Karen Pence, Agriculture secretary install beehive at VP’s residence

Second Lady Karen Pence and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue are looking to draw attention to declining numbers of honeybees by unveiling a beehive at the vice presidential residence on Tuesday. 

“All types of pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, birds and bats, are critical to providing our nation’s food, fiber, fuel and medicine,” Pence said in a statement.

“However, our beekeepers have been losing colonies for many years. This presents a serious challenge to our ability to produce many of the agricultural products that we enjoy today.”

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Bee populations are on the decline in the U.S. and around the world – largely the result of increasing pesticide use and habitat loss – putting some species at risk of extinction. That decline puts U.S. agriculture at risk, Perdue said, adding that bees provide much-needed pollination for crops.

“Our honeybee population has been losing ground at an alarming rate,” he said in a Tuesday statement. “The problem represents a diverse mix of challenges requiring a wide range of solutions. And at USDA we are leading the way in research to help out our pollinator friends.”

Climate change has also emerged as a key factor in the disappearance of bees and other pollinators.

The announcement of Pence’s and Perdue’s installation of a beehive at the vice president’s residence comes about a week after President Trump announced that he would withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accord, which is aimed at lowering carbon emissions and curbing the effects of climate change.

Pence similarly installed a beehive at the Indiana governor’s mansion in 2014, when her husband, now-Vice President Mike Pence, served as the state’s chief executive.