter, but systemic change requires policy. The European Union’s ban on outdoor use of three major neonicotinoids (imidacloprid, clothianidin, and thiamethoxam) in 2018—driven by scientific evidence from the European Food Safety Authority—demonstrated that regulatory action can meaningfully reduce bee exposure to harmful pesticides. In the United States, the EPA’s registration review process for neonicotinoids provides an opportunity for public comment, and several states have moved to restrict their use around flowering crops.

You can contact your local, state, or federal representatives to advocate for stronger pesticide regulations, funding for pollinator monitoring programs, and agricultural policies that incentivize habitat creation on farmland. Organizations such as the Xerces Society, Pollinator Partnership, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) track pollinator policy developments and can help you engage effectively.

10. Participate in Citizen Science and Monitoring

One of the major challenges in bee conservation is the scarcity of long-term, geographically comprehensive monitoring data. A 2024 PLOS ONE study by Souther et al. specifically highlighted that significant gaps in pollinator research limit our ability to protect bee species—particularly in poorly sampled regions and for less well-studied species.

Citizen science programs such as the Great Sunflower Project, Bumble Bee Watch, iNaturalist’s annual City Nature Challenge, and the USDA’s National Honey Bee Survey allow ordinary people to contribute valuable data to scientific monitoring of wild bee populations, which researchers increasingly rely on to track changes that government agencies alone cannot capture.

Participating takes as little as 15 minutes in your garden with a smartphone, yet the aggregated data these programs generate has been used in peer-reviewed scientific publications and has informed conservation policy. If you have a garden, a balcony, or access to any outdoor green space, you can contribute.

The Stakes—and the Hope

The decline of bees is not an abstract environmental concern: it is a direct threat to human food security, ecosystem stability, and the economic livelihoods of millions of farmers, beekeepers, and rural communities around the world. And yet, there is genuine reason for hope. Research has consistently shown that targeted conservation interventions work. Studies in North Carolina found that establishing pollinator habitat in agricultural areas measurably increased both the abundance and diversity of wild bees within just three years! ²² Native plantings, hedgerows, reduced pesticide use, and better land management on even a fraction of available farmland could provide substantial benefits for pollinator populations.

Bees have been on Earth for approximately 130 million years. They pollinated the flowers of the Cretaceous, witnessed the rise and fall of countless species, and co-evolved with flowering plants into one of the most productive and beautiful symbioses in the history of life. The crisis they now face is entirely of human making—and that means it is entirely within human power to reverse. What we choose to do in the next decade will determine whether bees will continue to fill our world with fruit, flowers, and the quiet industry of their wings.

References

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