In addition to honey bees, certain managed bees and wild, native bees  also provide valuable pollination services. From 2006 to 2014, beekeepers who responded to the  Bee Informed Partnership’s nongeneralizable national survey of managed  honey bee colony losses reported that an average of about 29 percent of  their bee colonies died each winter. Selected USDA Agencies Conduct Monitoring, Research and Outreach, and Conservation to Protect Bees, but Limitations Exist within Those Efforts

Five selected USDA agencies conduct monitoring, research and  outreach, and conservation to protect bees, but limitations within those  efforts hamper the agencies’ ability to protect bee health. USDA Agencies Increased Honey Bee Colony Monitoring in 2015 but Have Not Worked with Federal Partners to Coordinate a Native Bee Monitoring Plan

USDA agencies have taken some actions to increase monitoring of honey  bees, other managed bees, and wild, native bees, but USDA, which co- chairs the White House Pollinator Health Task Force with EPA, has not  worked with its partners on the task force to coordinate a native bee  monitoring plan. Some officials said that USDA has not coordinated  with other task force agencies to develop a wild, native bee monitoring  plan because they were developing the broader task force strategy. By developing a mechanism,  such as a monitoring plan for wild, native bees that would (1) establish  roles and responsibilities of lead and support agencies and their shared  outcomes and goals and (2) obtain input from relevant stakeholders,  there is better assurance that a coordinated federal effort to monitor bee  populations will be effective. USDA Bee Research and Outreach Have Focused Primarily on Honey Bee Health, but Limitations in Its Research Information System Hinder Efforts to Track Research Projects

USDA has conducted and funded research and outreach, primarily by  ARS and NIFA, on the health of different categories of bees, including  honey bees and, to a lesser extent, other managed and wild, native bees,  but CRIS, which tracks USDA-funded research and outreach, does not  currently facilitate tracking or searching of projects by bee category. This evaluation  concluded, among other things, that NRCS field offices were eager to  support pollinators, but agency staff needed additional expertise to advise  landowners how to implement effective conservation practices. NRCS officials said an  evaluation of field office efforts to restore or enhance bee habitat could  help identify where expertise gaps occur. Among other steps, in 2013, EPA revised the label  requirements for certain pesticides and in 2015, proposed revisions for  certain additional pesticides that are acutely toxic in an effort to reduce  bees’ exposure. Since at least 2009, EPA has encouraged beekeepers  and others to report bee kill incidents potentially associated with  pesticides, but agency officials and others point to challenges to accurate  reporting and data collection on these incidents. EPA Has Encouraged State and Tribal Governments to Voluntarily Develop Plans to Protect Managed Bees from Pesticides

In response to a directive from the June 2014 presidential memorandum  on pollinators, EPA has encouraged state and tribal environmental,  agricultural, and wildlife agencies to voluntarily develop managed  pollinator protection plans (protection plans) that focus on improved  communication between farmers and beekeepers regarding the use of  pesticides and the proximity of managed bees. EPA’s June 2014 Guidance Does Not Call for the Agency to Assess the Risks That Pesticide Mixtures May Pose to Bees

EPA’s June 2014 risk assessment guidance calls for the agency to  assess the risks that individual pesticides may pose to bees but not for  the assessment of the risks from combinations of pesticide products or  combinations of pesticide products with other chemicals. Senior EPA officials told us in October 2015 that they agreed that tank  mixtures of registered pesticides pose potential risks to bees. However, according to stakeholders we  interviewed, sources for data on commonly used or recommended  mixtures are available. By identifying the pesticide mixtures that  farmers and pesticide applicators most commonly use on agricultural  crops, EPA would have greater assurance that it could assess those  mixtures to determine whether they pose greater risks than the sum of the  risks posed by the individual pesticides. By increasing the evaluation of its habitat  conservation efforts to include identifying gaps in expertise and technical  assistance, USDA could better ensure the effectiveness of its efforts to  restore and enhance bee habitat plantings across the nation. The task force’s research action plan calls for EPA to develop  tools for assessing risks to a variety of bee species, including nonhoney  bee species, such as other managed or wild, native bees. However, EPA does not have  data on commonly used mixtures and does not know how it would identify  them. To improve the effectiveness of federal efforts to monitor wild, native bee  populations, we recommend that the Secretary of Agriculture, as a co- chair of the White House Pollinator Health Task Force, coordinate with  other Task Force agencies that have monitoring responsibilities to  develop a mechanism, such as a federal monitoring plan, that would (1)  establish roles and responsibilities of lead and support agencies, (2)  establish shared outcomes and goals, and (3) obtain input from relevant  stakeholders, such as states. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

This report examines (1) the bee-related monitoring, research and  information dissemination, and conservation efforts of selected U.S  Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies and (2) the Environmental  Protection Agency’s (EPA) efforts to protect bees through its regulation of  pesticides.
Why GAO Did This Study

Honey bees and other managed and wild, native bees provide valuable pollination services to agriculture worth billions of dollars to farmers. Government and university researchers have documented declines in some populations of bee species, with an average of about 29 percent of honey bee colonies dying each winter since 2006. A June 2014 presidential memorandum on pollinators established the White House Pollinator Health Task Force, comprising more than a dozen federal agencies, including USDA and EPA.
GAO was asked to review efforts to protect bee health. This report examines (1) selected USDA agencies' bee-related monitoring, research and outreach, as well as conservation efforts, and (2) EPA's efforts to protect bees through its regulation of pesticides. GAO reviewed the White House Task Force's national strategy and research action plan, analyzed data on USDA research funding for fiscal years 2008 through 2015, reviewed EPA's guidance for assessing pesticides' risks to bees, and interviewed agency officials and stakeholders from various groups including beekeepers and pesticide manufacturing companies.

What GAO Found

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conducts monitoring, research and outreach, and conservation that help protect bees, but limitations in those efforts hamper the department's ability to protect bee health. For example, USDA has increased monitoring of honey bee colonies managed by beekeepers to better estimate losses nationwide but does not have a mechanism in place to coordinate the monitoring of wild, native bees that the White House Pollinator Health Task Force's May 2015 strategy directs USDA and other federal agencies to conduct. Wild, native bees, which also pollinate crops, are not managed by beekeepers and are not as well studied. USDA officials said they had not coordinated with other agencies to develop a plan for monitoring wild, native bees because they were focused on other priorities. Previous GAO work has identified key practices that can enhance collaboration among agencies, such as clearly defining roles and responsibilities. By developing a mechanism, such as a monitoring plan for wild, native bees that establishes agencies' roles and responsibilities, there is better assurance that federal efforts to monitor bee populations will be coordinated and effective. Senior USDA officials agreed that increased collaboration would improve federal monitoring efforts.
USDA also conducts and funds research and outreach on the health of different categories of bee species, including honey bees and, to a lesser extent, other managed bees and wild, native bees. Consistent with the task force strategy and the 2008 Farm Bill, USDA has increased its conservation efforts on private lands to restore and enhance habitat for bees but has conducted limited evaluations of the effectiveness of those efforts. For example, a USDA-contracted 2014 evaluation found that agency staff needed additional expertise on how to implement effective habitat conservation practices, but USDA has not defined those needs through additional evaluation. By evaluating gaps in expertise, USDA could better ensure the effectiveness of its efforts to restore and enhance bee habitat plantings across the nation. USDA officials said that increased evaluation would be helpful in identifying where gaps in expertise occur.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken steps to protect honey bees and other bees from risks posed by pesticides, including revising the label requirements for certain pesticides, encouraging beekeepers and others to report bee deaths potentially associated with pesticides, and urging state and tribal governments to voluntarily develop plans to work with farmers and beekeepers to protect bees. EPA also issued guidance in 2014 that expanded the agency's approach to assessing the risk that new and existing pesticides pose to bees. The task force strategy also calls for EPA to develop tools to assess the risks posed by mixtures of pesticide products. EPA officials agreed that such mixtures may pose risks to bees but said that EPA does not have data on commonly used mixtures and does not know how it would identify them. According to stakeholders GAO interviewed, sources for data on commonly used or recommended mixtures are available and could be collected from farmers, pesticide manufacturers, and others. By identifying the pesticide mixtures that farmers most commonly use on crops, EPA would have greater assurance that it could assess those mixtures to determine whether they pose greater risks than the sum of the risks posed by individual pesticides.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends, among other things, that USDA coordinate with other agencies to develop a plan to monitor wild, native bees, and evaluate gaps in staff expertise in conservation practices, and that EPA identify the most common mixtures of pesticides used on crops. USDA and EPA generally agreed with the recommendations.