First national 'bee map' charts their decline – but hopes to stem the trend

February 21, 2017 --Scientists have compiled a map detailing wild bee activity across the US, but the picture it paints isn't great. It's no secret that bees are struggling to stay aloft. The precise reasons are up for debate, but many experts agree that a perfect storm of pressures from pesticide use, the rise of monocrop agriculture, declines in natural habitat, and global warming are squeezing many bee populations out of existence. A 2016 UN report found that 2 out of every 5 spineless pollinator species are facing extinction. Unchecked, this trend could have disastrous consequences for global agriculture.