ABSTRACT

The whole of this book is focused on the problems arising from the global decline in bee populations. This chapter focuses on the American context and on the involvement of US corporations, as well as other organizations, in reducing the decline in bee populations. Growing concern about the consequences of this decline has recently garnered attention from an unexpected source, the United States Federal Government. More specifically, in June 2014, the President of the United States developed the Pollinator Health Task Force, co-chaired by the Secretary of Agriculture (US Department of Agriculture, USDA) and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The purpose of this task force was to respond to the losses in the country’s pollinators based on the government’s belief that these pollinators play a critical role in maintaining diverse ecosystems and in supporting agricultural production.1