Bees outweigh

Bumblebees are some of our most effective pollinators, but more than one-quarter of the species is facing extinction. Bees, butterflies and other pollinators are under threat by habitat loss, pesticides, disease and climate change. Bees sustain our lives in ways we sometimes fail to recognize. They are as an essential part of our food web -- from blueberries to pumpkins -- and even play a role in growing the cotton used in much of our clothing. European honeybees that farmers bring in to pollinate crops have suffered from colony collapse disorder and parasites. While 15% of the world's food is pollinated by them, nearly 80% is pollinated by native bees and other wildlife, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Honeybee keepers can rebuild their colonies, but bumblebees and other native species need our help. MORE: Nearly 40% decline in honeybee population last winter 'unsustainable,' experts say As our primary pollinators, bees efficiently collect and transport pollen from plant to plant. Butterflies, moths, beetles ants and some birds and bats also help move pollen accidentally but are no match for the efficiency of bees. There are 3,600 species of native bees in the United States and an estimated 20,000 species worldwide, according to the Xerces Society. Currently, only the Rusty Patched bumblebee is listed as endangered. There are simply too many other species to track in order to protect in this way.