Similar to other essential natural resources like water, soil and wildlife, we need to manage and mitigate adverse impacts of human activity to insure the continued viability of managed and native pollinators.

We, as a working group, comprised of concerned scientists, professionals from the beekeeping industry, growers and representatives from state and federal governments, along with all interested stakeholders, have a valuable role in working together to insure the quality of pollinator health for honey bees and native pollinators in agricultural and natural ecosystems.

BENEFITS FOR ALL POLLINATORS
Habitat restoration facilitated by honey bees would increase biodiversity and build a more balanced ecosystem benefiting all pollinators.

Increasing established apiaries on agricultural lands can have positive economic returns for growers and farmers by reducing costs of all pollination services being provided by imported hives.

Lack of forage for colonies required to pollinate crops necessitates feeding by supplements which is largely agreed to be insufficient to meet honey bee nutritional requirements. Negative impacts on bees include increased vulnerability to diseases and pests and reduced pollination services.

ADDRESSING HONEY BEE DECLINE
Honey bee pollinated crops account for an annual 15 billion dollars in revenues for the United States. The number of honey bee colonies in the United States has been declining for the past 30 years, down from 6 million to a current 2.5 million. CCD is the latest evidence of the diminishing ability for honey bees to maintain resistance against harmful influences. Harmful influences include: transmissions of parasites and diseases, chemicals employed on crops the bees pollinate and those used to control honey bee pests, and necessity to feed artificial supplements to maintain colony populations.

ENHANCING BEE HABITAT AND NUTRITION
Conservation and restoration of bee habitat can have positive economic returns on production lands. Ecological Compensation Areas already in existence in parts of Europe reward farmers with incentives for production lands farmed to sustain a certain percentage of biodiversity. Honey bees, when incorporated onto agricultural lands, can restore flora diversity and rebuild native pollinator populations. Multiplying and enhancing forage for bees, increasing bee habitat, and subsequently reducing total reliance on high volume long distance migratory beekeeping, in combination with, building consensus on sustainable hive management practice in the United States, would significantly contribute to reversing the decline not only of the honey bees but native pollinators as well.

Partners for Sustainable Pollination has identified the following as action items:

• Government incentives to farmers and growers willing to manage habitat and best practices in a friendly manner.
• Fund demonstration projects on lands designated for agricultural use where practicable.
• Create a national advisory board composed of representatives from all facets associated with proactive sustainable management of pollination service in the United States, including lead entomologists, experts in the area of native bees, representation from the bee industry, agribusiness and the USDA to create guidelines for directing policy in conservation of pollinators as a natural resource and forward recommendations for best practices in management of domestic honey bee colonies in the U.S.