Why Are Bees Important? 7 Reasons They Matter
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Bees are important because they pollinate. When a bee moves pollen from flower to flower, the plant can set fruit and seed. That one job feeds us, since most of our fruits, nuts and vegetables need pollinators, and it keeps wild plants, and the animals that eat them, going.
Honey, beeswax and a multi-billion-dollar farm economy come on top of that. Below are the seven biggest reasons bees matter, what would happen without them, and the simple things anyone can do to help.
1. Bees pollinate a large share of our food
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the male parts of a flower to the female parts. Many crops cannot make fruit or seed without it, and bees are the most effective pollinators we have. A foraging bee is covered in branched hairs that pick up pollen, and she tends to stick to one kind of flower per trip, so the pollen lands where it is needed.
The numbers:
- A major 2007 study of global crops found that about 75% of the leading food crops benefit from animal pollination, mostly by bees.
- Those crops make up about 35% of global crop production by volume. That is where the popular line “one in three bites of food” comes from; the USDA uses it too.
- In the US, the USDA estimates that honey bee pollination supports about $15 billion of crop production each year, across more than 130 fruits, nuts and vegetables.
One caveat: the “one in three bites” figure refers to crops that depend on pollinators to some degree, not food that would vanish entirely without them. Some crops need bees completely, while others just yield less or produce smaller, misshapen fruit. The effect is still large.
2. They keep wild plants and ecosystems going
Farms are only part of the story. Researchers estimate that close to 90% of the world’s flowering plant species rely on animals for pollination, and bees do more of that work than any other group.
Those plants hold soil in place, filter water and provide berries, seeds and nuts for birds and mammals. When bees pollinate a wild blueberry, a wildflower meadow or a patch of clover, they are supporting the whole food web above them. Fewer pollinators means fewer seeds, fewer new plants and less food for wildlife.
3. Native bees do far more than most people realize
When people say “save the bees” they usually picture honey bees. But there are about 20,000 known bee species worldwide and roughly 4,000 in North America. The honey bee is not one of them: European settlers brought it to Virginia in the early 1600s.
| Honey bees | Native bees | |
|---|---|---|
| Species | One main species (Apis mellifera) in North America | About 4,000 species in North America |
| Social life | Colonies of tens of thousands with one queen | Mostly solitary; each female nests on her own |
| Nesting | Hives or cavities, managed by beekeepers | Most nest in the ground; others in hollow stems or wood |
| Strengths | Can be moved in large numbers to big crops like almonds | Often better at particular crops; bumble bees buzz-pollinate tomatoes and blueberries |
| Honey | Yes, in surplus | No surplus honey |
Both matter. Honey bees are the workhorse of commercial pollination because they can be trucked to where they are needed. Native bees fill in the gaps, often visit flowers that honey bees ignore, and do most of the work in wild places. More on the differences in our guide to the types of bees.
4. Bees give us honey and other hive products
Honey bees are the only insects we manage on a large scale for food. A strong colony can store more honey than it needs for winter, and that surplus is what beekeepers harvest. The hive also produces:
- Beeswax, used in candles, cosmetics, food wraps and wood polish;
- Pollen, collected with traps and sold as a food supplement;
- Propolis, a resin bees gather from tree buds to seal the hive;
- Royal jelly, the gland secretion fed to young larvae and queens.
Our guide to hive products besides honey explains how each one is made and collected.
5. Bees are worth billions to the economy
Put a price on pollination and the figures get big fast. The US Fish and Wildlife Service puts the value of all pollinators to US crops at more than $18 billion a year. A 2016 global assessment by the UN-backed IPBES estimated that crops directly affected by pollinators are worth $235 to $577 billion a year worldwide.
Almonds show how much depends on bees. California’s almond orchards need well over 2 million honey bee colonies every February, which means most commercial hives in the country are moved there for bloom. Without rented bees, the almond crop would fail. Beekeepers earn much of their income from pollination fees like these, not only from honey.
6. What would happen without bees
We would not starve. The staple grains that supply most of our calories (wheat, rice and corn) are wind-pollinated. But our diet would become much plainer and more expensive. Pollinator-dependent crops supply most of the vitamin C in our diet and a large share of vitamin A, folate and healthy fats.
| Food | How much it depends on bees | Without bees |
|---|---|---|
| Almonds | Almost entirely | Commercial crop would collapse |
| Blueberries and cranberries | Heavily | Much smaller harvests, far higher prices |
| Apples, cherries, pears | Heavily | Few, small, misshapen fruit |
| Melons, pumpkins, squash, cucumbers | Heavily | Flowers drop without setting fruit |
| Avocados | Heavily | Much lower yields |
| Alfalfa and clover (for seed) | Heavily | Less cattle feed, so pricier beef and dairy |
| Coffee, strawberries, tomatoes, canola | Partly | Lower yields or poorer quality |
| Wheat, rice, corn | Not at all (wind-pollinated) | Largely unaffected |
Hand pollination is possible, and some farmers have done it with brushes, but it is slow and costly. It is not a realistic replacement at the scale of modern farming.
7. Bees are a warning sign for the environment
Because they forage over a wide area and touch thousands of flowers, bees pick up whatever is in the landscape. When bees struggle, it usually points to wider problems such as poor habitat, heavy pesticide use or a changing climate. Their health is a useful measure of the health of the land around us.
The threats bees face
Honey bees are not going extinct, since beekeepers replace lost colonies by splitting hives. But the losses are heavy. US beekeepers lost an estimated 55.6% of their colonies between April 2024 and April 2025, a record. The following year brought losses of 39.9%, closer to the long-running average but still very high. Many native bee species are in real decline, and some bumble bees have vanished from much of their former range.
- Varroa mites. The biggest single problem for honey bees. The mites feed on bees and spread viruses. See how varroa mites affect colonies.
- Habitat loss. Lawns, pavement and huge single-crop fields leave little to eat for much of the season.
- Pesticides. Insecticides, including neonicotinoids, can kill bees outright or weaken their foraging and navigation. More in why pesticides are bad for bees.
- Poor nutrition and disease. Bees fed on one crop miss the mixed pollen diet they need, which lowers their resistance to disease.
- Climate change. Shifts in bloom times and extreme weather can leave bees out of step with their food.
What you can do to help bees
- Plant for bees. Choose a mix of flowers that bloom from early spring to late fall, with native plants where you can. Grow groups of the same plant, not single stems. Our list of bee-friendly plants and flowers is a good place to start.
- Skip the pesticides. Avoid insecticides where possible. If you must spray, never spray open flowers, and do it in the evening when bees are not flying.
- Mow less. Let clover and dandelions bloom in part of the lawn.
- Leave some bare ground and dead stems. Most native bees nest in soil or hollow stems, so a very tidy garden leaves them nowhere to live.
- Put out water. A shallow dish with stones gives bees a safe place to drink.
- Buy local honey. It supports beekeepers who look after colonies in your area.
- Keep bees yourself. A backyard hive is a real commitment, but a rewarding one. Read our guide to getting started in beekeeping, then compare beehive starter kits.
For lighter reading, see our list of surprising facts about bees, from the waggle dance to how little honey one bee makes in her lifetime.
Frequently asked questions
What would happen if bees went extinct?
We would still have wheat, rice and corn, but many fruits, nuts and vegetables would become scarce and expensive, and diets would lose important vitamins. Wild plants that rely on bees would set less seed, which would hurt the birds and animals that feed on them.
Do bees really pollinate one third of our food?
Roughly. About 35% of global crop production by volume comes from crops that benefit from animal pollination, mostly by bees. Not all of that food would disappear without bees, because many of those crops depend on pollinators only partly.
Are honey bees endangered?
No. Honey bees are a managed species and beekeepers rebuild colony numbers each year, although annual losses in the US now run around 40% or more. Several native bees, including some bumble bees, are genuinely endangered.
Why are bees important to humans?
They pollinate crops that supply much of our fruit, nuts, vegetables and vitamins, and they support livestock feed like alfalfa. They also give us honey and beeswax, and pollination services are worth billions of dollars a year to farmers.
Which bees are the best pollinators?
It depends on the crop. Honey bees are the most important commercially because they can be moved in huge numbers. Bumble bees are better at tomatoes and blueberries, and mason bees are very efficient on fruit trees like apples and cherries.
Every garden that plants a few more flowers and sprays a little less makes a difference. Bees do a huge amount for us, and they need very little in return.
