It may have buzzed right past you, but August 16 was National Honey Bee Day and there’s some sweet news about the health of our busy pollinator friends, according to Bayer CropScience.

Despite concerns about bee losses, two recent studies show that after the recent long winter, hives in Europe and Canada are actually stronger than in previous years and honey bee populations are stable or increasing globally. Here in the United States, a White House initiative was started this summer to find ways to improve honey bee health and new public/private partnerships are addressing forage and nutrition challenges.

Bayer CropScience has undertaken several initiatives of its own this year toward increasing honey bee health, including opening the North American Bee Care Center in North Carolina in April. The company also launched a new product named Fluency Agent that was used to help reduce potential pesticide dust exposure to honey bees during the planting season on more than 3 million acres in North America. Bayer also held its 2nd Bee Care Tour, which traveled coast-to-coast ending in Washington, D.C. during National Pollinator Week, and educated thousands about honey bee health in the middle of Grand Central Station in July.

Find out more on the Bayer Bee Care website.