A number of reports have surfaced recently, raising concerns about massive decline in the population of honey bees. Now, the U.S. administration has released the National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators.

The strategy will be aimed to protect the pollinators that help increase crop productivity and other resources in the nation. The US beekeepers from the Department of Agriculture has reviewed a study, which unveiled that honey bee colonies have declined around 42.1% from 2014 to 2015.

Loss of bee species is not only taking place in America, as it has been noted in other parts of the world. Europe is facing possible extinction of 9.2% of the 2,000 bee species in the continent.

Exposure to pesticides, lack of conducive habitat and contamination to varroa mites are main reasons as per scientists as to why bee populations are continuously declining.

“The big point is there's a whole lot of factors that are contributing to it. Part of the work has been trying to untangle that knot”, said Keith Delaplane, director of the University of Georgia Honey Bee Program.

Three main objectives of the new national plan are –

• To limit deficit in honey bee colonies to 15% or less in next 10 years.

• Boost number of eastern Monarch butterflies habitat by around 225 million in next 10 years.

• Provision of around 7 million acres to pollinators after five years.

As per the report, interim land zones will be developed where pesticides cannot be used.