The European honey bee ( Apis mellifera) is known for its importance for honey production. In addition to honey production, A. mellifera is the most commonly used species as a pollinator in the U.S. Honey bees are managed and used to pollinate over 100 crops grown commercially in North America. Although there are many hobbyist beekeepers, commercial beekeepers are responsible for providing the majority of pollination services to growers. Bumble bees ( Bombus), leafcutting bees ( Megachile rotundata), and to a lesser extent alkali bees (Nomia melanderi) and mason bees (Osmia spp) are also managed for use as pollinators in the U.S (National Resource Council of the National Academies 2007) .
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