The buzz about polinators
The Gardener's Corner
By Judith Rogers

A bee on daylily foliage.

Pollinators play a big role to ensure specific crops for farmers, as well as success for the home gardener in growing vegetables and flowers.

Besides bees, other insects like flies, moths, butterflies, wasps, beetles, and hummingbirds as well as some species of bats contribute to the fertilization process of plants.

Apis mellifera, known as the western honeybee, is a floral generalist in that it will feed on just about anything in bloom. This characteristic makes it crucial to agriculture which has evolved to depend on them. There are not enough indigenous pollinators for many large crops like apple orchards and a decrease in production has necessitated that the apple growers must rely on honeybees that can be delivered in sufficient quantities to help them out. Other commercial crops that depend on bee pollination include alfalfa which is used to feed livestock, blueberries, cranberries, cherries, cucumbers, watermelons, cantaloupes, pumpkins and almonds. Almond crops are practically honeybee dependent, as nearly all the flowers in an orchard must be cross-pollinated to produce the nuts.

There have been many theories about the recent colony collapse disorder experienced by bee keepers and although a definite cause has not been confirmed, a virus or link to chemical use has been suggested. Apparently, a major die-off occurs every decade or so; maybe it's a way of eliminating accumulated viruses or such in hives.

Since the ban of Diazinon, a product marketed as Merit that contains a chemical compound has been used to kill grubs in lawns. Education by organic organizations of farmers and bee keepers about this compound (Imidacloprid), and other new chemicals is making them skeptical of using such products.

Other possible factors affecting loss of hives or bee species becoming extinct are habitat loss, climate change and introduced pathogens. The health benefits of honey, so good on toast or in tea, could become a distant memory if we were to lose the honeybee.

A report from the National Research Council states that it is a bad sign when an ecosystem loses its large mammals but an even worse sign when it can no longer support its insects. Further they said that pollinator decline is one form of global change that actually does have credible potential to alter the shape and structure of the terrestrial world.

By creating and preserving natural habitats, allowing parts of your property to be a little on the wild side and not so neat, using native plants and avoiding the use of chemical pesticides can make a difference in helping Mother Nature's winged friends survive.

The Canadian Wildlife Federation's backyard habitat program offers guidance on how to make a property more inviting to all wildlife, which native plants to use, suggestions for organic gardening and much more. Visit their website at www.cwf-fc.org for further information.

Our changing world clearly illustrates that the practice and support of organic gardening and farming will have to be the approach for the future. If we take one step at a time, this is achievable.