Pollinator numbers have been declining for many reasons, and P.O.P. focuses on two of the most critical: habitat loss and pesticide use. Pollinators need places to live in order to survive, but with more and more land being used for cities or farming, their habitat is being destroyed. This kind of expansion is also detrimental to the number of flowers pollinators have access to. Pesticides are often used to increase agricultural production by preventing the destruction of crops by bugs, but these chemicals affect pests and pollinators alike. In California alone, more than one million colonies were killed by insecticide use, causing the population to drop by 10%. If bees come into contact with pesticide residue, it results in the whole colony being weakened and more susceptible to other diseases. These are some of the serious challenges pollinators face today, but here in Alaska, there are simple ways for us to prevent a similar fate.
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