Thanking Bees This Thanksgiving

The specific percentage of food on the average American’s table this upcoming holiday resulting from bee pollination is debatable. What is not debatable is that bees are critical pollinators, and regardless of the statistics, many of the foods we enjoy for Thanksgiving are there because of bees and other pollinators. It is not just the vegetables; their hard work pollinating ends up being part of the process of feeding livestock, resulting in a juicy main course.

Bees pollinate plants and crops year after year. Honeybees don’t fulfill this demanding task alone; they join the solitary, bumble, and stingless bees to get the job done. Many of the foods we look forward to on Thanksgiving are a result of our bees' hard work; for that, we can be grateful.

Thanking Bees for the Veggies

Traditional Thanksgiving meals are incomplete without some variation of squash. We have all grown accustomed to pumpkin pie, zucchini bread, and fancy gourds for decorations. Bees are responsible for their pollination. Squash is indebted to bee pollination for survival, so we are indebted to them.

Cranberries are another Thanksgiving staple because of bees. Cranberry growers may use honeybees that migrate to meet the demand. Cranberry flowers are a honeybee favorite, making this match easy for traveling bees.

Don’t forget about the greens we get on Thanksgiving because of pollination – green bean casserole – you can’t imagine the table without it, and thanks to bees, you don’t have to.

Thanking Bees for Fruit Pies and Nut Toppings

If you enjoy any Thanksgiving pie, you must include bees in your “grateful for” list. Bees are primarily responsible for fruits like apples, pears, and peaches. Additionally, the pollination process begins annually in the almond groves in California. Just under 2 million colonies are needed to pollinate California's more than one million acres of almond trees. Bees start the pollination process with nut trees, and the number of bees necessary to adequately pollinate is staggering!

Thanking Bees for Turkey

Indirectly, bees do contribute to fat and juicy turkeys on the table. Although turkeys do not require pollination, they eat berries, which are a regular part of turkey diets. Bees also pollinate clovers that are part of wild turkey’s menu. Corn is another part of the turkey’s daily food intake, and it is mainly wind-pollinated. However, the bees enjoy zipping around in the corn fields and releasing pollen, which is part of the overall pollination process.