Even if you don't start your day off with a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios, you definitely recognize BuzzBee - the cereal's honeybee mascot - from the cereal aisle and TV commercials.

Well, get ready to say goodbye to the iconic mascot because he's leaving for a surprising reason. General Mills, the company that makes Cheerios, is removing BuzzBee from their products to raise awareness about the problems facing real bees.

We depend on bees to pollinate as much as 30% of our crops, but the helpful insects are disappearing quickly. BuzzBee's own disappearing act is part of General Mills' new campaign to help Bring Back the Bees.

BuzzBee, who started appearing on ceral boxes in the 1980s, will be gone throughout the spring. During that time, General Mills will start a website where fans of the cereal can enter their address to receive a free packet of seeds.

The company hopes to plant 100 million packets of wildflower seeds to make the world "more bee-friendly." They'll also be adding over 3,000 acres of bee habitat to their own farms.

Last year Cheerios had a similar campaign in Canada that was a big success, so they hope Americans will get enthusiastic about saving their bees.

Some experts say as many as 40 percent of America's bee hives have already collapsed.

Scientists haven't decided on a single reason why this is happening, but things like pesticides, bad weather, pollution and destroying the bees' habitats all play a role.

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