The bee industry is already struggling.  There was significant hive loss across the country this year (I personally suffered a 75% loss).  Our bees are being onslaught from numerous angles - pesticides, parasites, etc.  The Beltsville Bee Lab is CRITICAL to aiding beekeepers is fight against this onslaught.  Approximately 35% of the world's food crops and 75% of all flowering plants require pollinators to reproduce.  The world cannot survive without strong pollinators, of which bees are a significant portion.  Please reconsider closing this and any other bee research labs.  Thank you.