A Government Accountability Office report released Friday suggests that USDA hasn't been adequately monitoring declines in native bee populations.

 

“USDA has increased monitoring of honey bee colonies managed by beekeepers to better estimate losses nationwide, but does not have a mechanism in place to coordinate the monitoring of wild, native bees that the White House Pollinator Health Task Force's May 2015 strategy directs USDA and other federal agencies to conduct,” according to the report requested by Democratic Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein of California, and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.

 

The GAO report recommended that USDA increase monitoring of native bee populations and evaluate the effectiveness of its farm conservation programs on promoting pollinator health. The department agreed the recommendations were valid, but said implementation would be delayed due to scarce resources.

 

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