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Honey Bees
​and Pollination

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Up To 40% of America's Honey Bees Die Each Year. 

In fact, the number of hives in the United States is now at its lowest point in the past 50 years. Critical wildlife habitat is disappearing, putting honey bees and other pollinators like monarch butterflies in serious decline – and putting our food supply at risk. The global economic cost of bee decline, including lower crop yields and increased production costs, has been estimated as high as $5.7 billion per year.
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One Third of Our Food Supply Requires A Pollinator

One-third of our food supply – including most fruit and vegetable crops – requires the work of a pollinator to make it to our table. As much as 80% of flowering plants – 90 different crops – require pollination by honey bees and other insects. That means 1 in 3 bites of food depend on a pollinator.
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And the economic impact reaches far beyond the table. In the United States, pollination by honey bees, native bees, and other insects produces $40 billion worth of products annually. Approximately $18 billion in American agriculture relies on pollinators.
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In 2009 alone, honey bees directly supported $11.7 billion of crops in the U.S., and in Canada, the value of honey bee pollination for crop production is estimated at $1.3 to 1.7 billion annually. 

Nowhere to Fly

Almost 24 million acres of grassland were converted into crop ground in the last decade, taking valuable habitat away from pollinators and other wildlife.

For example, Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Lands once offered a safe haven to thousands of commercial bee hives, providing a buffer from the effects of intense agricultural practices. In 2007, CRP acres numbered 37 million; by 2014, only 24 million.
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Hitting Honey Hard

US honey production is at the lowest in history – declining by 25%. Just 7 states account for 57% of the honey production in the U.S. — those states are all located within the region losing the most grassland acres.

Honey Bees Aren't the Only Ones Affected 

Other wildlife including monarch butterflies, pheasant, geese, quail, deer and more benefit from critical pollinator habitat rebuilding.
Click Here to Access Resources and Learn More About Honey Bees
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Watch to Learn More about
​Honey Bees and Habitat:
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Everyone Can Help

  • Donate:  Every dollar raised means more pollinator habitat created.
  • Apply for a project:  Applications are accepted year-round.  
  • Help promote our efforts: Please like and follow the BBHF on Facebook and promote our efforts to your Facebook friends.
  • Become a corporate sponsor: With proven results, our NextGen Habitat Projects are making a difference for honey bees, monarch butterflies, and other native pollinators.

About Us
   Seed A Legacy   ​
Videos   ​
Give the Gift of Habitat
Habitat Guide
Looking for more information on honey bees and pollination? Here are a few resources to consider. 
News & Media
  • Agriculture Secretary announces $3 million for a new program to improve pollinator health
  • Honey Bee and Monarch Butterfly Partnership Targets Upland Habitat
  • Federal regulators agree honeybee decline linked to 'local stressor' mix
  • Helping the Monarch butterfly
  • America’s Great Plains Lost More Habitat in 2014 than the Brazilian Amazon
  • The Critical Need To Protect Our Bee Population
  • Researchers worried about the fate of Monarch butterflies
  • Seeding Milkweed Can Help Patch Up Monarch Butterfly Habitat
  • What's the Best Way to Improve Bee Habitat?
  • UN report calls for global action to restore pollinators
  • Food Stressed Larvae Make Poor Adults
  • Benefits of Planting a Bee Forage Cover Crop
  • Forage Resource Guide
  • Growers Guide for Planting Forage for Honey Bees


Research & Laboratories
  • Center for Honey Bee Research
  • Center for Pollinator Research
  • Dennis vanEngelsdorp Honeybee Epidemiology Lab
  • E.L. Niño Bee Lab
  • Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility
  • Honey Bee Research & Extension Lab
  • Honey Bee Research Institute and Nature Center, Inc.
  • The Ohio State University Bee Lab
  • Oregon State University Honey Bee Lab
  • Project Apis m.
  • Texas A&M Honey Bee Lab
  • UC San Diego Nieh Lab
  • UGA Honey Bee Program
  • University of Illinois - Honey Bee Research Group
  • University of Minnesota Bee Lab
  • USDA-ARS Bee Labs
  • WSU Honey Bees Pollinators 


Associations & Organizations
  • American Beekeeping Federation
  • American Honey Producers Association
  • Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association
  • Greater Atlanta Pollinator Partnership
  • Honey Bee Health Coalition
  • National Pollinator Health Strategy
  • Pollinator Stewardship Council
  • Powdermill Nature Reserve/Carnegie Museum of Natural History 

For questions or more information, contact us.
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ABOUT

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The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund identifies opportunities to establish critical pollinator habitat to help pollinator populations thrive. 
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The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
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  • PROGRAMS
    • Seed A Legacy
    • Solar Synergy
  • EDUCATION
    • IN THE NEWS
    • Free Downloads
    • Monarch's Flight
    • Honey Bees and Pollination
    • Habitat Guide
  • About
    • Annual Report
    • Our Mission
    • Our Team
  • Partner with us
  • DONATE
  • Gifts That Grow
  • Contact Us