The loss of honey bee colonies is worrying experts across the United States.But a man in California thinks he has found an unusual way to save them.Michael Thiele does something that he calls the "rewilding" of honeybees.He permits bees to live in natural log hives high above the ground,as they did for millions of years.Thiele, who is from Germany, talked to Reuters news agency about his idea.He says people "can do this very, very simple thing— return bees into their natural nest environment."Thiele's method involves hollowing out logs and attaching them to tree trunks.He also sometimes hangs the hollow logs from the tops of barnsor puts them on high wooden tables for a similar effect.The logs then become appealing to bee "scouts" looking for a nest site.These "scouts" alert their bee colonies to move into it.Thiele says his life with bees began with intense dreams he had about them 20 years ago.He said, "You know how it is after a very strong dream, you wake up and it stays with you."He has been making the log hives since 2008.He says bees sometimes colonize them within days, and usually within a few weeks.Honey bees are important because they pollinate plantsthat produce about a quarter of the food Americans eat.Experts say the bee population is getting smallerbecause of climate change and other human-caused activities.We are building houses and cities on land where they live,and using chemicals that are killing them.Last winter, U.S. beekeepers lost almost 40% of their colonies.That estimate comes from a report released this yearby the Bee Informed Partnership, a group of people in the bee industry.It was the worst winter die-off in more than a decade.Thiele says the usual ways people raise honey bees are bad for their health.He rejects the white boxes that traditional beekeepers use.He also refuses to use chemicals, smokeor protective clothing when he works with bees.He touches them with his bare hands.Thiele says his hives are both a way to save bees and a personal project.While bees crawled over his hand and arm he said, "It feels so intimateand I feel how deeply we belong and how important it is to protect them."He added that honey bees show how fragile life is.He added, "As if they are really mirroring where we are on this time on this planet."