The Friendly Bug blog
GARDEning with THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND the BUGLY!
(SCIENCE-BASED OPINIONS FROM A PUBLIC HORTICULTURE EDUCATOR)
Although campaigns such as Cheerios’ “Bring Back the Bees” are a good thought, and in particular- a good marketing strategy for the company; the information that they present, and the actual actions that you are asked to take seem to miss the mark. Firstly, bees don’t need to be “brought back” they are still here. They have been here far longer than humans have, and they will continue to exist long after humans are gone. Messaging like this can be fairly misleading, as there are several flaws with Honey Nut Cheerios’ strategy. Here’s what’s wrong with Cheerios’ #BringBacktheBees wildflower campaign: 1. It is important to understand the difference between honey bees, and “other” bees. Honey bees are an extremely small fraction (7 species to be specific) out of approximately 20,000 bee species which are not as well-known to most. In fact, many would even find that the sheer number of “non-honey bee” bees to be shocking! Most of the research that currently exists on bee decline, focuses on honeybees, as this is generally a system that we can track far more consistently and easily, largely due to the fact that these are the most common “managed” bee species in the world. Therefore, we are able to track the number of honey bee colonies (through records from beekeepers and producers) to a fairly accurate degree. Honey bee populations fluctuate (sometimes dramatically) year after year. There variations can be attributed to a variety of factors, especially diseases and parasites including the Varroa mite. Our ability to split hives, increase honey bee production, queen rearing, etc. makes the number of hives from year to year a complicated measure of colony health. When it comes to most of these “other” bee species, we are significantly less likely to see the magnitude of population changes due to environmental stressors (such as habitat loss, lack of nectar and pollen sources, and continued changes in the landscape). These “non honey bee” bees are in far greater need of assistance than their commercial counterparts. 2. Yes, bees are the most important pollinators in the world- and yes, they do pollinate 1/3 of our fruit, vegetable, and commodity crops around the world. Although bees do more than a lion’s share when it comes to pollination, their existence is not solely for the purpose of fertilizing our favorite fruit and vegetable crops! They are merely searching for food in order to survive. The food that they require (being pollen and nectar) happily coincides with one of the most important ecological and economic services to the survival of an exponentially growing human population: that service is POLLINATION! It is a happy side-effect of pollinators just living their lives. Most of the pollination in these large scale fruit and vegetable production operations is accomplished by managed and cultivated bees (including honey bees, orchard bees, leafcutter bees, and some bumble bees). The majority of bee species rely on floral resources in the environment, and do not have any supplements or safeguards (such as sugar solutions, pollen patties, syrups, etc.) when sources become scarce. 3. Yes! Planting wildflowers is certainly a huge leap in the right direction, and I am thrilled that they are interested in pollinators. One thing to consider is that many of the “wildflower” seeds included on the list for the campaign are non-native (potentially invasive in some regions), not hardy (unable to do well in certain environmental and regional conditions) species of plants- in addition to ones that may fit the bill, but may not be the correct genotypes for specific regions. Look at USDA NRCS for more information on species status: https://plants.usda.gov And plant using guides of regional native species such as the ones on USDA’s and Xerces Society’s websites: https://plants.usda.gov/java www.xerces.org Even though a plant may be native to Canada and the United states, it is important to consider that the genotype of seeds that are distributed will not perform the same way in Seattle as they will in Atlanta, or Rochester, or Missoula, or Albuquerque… you get the point. This is why locally sourced nursery stock and seeds are extremely important! Want to help the bees?
Here’s what you can do to REALLY help bees, and other beneficial insects: 1. DO PLANT WILDFLOWERS Plant a variety of flowering plants, focusing on locally sourced and native nursery stock and seeds. Make sure that you plant something that will be in bloom throughout the growing season (from April through October- and even longer in certain locations)! Bees need food throughout the year, so plan your gardens accordingly! There are a variety of resources from where you can get information on pollinators, flowers, bloom times, regional planting, and more: www.pollinator.org www.xerces.org http://www.isaacslab.ent.msu.edu https://www.beelab.umn.edu http://u.osu.edu/beelab And several more science based resources! 2. DO CREATE HABITAT FOR WILD BEES Pollinators need more than just food, they need a place to live. This is especially important for wild bees that nest in the ground and in existing cavities. By leaving some bare patches of undisturbed soil (it does not need to be large area, and can be tucked out of the way) you are creating safe ground nesting bee habitat available to those extremely important urban pollinators. Cavity nesting bees can be just as simple to accommodate, by creating ‘Mason Bee Houses’ made from wood, bamboo reeds, cardboard tubes, and some sort of container in which to house this. Information on building specifications, materials, and maintenance can be found from a variety of sources: http://extension.psu.edu/lawrence/news/2011/how-to-construct-a-sturdy-all-wood-mason-bee-house http://extension.oregonstate.edu/marion/sites/default/files/2012_mason_bee_liners.pdf https://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Other/note109/note109.html http://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/pdf/g2256.pdf http://crownbees.com/media/downloadable/Instructions/Wood%20houses,%20trays,%20accessories.pdf And so many more! (Just be sure to look for information that comes from credible sources) 3. DO LEARN MORE ABOUT POLLINATOR CONSERVATION Pollinators are an extremely diverse group, and conservation for pollinators that come in all shapes and sizes is not a ‘one size fits all’ strategy. Honey bees are NOT a good representation of all pollinators, and the rest of the “wild” bees are in far dire need of assistance than honey bees are. Depending on your geographic area, available resources, and landscape composition- there are several things you can do to be a great conservationist and advocate for pollinators. You can learn a lot more about pollinators, conservation efforts, and citizen science projects that you can get involved in. Start here: www.pollinator.org www.xerces.org 4. DO MORE. Planting your wildflowers, and setting up a Mason Bee House is a great start on your way to assisting pollinators. Continue to learn more about pollinators as information becomes available- and in the meantime: spread accurate, credible, and science based information on pollinators to those that ask!
1 Comment
10/26/2022 09:28:24 am
Hope this email finds you well,
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🐝 Abi SAEED 🐝Entomologist, Pollinator Specialist, Public Science Educator, and Archives
July 2017
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