Because they pollinate crops near their hives, wild and feral bees are assets to farmers. Ecologists recognize such pollination as one benefit of conserving wooded habitat adjacent to farmland (SN: 7/6/02, p. 13: Available to subscribers at Killer bees boost coffee yields).
Now, scientists working in Costa Rica suggest that a square kilometer of tropical forest can be worth $40,000 or more per year to neighboring coffee plantations.
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