Should we replace honeybees with pollinating drones?

February 9, 2017 --Three-quarters of the world's food crops require pollination, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, but more than 40 percent of the species that perform this vital service are under threat. Researchers across disciplines have been searching for solutions. Some focus on ways to protect the bees and other crucial pollinators. But others are looking outside of the natural world for ways to protect crops like fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries, and even chocolate and coffee. Perhaps an army of robotic pollinators could keep humans well-supplied in these foods, some engineers have thought.