The decline in honey bee populations may not be as disastrous as some accounts have put it, but Rosemary explains there are some ways to help out the local apian population.
The bee is just one of many insects that partake in the pollination process. (Courtesy John Severns)
There’s been lots of attention lately about the decline in honey-bees. And while it’s not good news, it’s important to remember that there are thousands of other, native species that also pollinate the foods that both humans and wildlife depend upon. Besides bees; moths, butterflies, many types of beetles, wasps, mosquitoes and even black flies pollinate flowers of all kinds.
Nevertheless, there is increasing concern that bees may be experiencing declines. Happily, there are simple and easy ways the average homeowner can help out bumblebees and their allies. First off, allow some native wildflowers and shrubs to have a home in your garden and yard. While attractive to the eye, a manicured lawn is basically a biological desert. Nothing can live there but grass — and every patch of open ground counts these days. So go native.
Being a less than tidy gardener, I was also pleased to discover that a really helpful thing to do is to leave some areas of your yard “rough” and “wild.” Letting leaves, weeds, dead branches, and even bare spots provides critical habitat for bumble bees to nest in, for example. (Yeah -- that’s not messy, it’s bumble bee habitat!) I guess the carpenter bees that have started drilling holes into the back of my house will get to stay. While they do burrow into the wooden soffits to lay their eggs, the damage is fairly limited.
With the vegetable garden and fruit trees becoming more and more important these days, I figure we literally need each and every pollinator. After all, replacing a board or two every now and then is well worth the price of plenty of peaches, peppers, and pears!
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Yahoo