Wild bees add about $1.5 billion to yields for just six U.S. crops

As most of us know, many farms in the United States use managed honeybees to pollinate crops and increase yields, sometimes trucking beehives all across the country. This article published by Science News summarizes a study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, which shows that wild bees also play a role in crop pollination, even on conventional farms that use managed honeybees.
At the national level, the study estimated the value of wild pollinators to be highest in apple production, with a value of $1.06 billion. There was also significant value in the production of sweet cherry ($145 million), watermelon ($146 million), pumpkin ($101 million), blueberry ($50 million), and tart cherry ($32 million) (See Figure Below), totaling approximately $1.5 billion across these crops alone!