After almost two decades of colony collapse and years of inexplicably clean windshields, our eco-friendly flying friend is making a comeback. And that has people buzzing.

Last week, the new numbers from the latest Census of Agriculture (when the government counts everything animal and agricultural two-by-two) showed that America's honeybee population has flown to an all-time high.

According to the report, since an inexplicable and precipitous decline in 2007, the United States has added almost a million bee colonies in the past five years, hitting a new high of 3.8 million hives. Bees are now the fastest-growing livestock segment in the country.

Simply stated, honeybees are BACK, and that is some sweet news!

Why are they back, and where did these swarms come from? The answers are as informative as they are interesting. Let's start with the latter, as it will explain the former.

In studying the data, much of the resurgence came in just one state: Texas. Since 2012, the Lone Star State has gone from having the sixth-most hives in the country to being so far ahead of anyone else that it out-bees the bottom 21 states combined. Further data analysis shows that the most significant increases came in north Texas, a region not traditionally considered a honeybee hotbed. We can thank one man for this.

When you meet Dennis Herbert, it is clear that he is not a political mover and shaker. Herbert, a retired wildlife biologist, boasts no fancy connections and drops no names. Despite lacking training or experience, he headed to the Texas State House dressed in blue jeans, a button-down shirt, and a sweat-stained ball cap and laid out a simple hypothetical.

In an article in the New York Times, Mr. Herbert describes the situation in the following way:
"You own 200 acres on the other side of the fence from me, and you raise cotton for a living. You get your ag valuation and cheaper taxes on your property. I have 10 acres on the other side of the fence and raise bees, and I don't receive my ag valuation. And yet my bees are flying across the fence and pollinating your crops and making a living for you, and I just never thought that quite fair."

In 2012, the Herbert hypothetical gave rise to a new law: if you keep five or more hives for five years on a five-acre (or larger) plot of land, you qualify for agricultural tax breaks. Over the next few years, all 254 Texas counties adopted similar bee rules.

The key to reviving this eco-saving insect wasn't changing environmental codes but tax codes.

In under two weeks, Americans will participate in the annual rite of wealth transfer, known as filing their taxes. They say death and taxes are the only certainties in life, and you can only put off one.

At its most elemental level, taxes are about revenue generation. Just as important, taxes are about mass behavioral change. Think about it. Do you want more people to:

Stop smoking?
Drive less?
Drink less?
Save more?
Donate to charities?

Additionally, do you want businesses to:

Bring jobs to your city?
Invest in research and development?
Hire more people?
Give back to the community?

The answer to all of this and more lies in our tax code. It's simple: we incentivize behaviors we like and de-incentivize those we don't.

It seems pretty straightforward.

So, following the lead of Mr. Herbert, I have a simple hypothetical of my own for you to ponder upon.

(Imagine me in cowboy attire and with a Texas drawl.)

"You got 2000 kids on the other side of the fence from me, and you raise students for a living. You get a STEM valuation at cheaper costs on your side. I have 200 kids on the other side of the fence and raise good kids, and I don't receive my valuation. And yet my students are flying across the fence and helping create a good school and making a living for you, and I just never thought that quite fair."

So, I suggest we make income gained from teaching (salaries) non-taxable. Tax-free like the honeybee.

Think about it. Do you want to:

Reverse the decline of people becoming teachers?
Increase the number of applicants?
Increase the depth and experience of applicants?
Fill classrooms with only the best educators?

If you answered yes, let's follow the flight of our furry little friends. Change the tax code.

When it comes to music, I have always said, "I haven't found a problem yet that can't be made better with more kids." The same is true for teachers. More teachers lead to better teachers. Better teachers lead to better kids. So ask yourself, do you want:

More engaged students and parents?
Higher G.P.A.'s?
Less drugs and alcohol?
Fewer discipline issues?
More kids getting scholarships?

Don't develop a moral code; develop a tax code.

If we know music makes better kids, and better kids make for better schools, shouldn't we incentivize participation in music? Why not:

Make buying an instrument deductible?
Remove sales tax on music-related products?
Make lessons a write-off?
Credit time spent in after-school rehearsals?

Remember, taxes are about revenue generation and behavior modification. Yes, my proposal would reduce the government's income, which gets sticky, but look at what we would save. What would the cost-benefit be of needing fewer:

Administrators
Security guards
Discipline deans
Summer school teachers
Drop-out prevention coordinators

Additionally, what would the cost-benefit be of having more:

Engaged students
Efficient passing periods
Involved parents
High school graduates
College applicants

In short, the savings achieved by having better educators and more students involved in music FAR outpaces the revenue lost by incentivizing music teachers and students to participate.

If you are a tree-hugging liberal, you are filling the world with music. If you are a fiscal conservative, you are saving money and making better schools. WIN-WIN!

So, I say we follow the lead of our little friend, the bee, and make music teaching and music-making completely tax-free.

And, I'm not pollen your leg.

Why not?

Have a great week.

-Scott