Page 15 - Bee Pollen News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

>> quijano: not long ago, about half the country was buzzing with rusty-patched bumblebees. these were garden-variety "busy bees" -- prodigious pollinators of many crops. this week, they became the first to land on the u.s. endangered species list. mark strassmann has our report. >> in eastern tennessee's smoky mountains national park, the only place you can now see a rusty patched bumble bee is inside this drawer, part of the park's nature collection. entomologist becky nichols.

>> we haven't seen them in the park since 2001. >> not a single one? >> no. >> rusty patched bumblebees, important pollinators for tomatoes, nest underground. over the last 20 years, the species has suffered a 90 percent decline in population and habitat, a range that that once included 28 states and stretched into the upper midwest and northeast. they face many threats. loss of habitat, pesticides, diseases. all of these things can contribute to the overall decline of pollinators. >> bumblebees, honey bees, butterflies - in all, about 40 percent of so-called invertebrate pollinator species no...

Honeybees, butterflies; in all, about 40% of so-called invertebrate pollinator species now face extinction. about 75% of the world's food supply depends at least partly 's what they do. .rofessor sydney cameron teaches entomology at the university of illinois. he one in every third bite of food is pollinated by bees. a huge factor is the bumblebee itself. a lot of our food is dependent upon these bees. if that's not important, i don't know what is. >> reporter: but nichols sees new hope. >> the first bumblebee to be listed on the endangered species list hopefully will be a little more of a wak...

Thops. well, this week they landed on oue endangered species list. mark strassmann has our report. >> reporter: in eastern tennessee's great smoky mountain national park, the only place you can now see a rusty patch bumblebee is inside this floor, part of the park's nature collection. >> these two boxes here. >> reporter: entomologist becky nichols. >> we haven't seen them here in the park since 2001. og reporter: not a single one? e no. >> reporter: rusty patch bumblebees, important pollinators for tomatoes, nest underground. over the last 20 years, the species has suffered a 90% decline in p...

Then i'd say expand your horizons. i'm very open-minded! no no, expand your horizons. it's the name of a smoothie. yeah, i see they have bee pollen. two of my favorite allergies. trust me, john grows half this stuff in his own backyard. it's true. two of my usuals, please. add spirulina. is that a... noodle? it's his first time. mmm. that's almost as good as a milkshake. cheers! get together and shop small on small business saturday. they are the natural borns enemy of the way things are. yes, ideas are scary, and messy and fragile. but under the proper care, they become something beautiful.