It goes without saying that bees are vital to the balance of ecosystems across the globe. They help pollinate 80 percent of flowering plants and 75 percent of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts grown in the United States. But while most people think of the common honeybee when they think of bees or pollinators, honeybees are only a tiny segment of many thousand species of bees found in the world. About 20,000 different species, in fact. Of these, only 8 species of bees produce honey, and none of them are native to the US—though we do have 4,000 other bee species that are native. Most bees are not aggressive and are not interested in people at all. They’re interested in the plants in your lawn and garden, and prefer to keep to themselves, visiting flowers … Continue reading Easy Bee Identification: A Visual Guide to 16 Types of Bees In Your Backyard