Bee Pollination Facts

• 80% of the pollination of the fruits, vegetables and seed crops in the US is accomplished by honeybees. Some $29 billion in crops in the U.S. are pollinated, and the global number is $217 billion.

• One out of every three mouthfuls of food and drink we consume depends upon pollinators.

• Agriculture is dependent greatly on honeybees for pollination. Honeybees account for 80% of all insect pollination. Without such pollination, we would see a significant decrease in the yield of vegetables, fruits, and seed crops, and many of them would not even exist without the honey bee at bloom time.

• Honey bees contribute over $15 billion to the value of U.S. crop production.

• Some crops, including cherries and blueberries, are 90% dependent on honey bee pollination. Almonds are almost completely dependent upon pollinators and especially honey bees; 80 percent of the world’s almond production is in California.

• In California alone, more than one million bee colonies are used each year to pollinate its almond crop.
Domesticated honey bees, which are commonly used to pollinate crops, have declined dramatically in recent years due to parasitic mites and Colony Collapse Disorder.