Bridging science and policy: Using the excitement around bees as a conduit for systemic change

Honey bees (genus Apis) are far from the most speciose of the bee genera but they’ve really captured the public consciousness. As such, their health decline has also attracted disproportionate attention. Though a loss in honey bees is unlikely to cause ecological disaster in North America or human extinction as some have posed, these insects have become the poster children for environmental consciousness and conservation efforts despite the long list of native creatures in greater peril. Rather than dethroning the honey bee I’d posit that we can use the excitement around this insect to bring policy into alignment with current conservation and environmental goals. This can undergird an effective one health approach that uses honey bees as a model to put the interconnectedness of humanity and our ecosystem on display.