The Buzz about Bees Quotes

“Honeybees are the most important pollinators in most regions of the world where flowering plants exist, but are by no means the only insects that play this role. Flies, butterflies, beetles and other hymenopterans related to bees, such as solitary bees, wasps, bumblebees, and even ants can pollinate plants. Very few flowers are dependent on a single insect species, although no other pollinators are as effective as are honeybees. In all, 80% of flowering plants worldwide are pollinated by insects, and of these about 85% by honeybees. As many as 90% of fruit tree flowers are dependent on honeybees. The list of flowering plants pollinated by honeybees includes about 170,000 species. The number of flowering plant species that are dependent on honeybees, and without which they would fare badly, is estimated to be about 40,000.”
― Jürgen Tautz, The Buzz about Bees: Biology of a Superorganism