The Benefits of Urban Honeybees

Bees are one of the most vital members of our ecosystem, responsible for pollinating plants that make up a significant portion of our food supply and help control erosion, provide animal habitat, and increase oxygen while mitigating carbon dioxide. Though most honeybees are not native pollinators and their impacts on native species are complicated, they too are under threat (for more information on native plants see Native Landscaping for Biodiversity). In the winter of 2018–2019 alone, 40% of the commercially managed honeybee population died.