Did you know that nearly one in every three bites of food you eat relies on bees? These small but mighty creatures contribute an estimated $15 billion in agricultural value each year in the U.S. alone, according to the FDA.
But they’re increasingly under threat from human activities. Without pollinators, ecosystems collapse, food sources shrink, and biodiversity suffers. Their survival is critical to ours.
Learn how bees play a critical role in our world. And what you can do to ensure they survive for generations to come.
Pollinators and Our Food System: What You Might Not Know
According to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, nearly 90% of the world’s flowering plant species depend on animal pollination, along with more than 76% of the world’s food crops and over a third of global agricultural land. Bees also act as natural indicators of environmental health. Their wellbeing reflects the state of the climate, soil fertility, pest levels, and air and water quality in the regions they inhabit. When bee populations decline, it signals broader ecological distress.
By pollinating wild and cultivated plants, bees support the biodiversity that sustains entire ecosystems. Healthy pollinator populations mean healthier environments for all species—including us.
Honey Bees Are In Trouble
Honey bees—the world’s top managed pollinators—are facing devastating losses. According to Scientists at Washington State University, some regions have seen up to 60–70% declines in colony numbers this year, the worst die off in U.S. history.
The causes are complex but interconnected: habitat destruction, parasites, pesticide use, and climate change are all playing a role. These losses echo the 2007–2008 outbreak of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a crisis where most worker bees vanished from their hives, leaving behind only the queen and a few nurse bees.
A recent report from Project Apis m. warns that “these losses are severe, broad, and may impact food security through inadequate pollination services.” The economic toll? An estimated $139 million—and counting.
How Greater Good Charities is Supporting Pollinators Worldwide
At Greater Good Charities, we’re committed to saving honey bees and native pollinators of all types. We do this through a comprehensive approach by educating communities about how to help protect these vital creatures, pollinator plants to help feed bees, responding after disasters with sugar and pollen substitute, providing essential supplies, queen bees, and working bees to beekeepers, and so much more.
- After Hurricanes Helene and Milton, we provided over 60,000 gallons of syrup and 62,000 pounds of pollen substitute to help feed 264,000 hives—that’s more than 10.5 billion bees—across Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.
- In Ukraine, a top-five global honey producer, we’ve supported local beekeepers whose hives were destroyed by war. Our grants helped deliver thousands of pounds of sugar and pollen, replacement hives and queen bees, and the resources needed to restart their work.
- Following Hurricane Ian, in partnership with Cargill and Mann Lake, we donated over 500,000 pounds of syrup and 113,000 pounds of bee pollen substitute, helping to feed nearly 1.7 billion Florida bees.
You Can Help
Pollinators are a cornerstone of life on Earth—but they can’t survive without our help. From natural disasters to human-driven threats, bees and other pollinators face challenges that require urgent, ongoing support.
And we need your help! Your gift today ensures that we can continue this important work to help save these essential creatures.
Donate now to save the bees and our planet.