News

Another $8 million for bee habitat

The USDA is committing $8 million in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) incentives to establish honey bee habitat in Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. More than half of the commercially-managed honey bees are in these five states during the summer.

Disease, parasites, loss of habitat and other factors have contributed to a significant decline in the honey bee population. The number of managed honey bee colonies has fallen from over 6 million in 1947 to 2.5 million today.

The incentives will be used to manage or replace existing cover vegetation with high nutrition seed mixes with distinct blooming cycles to benefit the bees. The new seed mixes were developed by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. USDA says more than $15 billion worth of agricultural production including fruits and vegetables depend upon the honey bees.

Earlier this year the ag department committed $3 million to Midwest states to support bee populations through the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program.