Which group of pollinators has been found to visit the widest range of crops according to recent studies?

Bees are widely acknowledged as the most versatile and effective group of pollinators, frequently visiting a broad spectrum of crops. This adaptability is largely due to their various species, which have evolved to pollinate different types of flowers. Research has shown that bees contribute significantly to the pollination of numerous agricultural plants, not only in terms of variety but also in the efficiency of pollination services they provide.

Bees have specialized body structures, such as hairs and a body shape that allows them to efficiently gather and transfer pollen, making them especially effective at pollinating flowering crops. Moreover, they exhibit behaviors that are optimized for various environmental conditions and flower shapes, which boosts their effectiveness across diverse agricultural landscapes.

In contrast, while other pollinators such as bats, flies, and birds do play important roles in the ecosystem, their contributions to crop pollination are limited either in scope or efficiency compared to bees. For instance, bats are primarily nocturnal and tend to pollinate more specific plants, while many flies are less efficient when it comes to transferring pollen. Birds tend to visit flowers that provide nectar, but their pollination activity is often less impactful for a wide variety of crops compared to that of bees. Thus, the wide range of crops poll