The Economy
Honey bees are important for the agriculture, urban and natural landscape, not only in the U.S, but in counties all over the world.
Bees are a crucial part of the U.S economy. Honey Bees in the United States produce about $150 million worth of honey annually. Cornell University determined that bees pollinate about fourteen billion dollars worth of seeds in crops in the United States. Bees pollinate about 130 fruits, vegetables, nuts, ornamental and fiber crops in the U.S that contribute about $ 15 billion annually through enhanced crop yield and products. Millions of dollars are generated through products such as honey, wax, pollen, propolis, royal jelly and venom. Here are some examples of some states in the United States that gain profit from production of honeybees:
- A major producer of honey is Texas which produces five percent of U.S honey. About 200,000 colonies of honey bees in Texas produce honey and other products with its value of $9 million to $11 million each year.
- California supplies about 80 percent of the world’s almonds, which are completely dependent on bee pollination in order to survive
- The California almond industry makes about $2 billion a year to the local economy. The total value of honey and beeswax to California beekeepers was $52.3 million in 2002, but in total the states gross beekeeping income in 2002 rose to $126.6 million.
- Another major producer of honey is the state of North Carolina which produced about $ 6 billion worth of honey in 1997.
- The state of Alabama, sells about 1,700,000 worth of bees alone not to mention how much they produce from honey and other products.
The value of honey pollination to produce honey and beeswax in other countries is also crucial in their economy as well:
- Canada’s agriculture, they engross about $1.2 billion.
- EEC agriculture, they engross $ 3 billion.
- New Zealand’s agriculture, they engross $ 2.3 billion.
- China’s agriculture, they engross $ 0.7 billion.
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