Photo: Andreas Häuslbetz / iStock / Getty Images
Pesticides could be contributing to a sharp decline in wild bee populations.
A new study published in Nature Sustainability shows that the widespread use of two specific pesticides, are a "major driver" of plunging bee populations.
For certain bee species, high pesticide use contributes to an over 43-percent decrease in the likelihood a species will appear in a particular location.
The researchers stated that "Across the contiguous United States, we found that higher pesticide use resulted in lower occupancy of wild bees."