Many people live busy lives, but when they stop to smell the roses they might see a pollinator balanced on the petals. It’s easy to think of pollen only in terms of what it does to those suffering from seasonal allergies, but pollen is essential for plant and animal life.
The Ecological Society of America says pollen is a plant’s male sex cells that must be transferred from one flower to the stigma of the same flower or another for the plant to produce fruit and seed. Although some of this pollination occurs naturally, such as that aided by the wind or among plants that are self-pollinating, the vast majority of plants cannot move pollen without helpers, or pollinators. Check out these facts about pollinators and pollination to learn why they’re important to ecological health.
Insects are the primary pollinators, although birds, bats and other creatures also can spread pollen around. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation credit honeybees, bumblebees, butterflies, moths, wasps, flies, and beetles with pollinating the most plants. However, the ESA says between 200,000 and 300,000 invertebrate species are estimated to serve globally as pollinators.
Bees and other pollinators play critical roles in food production. The United States Department of Agriculture says more than 100 U.S.-grown crops rely on pollinators.
About 75 percent of all flowering plants rely on animal pollinators.
Pollinator.org says blueberries, chocolate, coffee, vanilla, almonds, pumpkins, and peaches are just some of the foods and beverages that are produced with the help of pollinators.
Most bee species native to North America are “solitary bees.” They don’t live in colonies and rarely sting unless physically threatened or injured. Bees largely can be left alone to do their thing and people can cohabitate comfortably nearby.
Honeybees have different jobs than other species. A honeybee colony is made up of one reproductive queen, sexually undeveloped female workers and male drones. Drones mate with the queen so she can lay eggs, and the workers are responsible for caring for eggs, cleaning the hive and collecting nectar, pollen and other resources for the colony.
Pollinators have been on the decline for a number of reasons. The Pollinator Partnership says threats to pollinators include pollution, pests, pathogens, changes in land use that degrades their habitats, and climate change. Honeybees, monarch butterflies and native bumblebees have all exhibited declines in recent years, according to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
People can help protect pollinators by creating pollinator-friendly garden habitats with native plants best suited to local areas. Individuals also can select old fashioned varieties of flowers whenever possible, since breeding has caused some modern blooms to lose the nectar/pollen needed to feed pollinators. Also, install houses for bats and native bees to encourage them to take up residence, and avoid the use of pesticides around the landscape.
