National Honey Bee Day: These foods could disappear if pollinator populations continue to dwindle

Bees -- whether wild or managed --are integral to the production of the world's food supply.

Bees -- whether wild or managed --are integral to the production of the world's food supply. But as populations continue their steep decline, the crops that rely on pollination could become more scarce and even cease to exist in the future, according to scientists. There are more than 4,000 species of bees in America, a large proportion of which are experiencing widespread decline, Scott McArt, assistant professor of pollinator health at Cornell University, told ABC News. In New York, 53 species, about 13%, are either experiencing population declines or range contractions over the past three or four decades, McArt said. The honey bee population decreased 40% in the winter of 2018 to 2019 alone, and the annual rate loss for the 2019 to 2020 winter was also 40%, declines that experts described as "unsustainable." The situation "isn't good," and most likely is even worse than researchers are estimating, he added.