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The Buzz About Honey Bees
Nature’s Tiny Powerhouses Essential to Country Living
Our rural landscapes, lush with vibrant blossoms, are abuzz with life each summer. And in the heart of this bucolic symphony, the humble honey bee plays a leading role.
According to the American Beekeeping Federation, there are an estimated 2.7 million honey bee colonies in the U.S. as of 2021. These diminutive powerhouses are the unsung heroes of our agricultural fabric, responsible for pollinating about a third of the food we eat.
In our rustic corner of the world, honey bees are more than just charming fixtures of the countryside; they are essential workers whose daily grind is instrumental in keeping our environment healthy and our food system robust.
A honey bee can visit up to 5,000 flowers in a single day. Each visit transfers pollen from male to female flower parts, allowing for fruit and seed production. This process, called pollination, is vital to our food system. As the National Honey Board notes, honey bees enable the growth of more than 90 commercially grown crops in North America.
But the gifts these small wonders bring extend beyond our plates.
Honey bees also produce honey — a natural sweetener celebrated for its taste and health benefits. In a 2018 study by the…
