The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has placed the first bees ever on the federal endangered species list, with the addition of seven Hawaiian species from the genus Hylaeus, says National Geographic. Yellow-faced bees are the only native bees to Hawaii and the sole pollinators of a beach shrub known as naupaka, known for having flowers that look like they’re missing half their petals.
“Only two known populations of H. anthracinus, one of the most studied species [of yellow-faced bees], remain on the island of Oahu, and a few small populations are scattered across several other islands, according to recent surveys,” says National Geographic.
Once one of the most common insects on the islands, yellow-faced bee populations have plummeted because of habitat loss, climate change and competition from an invasive species of bee from India. Non-native ants also eat the bees’ larvae. Scientists are trying out ways to protect yellow-faced bees by building breeding boxes that allow the bees to enter, while keeping out ants. But the boxes don’t help much when it comes to rising seas and storm surge, which destroy the bees nests. Scientists are calling on the state of Hawaii to protect the bees by setting aside areas free of farming and development, as well as doing more to keep out invasive species.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife announcement comes after President Obama called for greater protections for U.S. pollinators.