Even if most of the time you try to avoid bees—and, perhaps, even pictures of bees—you may want to make an exception today: it"s National Honey Bee Day. Back in 2009, then-Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack officially recognized this event to help raise awareness about the critical role bees play in the world"s ecosystem and give a nod to the beekeeping industry. Around the world, there are over 20,000 species of bees, which include solitary bees, bumblebees, and honey bees. Of these, only honey bees make honey, but all these industrious insects benefit humans by pollinating roughly a third of the crops we eat. Honey bees do most of the heavy lifting. In the US alone, each year domesticated honey bees pollinate about $20 billion worth of crops such as almonds, watermelons, blueberries, and more.
The buzz about bees
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Gateway to America
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The fantastic winter fox
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An iris garden in Tokyo, Japan
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It s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
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Dressed to impress
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1934 Labor Day parade, Gastonia, North Carolina
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Reflecting on one of the world s strangest rivers
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Fighting evil with costumes
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Chestnut-eared aracari in the Pantanal, Brazil
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Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve in Costa Rica
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Welcome to the Alien Egg Hatchery
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In Apia Harbor for Samoan Independence Day
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Penguin Awareness Day
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Happy Pi Day!
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Pride Month
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Mountains fit for a queen
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Heceta Head Light, Florence, Oregon
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Native American Heritage Day
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Chilling out in the Arctic
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Light show at the skatepark
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Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, New Mexico
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Road-trip worthy attraction in the heartland
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Going head-to-head with winter
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National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington, DC
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Over and under the delta
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Birch trees, Drammen, Norway
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A little blue
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A notorious gunfight that was incorrectly named
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When in Rome...celebrate Saturnalia
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That s quite a schnoz, baby tapir
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

