Bee Taskforce Could Come To Aid Pollinators In PA

PENNSYLVANIA — A proposed state task force would aid the Department of Agriculture and other agencies in coming up with ways to increase the rapidly dwindling number of bees and other pollinators.

Democratic state Rep. Christopher Rabb of Philadelphia plans to introduce legislation to establish the panel, which also would work with the agriculture industry, registered apiaries, academic institutions, conservation organizations, and other groups. They would collect information, study policies and practices that promote the protection of pollinators, and develop recommendations for supporting pollinator populations.

The task force also would address how to bolster the populations of beetles, butterflies, and moths.

"Pennsylvania has one of the most diverse cropping systems in the United States, producing a wide variety of fruit and vegetables that directly benefit from the services provided by pollinators," Rabb noted in a memo to colleagues. "In total, these crops annually contribute roughly $260 million to Pennsylvania’s economy."

Rabb's sobering message detailed recent bee population losses of over 50 percent in Pennsylvania and beyond. Additionally, 51 species of butterflies, 111 species of moths, and 3 species of bumble bees are now considered to be at risk.

"The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, an affiliated group of the United Nations, has warned that without a concerted and collaborative international effort, a large number of pollinators could face extinction, which would directly
impact global food production," Rabb wrote.

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