Business and Economics

Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) Beyond Honey production: Pollination

Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) play a crucial ecological role as pollinators of many flowering plants and are the source of multi-billion dollars in several parts of the world. Pollination by honeybees take place in almost all major ecosystems of the world except in areas with extremely cold (Alpine/Afroalpine) and extremely hot (Desert) weather. Even though it is hard to estimate the overall value of honeybee pollination in crop production, several authors estimated it more than $1.6-$40 billion a year in United States of America alone. Surprisingly, this could be the annual budget of more than 5-10 least developed Countries. In Africa, bee pollination is sometimes estimated to be 100 times the value of the honey harvest, depending on the type of crop. Unfortunately, pollinators in general and honeybees in particular have extremely declined these days. Thus, every country has to incorporate policies to help conserve the pollinators maintaining pollination system healthy and productive. Creating awareness about the importance of honeybee apart from honey production especially to farmers could have a crucial value in maintaining honeybee diversity in particular and pollinators in general.