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Four species of bumblebees that were once abundant in the United States are now close to becoming extinct, researchers said on Monday in a study confirming that the important insects are being affected globally. The researchers documented a 96 percent downfall in the numbers of the four species, and also confirmed their range had shrunk by as much as 87 percent. "We provide incontrovertible evidence that multiple Bombus species have experienced sharp population declines at the national...

Shade-grown coffee farms support native bees that help maintain the health of some of the world's most biodiverse tropical regions, according to a study by a University of Michigan biologist and a colleague at the University of California, Berkeley.The study suggests that by pollinating native trees on shade-coffee farms and adjacent patches of forest, the bees help preserve the genetic diversity of remnant native-tree populations. The study was published online Monday in the Proceedings of...