Bees and the Environment

Bees are so critical to our ecosystem and are the most efficient pollinators. Honeybees are the most common pollinators in the U.S. and are used to pollinate over 100 crops grown commercially in North America, including broccoli, squash, and apples. They contribute approximately $15 billion to U.S. crop production. Because they are so useful, bee population decline is a problem – the number of honeybee hives in the U.S. has decreased from 6 million in the 1940s to about 2.5 million in 2017.