The American bumblebee was once the most common bee species in the United States. Its numbers have declined by 90 percent in the last two decades. The problem is bigger than just the loss of an iconic species. Three-fourths of the food crops humans grow depend on pollinators – bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and more. Industrial monocultures sap the soil. Rampant chemical use poisons our water and our bodies. Reckless stewardship of the land wastes our precious resources. Buzzkill asks why we raise food this way – and how we can change things for the better.

Americans stepped up to do something about dying bees. But what if all those backyard colonies are making the problem worse? 

In Buzzkill’s premiere episode, host Teresa Cotsilos takes an in-depth look at whether raising domesticated bees, especially in cities, is harming the wild species we need to preserve biodiversity.

Buzzkill is a six-part series from the Food & Environment Reporting Network, hosted by FERN staff writer and producer Teresa Cotsilos. Listen to more episodes at thefern.org.