Wild bees are worth some $1.5 billion to key fruit and vegetable crops in North America, according to new research that warned declines in these pollinators threatens the productivity of economically important agriculture.
The study, which had funding from the United States Department of Agriculture, comes as evidence of steep drops in insect populations worldwide prompts fears of dire consequences for crop pollination and natural food chains. Researchers from several US and Canadian universities looked at seven major fruit, vegetable and nut crops that are dependent on pollination — by wild bees and managed honeybees, which are often transported around farms as hired crop pollinators.
Researchers collected data from 131 farms in the US and parts of Canada on the prevalence of different types of bees, the amount of pollen distributed per flower visit and crop yield. This allowed them to estimate that the nationwide annual production value of wild pollinators to the crops studied was over $1.5 billion, compared with $6.4 billion for honeybees — a figure dominated by their $4.2 billion value to almond production. Researchers found that in six crops — pumpkin, apple, sweet cherry, tart cherry, blueberry and watermelon — wild bee species deposited on average more pollen per flower visit than honeybees.
Source: Digital Journal
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