Over the last 4 years there has been a dramatic decline in the bee population throughout the United States, Europe and Japan.  The die off, known as Colony Collapse Disorder, has killed about 30 percent of the hives in the United States over the past four winters. That's a total of three to four million hives gone, with a loss of billions of bees. At normal times bee communities naturally lose around five percent of their numbers, but with colony collapse disorder a third, half, and sometimes even 90 percent of the insects can be wiped out.

Bees play an integral part in agricultural systems, so their decline could be costly.  Bees are pollinators and pollinators transfer pollen and seeds from one flower to another, fertilizing the plant so it can grow and produce food. Cross-pollination is how at least 30 percent of the world's crops and 90 percent of our wild plants thrive.  Without bees to spread seeds many plants, including food crops, would die off.  The smaller or lack of crops would lead to higher prices in the grocery store for the consumer.

There is no single culprit that has been identified as the reason behind the missing bees.  The World Organisation for Animal Health has identified parasites, viral and bacterial infections, pesticides, and poor nutrition resulting from the impact of human activities on the environment as causes of colony collapse disorder. Neonicotinoid pesticides are have been banned in France because of the harmful effects of failure of the immune system and disorientation on bees. Irresponsible use of pesticides may damage bee health by increasing their susceptibility to different diseases.  Parasites already identified include a blood-sucking mite called Varroa and a single-celled fungal parasite called Nosema cerenae that causes bee dysentery.  In Europe, a recent intruder the Asian hornet, Vespa velutina, lurks near hives and captures honey bees in mid-flight, devouring them. Another suspect is poor nutrition. Mega-farms stripped of hedgerows and wild flowers, along with spreading suburbs, are thought to be depriving bees of a decent diet.

To help the bees in your area here are some things you can do in your yard to reduce the risk of bees coming in contact with pesticides:Apply pesticides only when needed.

1.    Apply pesticides only when needed.

2.    Use the recommended pesticide at the lowest effective rate.

3.    Use the pesticide least hazardous to bees that will control the pest   involved. If all recommended pesticides are equally hazardous to bees, use the one that has the shortest residual effect.

4.    Use sprays or granules instead of dusts.

5.    Use ground equipment instead of aerial application to apply pesticides near bee hives.

6.    Apply pesticides in late afternoon or at night when bees are not working the blooms.

7.    Avoid drift of pesticides onto plants that are attractive to bees.

8.   Notify beekeepers several days before applying any pesticide that is hazardous to honey bees. This will give them a chance to protect their colonies. However, notifications are not a release of responsibility.

Visit here for a list of insecticides and their hazard rating.

• Create a native flower garden in a sunny area. Choose an array of flower species with different blooming times, so there is food for pollinators from spring through fall. Make sure that you have flowers with different colors and shapes blooming within each season. Note that bees prefer blue, purple, white and yellow flowers, while butterflies and hummingbirds like yellow, red and orange. When planting, cluster flowers of the same species together.

• Provide a supply of water for your visitors in a shallow container or birdbath. Lay stones in the water to create perches for them.

• Let a corner of your yard return to nature. Brush, grasses, wildflowers and weeds offer pollinators additional food and shelter. Some bees nest directly in the dirt, so consider leaving a small patch of ground with sandy soil bare.