Native California Bees, Crops Vanishing

Already many California farms rely on imported European honeybees to pollinate crops. The foreign bees are susceptible to disease, pesticide use and other stressors. Catastrophic die-outs of these honeybees has made headlines in the past, but gone less-noticed is the decline in native California bees, which fertilize between 35 and 39 percent of California’s crops and contribute at least $1 billion to the state's econony, according to a study conducted by UC Berkeley researchers.

Source: NBC, June 28, 2011
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Native-Calif-Bees-Vanishing-and-Wi…