"Although no one has counted how many of the world's almost 275,000 species of flowering plants are pollinated by insects, there is no doubt that insects pollinate the great majority. Of 44 species of crops commonly grown in North America, about 66 percent were identified by Samuel McGregor as being more or less dependent upon insects for pollination. Stephen Buchmann and Gary Nabhan wrote that, of the world's 94 major crop plants, 18 percent are pollinated by the wind, 80 percent by insects (92 percent of these by bees), and about 2 percent by birds.

"Although no one has counted how many of the world's almost 275,000 species of flowering plants are pollinated by insects, there is no doubt that insects pollinate the great majority. Of 44 species of crops commonly grown in North America, about 66 percent were identified by Samuel McGregor as being more or less dependent upon insects for pollination. Stephen Buchmann and Gary Nabhan wrote that, of the world's 94 major crop plants, 18 percent are pollinated by the wind, 80 percent by insects (92 percent of these by bees), and about 2 percent by birds.