Independent bee keepers manage  a large % of all bees.

In order to be able to feed the world’s growing population, we need ever more food, which must be diverse, balanced and of good quality to ensure the progress and well-being of humankind.

Bees are renowned for their role in providing high-quality food (honey, royal jelly and pollen) and other products used in healthcare and other sectors (beeswax, propolis, honey bee venom). But the work of bees entails much more!

The greatest contribution of bees and other pollinators is the pollination of nearly three quarters of the plants that produce 90% of the world’s food. A third of the world’s food production depends on bees, i.e. every third spoonful of food depends on pollination

Bees contribute billions of dollars to the U.S. agriculture sector every year. In fact, more than a third of the food we eat is pollinated by bees. “They pollinate 100% of almonds, they pollinate squash and cucurbits. ... In addition to a decline in plants to polinate, bees are also affected by parasites and insecticides

Keeping honey bees is not with out controversy. Some argue that honey bees are not at risk and it’s native solo bees that are in decline. Arguably keeping honey bees gives further competition to solo bees for food. 

Alternative view that connection with nature and awareness of all bees and their habitat is important for preserving habitat and encouraging growth of flowers etc in urban areas resulting in increased bee numbers