California is home to 1,600 species of native bees — nearly 10% of the world’s bee species. These pollinators evolved alongside local ecosystems, crops and climates — and are responsible for pollinating the vast majority of flowering plants.
But for decades, U.S. farms have relied on just one fragile species: the European honeybee.
Commercial hives of European honeybees are collapsing in record numbers — 62% of commercial bee colonies died last year, according to a survey conducted by a beekeeping nonprofit — leading researchers and farmers to ask: What if the future of farming is native?…