What happens if bees go extinct?
Where would we be without bees? As far as important species go, they are top of the list. They are critical pollinators: they pollinate 70 of the around 100 crop species that feed 90% of the world. Honey bees are responsible for $30 billion a year in crops.
That’s only the start. We may lose all the plants that bees pollinate, all of the animals that eat those plants and so on up the food chain. Which means a world without bees could struggle to sustain the global human population of 7 billion. Our supermarkets would have half the amount of fruit and vegetables.
Pollinator Facts
• Bees and other pollinators play a critical role in our food production system.
• More than 100 U.S. grown crops rely on pollinators. The added revenue to crop production from pollinators is valued at $18 billion.
• Honey bees are America’s primary commercial pollinator, although there are over 4,000 types of bees in the United States.
• Today, there are about 2.8 million U.S. honey bee hives.
• Major U.S. pollinated crops include almonds, non-citrus fruit trees, berries, melons, and squash
. • The total annual value of U.S. honey bee products and services sold is approximately $700 million.
Know Your Native Pollinators
Floridas three major pollinators are insects, birds and bats. We are home to roughly 315 species of native bees, of which 29 of those are endemic (found only in Florida). The 300+ bee species can be found in six different bee families including Halictidae, Megachilidae, Andrenidae, Apidae, Colletidae, and Melittidae, and include 48 genera. North America is home to over 4,000 bee species and worldwide there are over 20,000 species of bees! To learn more about all our important native pollinators, visit the UF Entomology and Nematology Department.