"Takes readers through the life cycle of bees,their important role in pollination, and presents reasons for theirdecline... An important resource for all libraries." --Booklist, starred reviewApples, blueberries, peppers, cucumbers, coffee, and vanilla. Do you like to eat and drink? Then you might want to thank a bee.Bees pollinate 75 percent of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts grown in theUnited States. Around the world, bees pollinate $24 billion worth ofcrops each year. Without bees, humans would face a drastically reduceddiet. We need bees to grow the foods that keep us healthy.Butnumbers of bees are falling, and that has scientists alarmed. What'scausing the decline? Diseases, pesticides, climate change, and loss ofhabitat are all threatening bee populations. Some bee species areteetering on the brink of extinction."Accessible and concise" (Kirkus), this book will teach you about the many bee species on Earth -- theirnests, their colonies, their life cycles, and their vital connection toflowering plants. Most importantly, you'll discover what you can do tohelp."If we had to try and do what bees do on a daily basis, ifwe had to come out here and hand pollinate all of our native plants andour agricultural plants, there is physically no way we could do it. . . . Our best bet is to conserve our native bees." --ecologist RebeccaIrwin, North Carolina State University