Pollinator Friendly Practices
Summary:
- Pollinators are responsible for more than 1/3 of our food supply.
- The same practices that help honey bees help native pollinators.
- Shallow birdbaths, native plants, and abstaining from pesticide use can greatly benefit pollinators.
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You can find Pollinator-Friendly Native plants relative to your geographic region by clicking here.
A Declining Population
When most people think of bees, they instantly think of the decades old adage “Save the Bees”. Ever since Colony Collapse Disorder decimated honey bee populations in the mid-2000s, most Americans have become aware of the honey bee’s struggle. Due to campaign efforts by various organizations, people were awakened to the difficulty in keeping healthy bee populations. Dwindling natural resources, excessive pesticide use, and other causes made it increasingly hard for bees to thrive as they did in the past. Unfortunately, native pollinators have faced the same perils with less limelight or aid.
Why does it matter?
Although honey bees are important for the agricultural industry (contributing roughly 14 billion a year), they are not the only pollinators of agricultural crops. More importantly, bees aren’t the only pollinators in our ecosystem, so we cannot simply rely on the honey bee to have a healthy and sustainable environment. Our native pollinators must be protected and cared for as well.
What can you do?
1. Plant native plants! Planting local plants will help well adapted local pollinators get access to these vital nutrients. Seasonal diversity will add another layer of benefit, because the pollen and nectar will be available throughout the year at various times.
2. Avoid Pesticide use. Pesticides can be absorbed by plant tissue and into all parts of a plant. Ultimately this will hurt all pollinators that come into contact with the plant.
3. Provide a “bee bath”. A shallow birdbath with stones in it will help butterflies and bees that need hydration, especially in hot summer months.
4. Provide nesting alternatives for native bees. Most native bees burrow underground or in hollow tunnels. Some housing units are easily available to purchase online.
Resources
To find pollinator friendly plants relative to your geographic location, click here.
You can find examples of Bee baths at the link here.
For tips and examples of building native bee homes, click here.
Even if you don’t have a yard, if you rent, or you have some other living situation, there’s always ways you can help pollinator populations. You can spread the word to friends and family, join a community garden, and urge local legislators to protect our local pollinators. Please consider taking action towards helping the pollinators that do so much for us!