Bees are arguably the most invaluable species to life on earth!

Many people admire bees for the honey they produce. But bees play one of the most important roles in our world today. And the role bees have in our world is more vital than many people may realise. Bees are considered as the pillars of agriculture for the work they do in pollination. If you’ve ever enjoyed most fruit, vegetables and other crops you should generally thank the bees.

Pollination: The Critical Role Honey Bees Play in Agriculture

The most important role honey bees play is actually not honey production, but pollination. There is also a trend to consume more bee-pollinated crops (such as fruits and vegetables), making honey bees more and more important in agriculture.

Bees are directly linked to one in every three bites we eat. Hundreds of essential food sources in the world have the bees to thank for their pollination. Stop and think for a moment about all the flowering plants that require bees for pollination. The list of foods we eat alone is almost too many to list here but these include, Almonds, Apples, Blueberries, Watermelons, Cherries, Onions, Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Various Chili Peppers, Tangerine, Coconuts, Hazelnuts, Cucumber, Lemons, Limes, Carrots, Strawberries, Cotton, Walnuts, Sunflowers, Various Beans, Apricots, Plums, Pomegranates, Pears, Black Berries, Sesame, Eggplant, Cocoa, Cranberries, Vanilla, Tomato, and Grapes.

Production: What Bees Produce Directly

Honey bees are known mainly for their production of honey and beeswax, which are valued highly worldwide. Besides that, bees also collect and produce pollen, propolis, royal jelly, and bee venom. These bee products are all playing increasing roles in health food and alternative medicine.  Bee stings are routinely used for the treatment of arthritis, multiple sclerosis and other auto-immune diseases.