Pennsylvania’s main pollinators are bees, flies, butterflies, beetles and hummingbirds and they are critical to our ecosystem; their work ensures full harvests of crops and contributes to healthy plants. Three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants and approximately 35 percent of the world’s food crops rely on pollinators to reproduce. This translates to pollinators providing one out of every three bits of food that a person eats. These foods are typically the most nutritious, such as Pennsylvania’s apples, pumpkins and peaches which are insect-pollinated agricultural products that contribute millions to Pennsylvania’s economy.
 
Alarmingly, the critical role that pollinator’s play in this Commonwealth’s ecosystem is at risk as pollinators face threats of habitat loss, disease, parasites and environmental contaminants. Protecting against this hazard, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the Pennsylvania Apiary Advisory Board work cooperatively with the Pennsylvania Beekeepers Association, the Pennsylvania State University Cooperative Extension, and Delaware Valley University on processes to promote pollination and beekeeping.
 
We will soon be introducing a resolution honoring those groups for that important work and recognizing the efforts of pollinators and beekeepers in producing many of the foods we take for granted.

We hope you will join us in co-sponsoring this resolution to fully appreciate the hard work of these people and organizations in preserving these critical species and protecting Pennsylvania’s food supply.