bees

The parasitic varroa mite has been wiping out honeybee colonies globally since the late '80s. Now scientists and beekeepers have teamed up to selectively breed bees with a unique, mite-fighting trait.

When you sit down for your holiday dinner, you may want to give thanks to bees and other pollinators. Their health is tied to your food. What's behind the bee declines? Watch our video investigation.

Beekeepers lost 42 percent of their hives last year. NPR and PBS NewsHour investigate what's behind the plight of the pollinators. Some scientists say pesticides called neonics are being overused.

Bees play a vital role in pollinating the crops we eat. Turns out, that relationship with agriculture began shortly after the rise of settled farming, new research shows.

"To bee or not to bee, that is the question. But there is no question. We must have bees," City Councilman Paul Koretz said.

The bees that pollinate crops are on the brink of collapse. One big reason why: a virus-carrying mite. Now, researchers think a rare fungi could boost bees' immune system and attack the mite itself.

Honeybees are major crop pollinators in the U.S., but they're in trouble. So researchers are now investigating how other bees could start picking up some of the slack.