It was either the free ice cream or a genuine concern for the dwindling adult bee population that brought dozens to the House Agriculture Committee room on Wednesday to kick off National Bee Pollinator Week.

Government staffers, lawmakers - and many, many summer interns - packed the room, making it almost a standing-room only event hosted by Haagen-Dazs, Burt’s Bees and the Pollinator Partnership.

The kick off was a prelude to a House Agriculture Committee hearing scheduled for Thursday in which a team of researchers from the Florida Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agencies are expected to present their latest findings of colony collapse disorder, a phenomenon that has led to the decline of the adult honeybee population.

The disorder threatens commercial pollinators, which crop growers depend on to pollinate fruit and vegetables.

Researchers still don’t know the cause of the disorder, but they may be closer to their quest for answers.

Maryann Frazier, part of the research team studying colony collapse, said scientists are studying a new pathogen that may be contributing to the drop in the adult bee population. High levels of pesticides may also be a factor.

Overall, the health of the insects has worsened. The adult honeybee population declined 36 percent this year, compared to a 31 percent drop last year, Frazier said.

Palm Beach Post