As the weather warms and flowers start blooming, you may notice a lot more buzzing in the air. Those are likely bees and other pollinators hard at work. Pollinators play a critical role in maintaining the ecosystems and food supply that we rely on.
Bees are among the most important pollinators on the planet. Their efforts pollinating flowering plants allow fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and hay to reproduce. Without bees transferring pollen between plants, many plant species would face extinction. This would have a devastating ripple effect on the animals that depend on those plants for food and shelter.
According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, over 75% of flowering plants on the earth rely to some degree on pollinators like bees to reproduce and thrive. Incredibly, one out of every three bites of food we eat is a result of pollination by bees, butterflies, moths, wasps, flies, beetles, bats and hummingbirds.
Bees in particular are extremely industrious pollinators. A healthy honeybee colony can pollinate 300 million flowers each day! Honeybees transfer pollen between flowering plants while collecting nectar to bring back and make into honey. Other types of bees like bumblebees, carpenter bees, sweat bees and mining bees also pollinate plants as they forage for pollen and nectar.
Beyond supporting the plants that comprise the base of the food web, bees contribute an estimated $20 billion to the value of U.S. crop production each year through pollination. Some crops like blueberries and cherries are almost entirely dependent on bees for pollination. Even self-pollinating plants like tomatoes and peppers increase their yields when pollinated by bees.
Unfortunately, many bee populations are in decline due to factors like habitat loss, climate change, pesticides, disease and parasites. This puts our food supply and ecosystems at risk. We can all do our part by planting native flowers, minimizing pesticide use, buying raw honey from local beekeepers and supporting wildlife refuges. Helping pollinators helps ensure we have fruits, vegetables and nuts to eat now and in the future.
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