Heitkamp vows to create ‘buzz’ for bee protections

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) said she would create “buzz” to get Congress to invest in protecting bees.

“I’ll keep fighting to protect our bees, and with a colony of help, a little national buzz, and a big sweet tooth, the results can be as sweet as honey,” Heitkamp wrote in an op-ed on Monday.

{mosads}Her opinion piece, “How Bee Deaths Will Actually Make Your Life Worse,” came at the end of National Honey Month.

Heitkamp said the rapid decline in bee populations around the United States could drive up food prices or cause shortages of foods, such as almonds and apples.

“Our honeybees are in significant danger — and your go-to products at your local grocer or farmers markets could feel the sting,” Heitkamp wrote. “For decades, the honeybee population in the United States has been on the decline.”

The latest farm bill, included language directing the U.S. Department of Agriculture help protect bees by ensuring the have high-quality pollinator habitats. But Heitkamp said more should be done since beekeepers continue to see hive losses exceeding 30 percent declines.