They are responsible for more than 1 percent of California's economy.

They have killed more people worldwide than all the poisonous snakes combined.

There are billions of them living in the state.

And without them, toast just wouldn't be the same.

European honeybees are one of the most important domesticated animals in the world. They provide pollination for farmers, wax for candles, venom for pharmaceuticals and honey for toast. But as the world grows smaller, honeybees and the people who depend on them are struggling to survive. Tough weather and waves of deadly parasites have crippled California beekeeping, sending ripple effects across the country.

Between honey sales, wax sales and fees for pollinating farm fields, California beekeeping is a $130 million industry. However, the 21 commercial agricultural crops that depend on bees' pollination account for $14.4 billion of the state's economy, making local beekeepers a crucial catalyst to farming. Most important of these is the California almond crop, which accounts for almost half the world's almond production and is wholly dependent on bees.