ALBANY – Ag leaders in New York State are striving to address the declining number of bees and other pollinators across the state in hopes of recovering the pollinator population that’s so crucial to both the state’s food supply and its economy.

On Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced recommendations of New York State Pollinator Task Force to address the decline in pollinators – including bees and butterflies – that’s occurred in recent years.

According to a joint report from the state Department of Ag, and the Department of Environmental Conservation, the loss of managed pollinator colonies in New York has been in excess of 50 percent. These pollinators add nearly $350 million to the state's agriculture economy each year. Moreover, since more than 90 crops in the U.S., including almonds, tree fruits, cotton, berries, and many vegetables depend on insect pollinators, efforts to reverse the trend are imperative, the governor said.

“Pollinators are critical to our ecosystem, as well as New York's agricultural industry, and the work of this Task Force will help in our efforts to reverse the troubling decline of the bee population in New York and help to preserve and further improve this state's environmental and economic health,” stated Cuomo.

The state's “Pollinator Protection Plan” was created in coordination with the Task Force advisory group, which included farmers, apiarists, pesticide applicators and environmentalists. Together, members focused their recommendations on four key areas: