In a first, Hawaiian bees are added to US endangered species list!

New Delhi: The yello-faced bees, once found in abundance in Hawaii, have finally reached the endangered levels.

For the first time ever, seven species of Hawaiian bees are added to the US federal list of endangered and threatened species.

Large scale habitat loss, wildfires and the invasion of non-native plants and insects are some of crucial factor highlighted by the Federal Register for the steep decline in bee population.

The listing decision of Hawaiian species was taken on the basis of years of study by the conservation group Xerces Society, state government officials and independent researchers.

The bees, so named for yellow-to-white facial markings, once crowded Hawaii and Maui but recent surveys found their populations have plunged in the same fashion as other types of wild bees – and some commercial ones – elsewhere in the United States, federal wildlife managers said, according to the Guardian.

Bees represent billions of dollar of revenue each year to the US agricultural economy. So, their dying population can spell bad news for the nation's food industry.