Apr 7, 2006-- Will there be a bee hive on the cover of the next issue of The Economist? Likely not. But new research does show that bumble bees and other insects provide $57 billion in pollination services as well as other free labor in the U.S. alone. Unfortunately, several bee species are on the verge of extinction. By putting a dollar value on the work done by insects, the researchers hope to raise interest in insect conservation and prevent an economic disaster. (2537 reads)