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All About Bees

Pollinators like bees play a crucial role in the global food system. Learn more about bees and our commitment to protecting their health and habitat.

Bee pollinating a flower

Benefits of Bees

Bees are vitally important to the sustainability of agriculture. At least one-third of the human food supply depends on insect pollination, most of which is done by bees. As bees fly from plant to plant gathering pollen or nectar, the pollen they pick up at one flower brushes off on the next, completing the bees’ reproductive role in cross-pollination. This form of pollination allows for diversity in the species and produces stronger plants, often resulting in increased disease resistance, increased yields and superior quality crops for growers and consumers alike. As such, a healthy bee population is invaluable to a healthy U.S. agricultural economy and a stable global food supply.

Why Are Bees Important?

Many of these crops would suffer if not for pollinators. Almonds, for example, depend entirely on honey bee pollination. More than 80% of the world’s almonds are produced in California, and to pollinate the state’s approximately 740,000 almond-bearing acres requires more than one million colonies of honey bees.

According to the USDA, bee pollination is responsible for approximately $17 billion in increased crop value each year.

Annual Crop Value vs. Bee Pollination Rate

Sources: United States Department of Agriculture; Nicholas W. Calderone, Cornell University

Soybean

Soybeans

$40.9 Billion

10% Honey Bee Pollination

Almond

Almonds

$5.2 Billion

100% Honey Bee Pollination

Apple

Apples

$3.6 Billion

10% Honey Bee Pollination

Peanuts

Peanuts

$1.1 Billion

100% Honey Bee Pollination

Peach

Peaches

$.6 Billion

10% Honey Bee Pollination

Blueberry

Blueberries

$.8 Billion

100% Honey Bee Pollination

Bee Keepers

The role of pollination is so important that honey bees are now bred specifically to offer contract pollination services. In many cases, the bees are collected, driven and/or flown across thousands of miles to pollinate crops.

Pollinated Crops in the U.S.

From birds and bats to moths and more, honey bees aren’t the only pollinators that our crops rely on. Scroll to explore crop types and click to learn more about which species pollinate them.

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Rusty Patched Bumble Bee: A Flourishing Partnership

2:20

Threatened and endangered species like the rusty patched bumble bee need our help. See how partnerships with growers, landowners, wildlife organizations and more are key to restoring bee habitats.

Partnering to Protect Bees

Through various partnerships and initiatives and collaboration with both local and global organizations, Syngenta is dedicated to supporting the well-being of bees. We continue to work with beekeepers, government and regulatory authorities, nonprofit organizations and other interested parties on activities to help improve bee health, including the Growing Matters coalition’s BeSure! campaign, created to support growers and applicators in their mission to protect crops responsibly.

From Hive to Harvest Graphic

Travel from hive to harvest

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Butterfly on flower

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Rusty Patched Bumble Bee: Collaboration in the Field

4:41

Collaboration with organizations like U.S. Fish & Wildlife and the Iowa Soybean Association are key to helping rusty patched bumble bee populations bounce back.