The Obama Administration is buzzing over a new government-wide initiative to save honey bees.

President Obama has instructed the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Agriculture to lead a multi-agency effort to develop a strategy within the next six months to stem the progressive declines of the nation's bee and other pollinator populations.

The plan includes $8 million to establish new honey bee habitats.

"Pollinators contribute substantially to the economy of the United States and are vital to keeping fruits, nuts and vegetables in our diets," Obama said in a June 20 memorandum released by the White House.

An estimated one quarter of all the food Americans eat, like apples, carrots and avocados, relies on pollination.

"Honey bee pollination alone adds more than $15 billion in value to agricultural crops each year," but "over the past few decades, there has been a significant loss of pollinators, including honey bees, native bees, birds, bats, and butterflies, from the environment," Obama said. "The problem is serious and requires immediate attention to ensure the sustainability of our food production systems, avoid additional economic impact on the agricultural sector and protect the health of the environment."

Bee populations overall saw a 23 percent decline last winter -- a result, researchers say, of a number of factors, including the loss of genetic diversity, inadequate diets, mite infestations, diseases and exposure to certain pesticides.

And, lest anyone forgets, there's also been an escalation of the condition known as colony collapse disorder -- the rapid, unexpected and greatly-destructive loss of bees in a hive.

"Given the breadth, severity, and persistence of pollinator losses, it is critical to expand federal efforts and take new steps to reverse pollinator losses and help restore populations to healthy levels," Obama said. "These steps should include the development of new public-private partnerships and increased citizen engagement."

The president has drawn criticism from some environmental groups for not more directly addressing the suspected causes of bee crisis, such as neonicotinoids, a class of pesticides linked to bee deaths.

"The administration should prevent the release and use of these toxic pesticides until determined safe," Erich Pica, president of the advocacy group Friends of the Earth, told Reuters.