U.S. agriculture owes many thanks to the honey bee -- Apis mellifera L. -- as it plays the crucial role of pollinator within the nation's food supply. Some of the nation's food industries rely solely on the honey bee, and it's estimated that the economic value of its pollination role is worth well more than $17 billion each year. With that in mind, U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service researchers recently studied the U.S. honey bee's genetic diversity to ensure that the crucial pollinator insect has sufficient diversity to overcome the growing number of stressors such as parasites, diseases, malnutrition and climate change.
Research finds lack of genetic diversity among bees
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A honey bee, with pollen attached to its hind leg, pollinating a watermelon flower.
Of U.S. honey bees, 93.79 percent belong to the North Mediterranean C lineage. The percentage of that lineage is displayed for each state.
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