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An unprecedented study integrating data from around the globe has shown that honeybees are the world's most important single species of pollinator in natural ecosystems and a key contributor to natural ecosystem functions. The report weaves together information from 80 plant-pollinator interaction networks.
The results clearly identify the honeybee (Apis mellifera) as the single most frequent visitor to flowers of naturally occurring (non-crop) plants worldwide. Honeybees were recorded in 89 percent of the pollination networks in the honeybee's native range and in 61 percent in regions where honeybees have been introduced by humans. One out of 8 interactions between a non-agricultural plant and a pollinator is carried out by the honeybee, the study revealed. The honeybee's global importance is further underscored when considering that it is but one of tens of thousands of pollinating species in the world, including wasps, flies, beetles, butterflies, moths and other bee species.Image credit: James Hung/UC San Diego
