European honey bees in Sheffield, England

© Deborah Vernon/Alam

European honey bees

As flowers bloom in springtime, you'll hear the soft hum of bees buzzing from blossom to blossom. This time of the year is the peak pollination period for bees. Bees are plant pollinators, which makes them vital to our terrestrial ecosystem. While feeding, they gather pollen to take back to their hives. Some of this pollen gets carried from plant to plant, helping them to reproduce and yield better crops. Bees attend to over 90% of the world’s top 107 crops, so the label 'busy bee' is no myth! Bee populations worldwide have declined, so it’s important that we support our industrious friends by reducing pesticide use, growing native plants and letting them go about their work in peace.