🐝BMBLANCE - Pollinator Reading List

Why the bees are worth saving.

A curated guide to the best writing on pollinator decline - and the organizations and funds doing something about it. Every source is linked, and each one opens in a new tab.

75%of food crops
1 in 3bites of food
$577Bglobal food / yr

Figures from sources linked below.

"If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would have only four years left to live.

A warning long attributed to Einstein - sharpened by every passing harvest
Articles • Science & Policy

Authoritative, well-sourced pieces making the economic and ecological case.

USDA - Pollinators at a Crossroads More than 100 U.S. crops rely on pollinators; added crop revenue ~$18 billion, with honey bee products and services worth ~$700 million a year. usda.gov National Geographic Society - Protect Our Pollinators Pollinators fertilize roughly 90% of wild plant species and over 75% of global food crops - including coffee, almonds, and cacao. nationalgeographic.org Greenpeace USA - Save the Bees Honey bees perform about 80% of pollination worldwide; 70 of the top 100 human food crops are bee-pollinated. greenpeace.org Greenpeace Africa - A World Without Bees Connects pollinator decline to food security across Africa, where roughly 40% of insect pollinators are already at risk. greenpeace.org Springer, Food Ethics - Pollinators and Global Food Security Peer-reviewed: 87 major food crops depend on animal pollination, together about 35% of world food production volume. springer.com Scientia Global - Pollinator Decline How pollinator loss ripples into dairy, beef, and poultry via alfalfa forage, plus seed production for vegetables. scientia.global USU Extension - Factors Contributing to Bee Decline The western bumble bee has fallen 93% in two decades; reviews habitat loss, pesticides, climate, pests, and nutrition. usu.edu University of Florida Entomology - Save the Bees Bees add over $15 billion to U.S. crop value each year; up to $577 billion of global food production depends on pollinators. ufl.edu Wikipedia - Pollinator decline A balanced, heavily cited overview; global bee species shrank about a quarter in 2006-2015 compared with before 1990. wikipedia.org THRIVE Project - Bees, Food & Future Frames bees as keystone species responsible for pollinating about 75% of all crop species. thrivabilitymatters.org
Articles • Bumblebees & Wild Bees

The species genuinely at risk of extinction - and why they matter.

Articles • General & Advocacy

Accessible starting points and directories for getting involved.

Organizations · United States

Groups to support, donate to, or volunteer with.

Organizations · UK & International

Pollinator charities and campaigns beyond the U.S.

Grants & Funds

For researchers, land managers, and community projects.