I estimate that at any given time in 2017 there were between 1.4 and 4.8 trillion adult managed honey bees
I want to draw attention to just how huge these numbers are. In animal advocacy we often talk about how many farmed chickens there are. E.g., that there are 3.6 times more farmed chickens at any time than farmed cows, pigs, sheep, goats, ducks, turkeys and rabbits combined. But there are between 59 and 202 adult managed honey bees for every farmed chicken.* To help remember just how big is this difference, I created this graphic:
*The number of chickens here includes both, egg-laying hens and meat chickens. All numbers and estimations can be seen here.
I want to draw attention to just how huge these numbers are. In animal advocacy we often talk about how many farmed chickens there are. E.g., that there are 3.6 times more farmed chickens at any time than farmed cows, pigs, sheep, goats, ducks, turkeys and rabbits combined. But there are between 59 and 202 adult managed honey bees for every farmed chicken.* To help remember just how big is this difference, I created this graphic:
*The number of chickens here includes both, egg-laying hens and meat chickens. All numbers and estimations can be seen here.