Nearly nine-in-10 Americans are worried about the honeybee decline, and said it concerns them more than gas prices, according to a new poll.
Timed to influence a White House plan to protect the troubled pollinators, the poll from FM3 found that 86 percent of Americans “are concerned with honeybee decline and are more concerned with honeybee decline — 56 percent — than gas prices, 55 percent.”
The White House Pollinator Health Task Force is poised to release new plans to improve the fate of bees, butterflies, birds and other pollinators.
Honeybees moving in and out of a hive. AP Photo
“Policymakers should take these findings seriously,” said Paul Maslin, of FM3.
The decade-long and mysterious decline in bees and beehives around the nation threatens the nation’s food supply, forcing Obama’s team to move, possibly against pesticides.
The poll found that 70 percent believe the decline is due to “human behavior” including pesticide use. Some European nations have banned certain pesticides thought to cause the deaths.
“Honeybees are essential to food production and the agricultural economy of the Sacramento Valley. This poll underscores the broad public awareness and commitment to protect bees and other vital species that support our food system,” said Jeff Harris, a beekeeper, Sacramento City councilmember in a statement accompanying the poll.
The issue has national attention. Tiffany Finck-Haynes, of Friends of the Earth U.S., said that 4 million petition signatures signed by Americans were delivered last week to the Obama administration urging for immediate action to protect bees.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
