The Native Bee Challenge is a part of the 4-H Ag Innovators Experience, an annual program that challenges young people to apply critical thinking and STEM skills to a real-world agriculture challenge. Developed by National 4-H Council and Bayer, the program helps develop critical workforce skills in young people, and demonstrates how agriculture can be fun! This year's activity is the Native Bee Challenge, created by Iowa State University. More than 5,000 youth across five states will be challenged to learn about native bees, pollination, and the need to work together to be good stewards of the land.

In Iowa, the collaborative, hands-on challenge will help youth learn that:

1. Native bees are important pollinators. There are many types of native bees with unique life cycles.
2. Native bees impact our food supply and have an economic impact on agriculture. Youth will learn about the process of pollination, how native bees are important to pollination of food crops, and how pollinators are economically significant for agriculture.
3. Enhancing habitat for native bees benefits pollinators and other organisms, which in turn promotes broader biodiversity. Challenges that impact native bees include habitat loss, disease, climate change, and pesticide exposure. Increasing the bee population helps crops and flowering plants. Increasing habitat (both natural and artificial) helps native bees and many other species.