Pollinators in the garden

Bubs the Bumblebee© children's nature stories by Joyce Graham Fogwill Consultant in Children's Science Education

Website:BubstheBumblebee.com

Pollinators in the garden

Flowering plants attract a variety of pollinators, and as a result of their foraging,  pollen is transferred to the stigma of the same species, fertilisation occurs in the flower ovaries and fruit and seeds are produced. Flowers with their varying shapes, sizes and colours - from white to different shades of violet, blue, yellow, orange and red,  together with different aromas attract many pollinators

Economically important agricultural crops like squash, pumpkins, melon, blueberries and wild plants depend on pollinators like honey bees, bumblebees, butterflies, beetles, wasps, bats and humming birds for pollination. Each garden will have spiders which prey on insects and help to keep their numbers in control.. Increasing urbanization, together with the indiscriminate use of pesticides, herbicides and insect diseases are  killing many beneficial insects and destroying their habitats.

Some nature lovers understand the problem and are responding by planting pollinator gardens, which may provide suitable habitats as well as a variety of flowers with nectar and pollen to ensure their survival.

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Here a few suggestions for planting a pollinator friendly garden

Plant a variety of flowers with different colours, sizes and shapes to attract a variety of insects and other pollinators. It is best to  plant these flowers in clumps, because some insects practice flower constancy.  For example, most bees forage from the same species on each foraging trip, and if there are many  flowers of the same species in the same area,  there will be more flowers of a particular species from which to gather pollen and nectar during each foraging trip.

Try to include in your garden a selection of native species of small trees, shrubs, wild flowers, vegetables, fruit trees, wild grasses and  weeds for egg and larval stages of the insects to feed and pupate and, if possible,  you could reduce your lawn grass area to increase habitat space for the insects to complete the stages in their  life cycle.

Northern gardens should have a variety of flowering plants so that there will be flowers available  from spring to fall. Tropical and semitropical gardens should include a variety of flowers in bloom year round to attract pollinators. The use of chemical pesticides and insecticides are not encouraged, but if you must, use ingredients and methods that are not toxic to the pollinators.

Some of us are aware that an unusually high numbers of bee colonies are disappearing- these bees are dying-Colony collapse disorder. Bees and other insects pollinate flowers, and in so doing transfer pollen to the stigmas of flowers which eventually lead to flower fertilization and fruit & seed production. If there are fewer insect pollinators like bees, there will be a limited supply of some wild plants, and also economically important crops that depend on them for pollination and fruit production. Crops like citrus, almonds, cherries, cranberries and blueberries are affected and also honey production. 

The specific reason for this increased bee die off is unclear but possible causes (alone or in combination) - include the overuse use of multiple insecticides and pesticides, parasitic mites, a virus infection and habitat destruction. In order to identify the cause or causes for this significant problem, it is obvious that there needs to be increased research and more public awareness about this increased loss of bees.