A guideto bumblebees ofthe InteriorA TAXONOMIC KEY AND NOTES ON BOMBUS SPECIES

摘要

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and United States Forest Service estimate that more than 150 food crops in the US, including almost all fruit and some grain crops, depend on insect pollinators. The estimated worth of these pollinators is more than $10 billion per year. Of the major food crops grown in the United States, common honeybees {Apis mellifera L.) are typically given sole credit for pollination, but native bees, butterflies, moths, and flies play roles in crop pollinationthat are often as or more significant than those managed by honeybees. The honeybee provides services to crops worth an estimated $14.8 billion annually. Native bees, such as bumblebees, may be responsible for almost $3.07 billion of fruits and vegetables produced in the US. No published estimates of the value of bumblebee pollination for crops in Alaska are available.