Adult Honey Bee

Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their role in pollination with some species producing honey. There are over 16,000 known species of bees in seven recognized biological families and some can live socially in colonies with other species. Bees are found on every continent except for Antarctica, in every habitat on the planet that contains insect-pollinated flowering plants. Bees feed on nectar and pollen for proteins and other nutrients as their source of energy. Most pollen is used as food for their larvae. Bees plays a crucial role in our global ecosystem. As our predominant pollinators, bees pollinate a third of the food we eat and 80% of flowering plants. Pollination begins with flowers and it is important because it leads to the production of fruits we can eat, and seeds that will create more plants.