Thread by @lopezuribelab

Day 3 of #PollinatorWeek and we want to highlight one reason why bee pollinators are important: they pollinate our crops and food!

Below are some fun facts about crop pollinators:

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With over 90 different crops relying on bees for their pollination services, we have to take a moment this week to thank a bee for the food on our tables.
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Here are a variety of crops that 50% or more of their yield is dependent on pollinators, we would probably not have these foods without our insect friends!
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Some native solitary bees have evolved very specialized relationships with crop species, like squash bees
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The alfalfa leafcutter bee (Megachile rotundata) and the horn-faced bee (Osmia cornifrons) are both managed solitary bee species that were introduced to US to increase pollination of alfalfa and orchard crops
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Blueberry plants are pollinated by many different bees including bumblebees and specialist like southeastern blueberry bee and two specialist mining bees.

Photos of Bombus and Andrena on blueberries by @NashTurley
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Generalist pollinators like honey bees are capable of pollinating many crops
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Some crops are not effected by pollinators at all (like corn, rice, wheat) while others can develop without pollinators but their yield is increased when they are around, like soybeans.
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About 11% of all crop value in the US is thanks to pollinators, and globally pollinators contribute about $300 Billion to agriculture. journals.plos.org/plosone/articl…
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A study of the impacts of pollinators on crops around the world found that wild pollinators increase yield in ALL crops systems while honey bees increased yield in only 14% of systems. science.sciencemag.org/content/339/61…

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