3 Pollinator Contributions to Agriculture
Honey is the most well-known direct product of honey bees, but these insects
produce altogether six hive products that humans collect and use: honey, beeswax,
propolis, pollen, royal jelly, and venom.
According to the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agriculture
Statistics Service, US honey production in 2013 was 67 million kilograms, valued
over US$315 million. Beeswax is the second most important hive product from an
economic point of view. It is commonly used for making candles, as an ingredient in
artists’ materials, in leather and wood polishes, and in cosmetics; drug companies
use beeswax as binding agent, time-release feature, and drug carrier. The United
States is a major producer of raw beeswax and supplier of refined beeswax.
However, the greatest contribution of honey bees to agriculture and human health
is indirect, through their services as crop pollinators. Globally, 87 of the leading
115 food crops are dependent at least to some extent on animal pollinators, contributing an estimated 35% of global food production [33].
When considering the scale of our dependency upon pollinators, primarily bees,
crop studies have investigated both quantitative and qualitative effects. Quantitative
studies look at amounts of seed and/or fruit produced via pollination, and qualitative
studies look at the quality of the final fruit, particularly from a commercial perspective. Both quantitative and qualitative assessments of pollinator participation gain
greater meaning when the results are estimated as economic values.
In quantitative studies, it is important to differentiate the plants’ reliance upon
pollination. Some plants are entirely dependent on external pollination services to
produce seed and fruit, while some are partially dependent but can still produce over
90% of their yield without pollination help. Yet other crops achieve pollination by
wind, gravity, or water [34].
The value of directly pollinator-dependent crops in the United States reached an
estimated US$15.12 billion in 2009; examples of such crops that require or benefit
from insect pollination include apples, almonds, blueberries, and the gourd family
(squash, melons, etc.). Of that 2009 crop value, US$11.68 billion was attributed to
honey bees and US$3.44 billion attributed to other pollinators. The honey industry
from the managed honey bee accounted for over US$300 million in the US economy
[8, 35]. Bee pollinators contribute at least EU€22 billion per annum to the European
agriculture industry as well [36].
Some crops like almonds are almost exclusively pollinated by honey bees. For
example, California’s almond industry requires 60% of all US honey bee pollination
services, about 1.4 million hives, to produce 80% of the worldwide almond crop,
which is worth an estimated US$4.8 billion per annum [37].
Animal-assisted pollination enhances both yield and quality of different crops to
different extents. Yield is a measurement more economically relevant to farmers and
is the amount of crop harvested per unit area as opposed to merely total product.
Rapeseed or oilseed rape, known in the United States primarily by its canola
cultivars, is the third-largest source of vegetable oil in the world. The United States is
1 Understanding, Conservation, and Protection of Precious Natural Resources: Bees
15
Honey is the most well-known direct product of honey bees, but these insects
produce altogether six hive products that humans collect and use: honey, beeswax,
propolis, pollen, royal jelly, and venom.
According to the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agriculture
Statistics Service, US honey production in 2013 was 67 million kilograms, valued
over US$315 million. Beeswax is the second most important hive product from an
economic point of view. It is commonly used for making candles, as an ingredient in
artists’ materials, in leather and wood polishes, and in cosmetics; drug companies
use beeswax as binding agent, time-release feature, and drug carrier. The United
States is a major producer of raw beeswax and supplier of refined beeswax.
However, the greatest contribution of honey bees to agriculture and human health
is indirect, through their services as crop pollinators. Globally, 87 of the leading
115 food crops are dependent at least to some extent on animal pollinators, contributing an estimated 35% of global food production [33].
When considering the scale of our dependency upon pollinators, primarily bees,
crop studies have investigated both quantitative and qualitative effects. Quantitative
studies look at amounts of seed and/or fruit produced via pollination, and qualitative
studies look at the quality of the final fruit, particularly from a commercial perspective. Both quantitative and qualitative assessments of pollinator participation gain
greater meaning when the results are estimated as economic values.
In quantitative studies, it is important to differentiate the plants’ reliance upon
pollination. Some plants are entirely dependent on external pollination services to
produce seed and fruit, while some are partially dependent but can still produce over
90% of their yield without pollination help. Yet other crops achieve pollination by
wind, gravity, or water [34].
The value of directly pollinator-dependent crops in the United States reached an
estimated US$15.12 billion in 2009; examples of such crops that require or benefit
from insect pollination include apples, almonds, blueberries, and the gourd family
(squash, melons, etc.). Of that 2009 crop value, US$11.68 billion was attributed to
honey bees and US$3.44 billion attributed to other pollinators. The honey industry
from the managed honey bee accounted for over US$300 million in the US economy
[8, 35]. Bee pollinators contribute at least EU€22 billion per annum to the European
agriculture industry as well [36].
Some crops like almonds are almost exclusively pollinated by honey bees. For
example, California’s almond industry requires 60% of all US honey bee pollination
services, about 1.4 million hives, to produce 80% of the worldwide almond crop,
which is worth an estimated US$4.8 billion per annum [37].
Animal-assisted pollination enhances both yield and quality of different crops to
different extents. Yield is a measurement more economically relevant to farmers and
is the amount of crop harvested per unit area as opposed to merely total product.
Rapeseed or oilseed rape, known in the United States primarily by its canola
cultivars, is the third-largest source of vegetable oil in the world. The United States is
1 Understanding, Conservation, and Protection of Precious Natural Resources: Bees
15