Ten good reasons
1. A large part of agricultural yields in plant, horticultural and fruit growing depends on pollination by bees.
2. without bees we would be able to harvest only half as much, and our fruits and vegetables would be smaller, poorer in vitamins and of poorer quality.
3. The global economic benefit of the bee is around 265 billion euros. In Germany alone: 2.7 billion euros!
4. 584 species of wild bees are native to Germany. 39 species are already extinct. Half of all bee species are threatened with extinction! Monocultures, pesticides, diseases and parasites in particular damage the insects.
5. The honey bee is the third most important livestock in Germany after cattle and pigs.
6. Almost 80 percent of all useful and wild plants are pollinated by the western honey bee.
7. Out of 100 plant species that provide more than 90 percent of human nutrition, 71 have been observed to be pollinated by bees.
8. Cultivated plants such as cocoa, vanilla and passion fruit are 100 percent dependent on pollination by bees.
9. In the case of stone and pome fruit, insect fertilization increases the fruit yield by 40 percent.
10. Birds, beetles, hedgehogs, mice, squirrels and the like eat seeds and fruits that would not be available without pollination.