The Obama administration has released a new plan to save the dwindling bee population – as the president is said to be very interested in the growing crisis.
The Washington Post reveals that after reading an 2011 article in the New York Times about the dwindling bee population, Obama got personally involved, asking his aides for a memo on the issue.
In 2013, after a meeting in the Oval Office, the president questioned John P. Holdren, the assistant to the president for science and technology, about the issue.
“What are we doing on bees?” Obama asked, according to the Post. “Are we doing enough?”
Last June, Obama directed a task force to create a Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators.
Today, Holdren revealed the results of the task force in a post on the White House website publishing four documents – including the 64-page National Strategy to Promote Pollinator Health, the 92-page Pollinator Research Action Plan, the 52-page Pollinator-Friendly Best Management Practices for Federal Lands, and the 81-page Appendices to the National Strategy.
“People of all ages and communities across the country can play a role in responding to the President’s call to action,” Holdren wrote, calling for an “all hands on deck” approach to the problem. “YOU can share some land with pollinators—bees, butterflies, other insects, birds, bats—by planting a pollinator garden or setting aside some natural habitat. YOU can think carefully before applying any pesticides and always follow the label instructions.”
Obama has also personally done his own part to help the bee population, installing his own bee hive on the South Lawn of the White House.
Obama revealed his love for his bees during an event at the Easter Egg roll this year at the White House, as many small children panicked on the South Lawn after they saw a bee.
“That’s OK guys, bees are good, they won’t land on you,” he said, chuckling nervously as the children screamed.
“They won’t sting you, you’ll be O.K.,” he added.