An estimated 14 billion U.S. dollars in agricultural crops in the United States are dependent on bee pollination. "A lot of people think honeybees are only important for the honey they produce," entomologist Maryann Frazier said. "But much, much more important are their pollination services."
We don't need the honey from the bees, but if we want to eat fruit and nuts we do need pollen vectors and bees do a great job moving the pollen from flower to flower and tree to tree. Before the arrival of Europeans in the Western hemisphere with their Italian honeybees the trees were pollinated by native bees. In North America we call them Orchard Mason Bees and Bumble bees. These all but forgotten species are still there doing what they have always done, but they have no value commercially as honey producers because they do not live in colonies, and so they don't get much press attention. Of course these species are susceptible to the effects of the poisons non-organic commercial agriculture and ignorant suburban homeowners use, just like the honeybees. I learned to propagate these species from Brian Griffin who started Knox Cellars in the 1990's when he sold me a block of wood with holes that were occupied by t dormant infant Mason bees (they're called "mason" because they seal the door to the nursery with a bit of mud). The next spring the little guys emerged and began doing their job on my cherry and pear trees. Meanwhile I learned how to attract and expand the population as well as attract Bumble Bees.