By Hilah Kohen

Next time you eat dinner, take a close look at your plate. Among the succulent honeydew, the uneaten broccoli, and your mom’s famous apple pie, there’s a good chance you will discover numerous foods that rely on one half-inch long critter: the honey bee.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about one third of the typical American diet benefits from honey bee pollination. To find out which of your favorite foods are among that portion, hover your mouse over the image below.

Source: Natural Resources Defense Council

Some crops require more honey bee pollination than others. The crops described below use bees for at least 90% of their pollination.

Sources: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Associated Press, University of Arizona, Tribhuvan University, Honeybeesuite.com, University of California – Davis

Unfortunately, honey bee populations have experienced massive declines. Hover your mouse over the graph to see exactly how severe the impact of bee deaths has been in recent years.

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture
For more information on the potential causes of honey bee die-offs, their effects on area beekeepers, and local efforts that might help bee populations, check out page 19 of our print issue for November 1st.