Why is it important to preserve bee populations?
We need bees to pollinate most important food crops, including most fruit and vegetables.
Bee pollinated crops are important sources of vitamins A and C, and minerals like calcium.
By pollinating wildflowers like bluebells and poppies, bees also help support the natural environment.
To produce some foods, like strawberries, we need a combination of wild bees and commercially reared bees.
£510 million of annual total crop sales in the UK are pollinated by bees and other insects.
Replacing bee pollination with hand pollination would cost farmers £1.8 billion.
The price of British apples could double without bees.
Managed honey bee colonies fell by 53% between 1985 and 2005.