(NaturalNews) Enjoy eating healthy foods like cherries, broccoli, almonds and strawberries? Consuming them is possible in large part due to bee pollination, but since their population is severely dwindling because of pesticide use and disease, many states are now paying people to help save and raise the beneficial insect. (1,2) Considering that they help keep excellent food choices in diets and that they play a role in contributing over $15 billion to U.S. crop production, it's a smart move.(2)

Government steps in to help plight of bees

Bee-protecting efforts are already taking place in many areas. Virginia's state government, for example, has put aside $125,000 in grant money for the sole purpose of allowing the state's residents to purchase hives and related materials.(1)

In states like Michigan, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin and Minnesota, where about half of honey bees are commercially managed, funding now exists to help their plight. In those areas, millions of dollars have been put in place by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in an effort to boost bee population via safe vegetation practices designed to bolster blooming cycles.(1)

Steps to help Colony Collapse Disorder

The Natural Resources Defense Council urges people to stop thinking of bees as pests meant to be swatted and killed, and instead, recognize the implications behind the fact that in the United States, more than a quarter of the managed honey bee population has disappeared since 1990.(3) They note that due to this Colony Collapse Disorder, which is what their disappearance is called, is the reason behind why "the number of hives in the United States is now at its lowest point in the past 50 years."(3)

Sadly, studies have shown that a pesticide called clothianidin is unacceptable for use and while it's banned in Europe, it is used on over one-third of United States crops.(4)

On board with taking steps to help this situation, they not only encourage general awareness about the crisis, but suggest that people practice crop rotation, avoid pesticide use, and even urge people to report suspected bee kill incidents to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at http://npic.orst.edu/reportprob.html.

Other foods that exist with the help of bee pollination include apples, pomegranates, fennel, figs, Brussels sprouts, chestnuts and Brazil nuts.(4)

Sources for this article include:

(1) http://news.therawfoodworld.com/government-willing-pay-raise-bees/

(2) http://news.nationalgeographic.com

(3) http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/animals/files/bees.pdf

(4) http://www.nationofchange.org

About the author:
A science enthusiast with a keen interest in health nutrition, Antonia has been intensely researching various dieting routines for several years now, weighing their highs and their lows, to bring readers the most interesting info and news in the field. While she is very excited about a high raw diet, she likes to keep a fair and balanced approach towards non-raw methods of food preparation as well. >>> Click here to see more by Antonia