Pollinators are Important!

When you think of bees, what do you think of? You probably think of pollination, or more importantly, honey! But what about butterflies or hummingbirds? Do you think of pollination? You should, because they are also important pollinators.

Honeybees are very important pollinators. We hear a lot about them in the news. This is because of colony collapse disorder (CCD). Around 2006, scientists and beekeepers began to notice that honeybee populations were going down. Bees were leaving their colonies, and no one knew why. Some scientists blamed parasites, like mites. Other scientists blamed pesticides called neonicotinoids. Whatever the reason, CCD started to get better around 2013.

The problem is, honeybees aren’t the only pollinators out there. Things for honey bees might be getting better, but other pollinators still may still be in trouble.

Let’s look at what pollination is. Then, let’s look at some of the problems that the different pollinators can face.

What is pollination?

About 75% of flowering plants need to be pollinated so they can reproduce. That includes about 35% of the crops people harvest and eat around the world. Some plants are pollinated by animals known as pollinators. Pollinators are animals that carry pollen from one plant to another. Pollen fertilizes a plant’s eggs. A flower’s pollen is on a part of the stamen called the anther. When a pollinator lands on a flower to collect nectar, pollen is transferred to the body or legs of the pollinator. When the pollinator lands on another flower, the pollen rubs off on a part of the flower called the stigma. The stigma is a part of the plant’s pistil, which also contains its style and ovaries. The pollen travels down the style into the ovary. In the ovary, the pollen fertilizes the flower’s eggs (ovules). Eventually, seeds will grow from these fertilized eggs.

Did you know? 

The part of the bee that collects pollen is often known as the pollen basket, or more technically, the corbicula.

Some pollinators include: 

• Moths
• Butterflies
• Wasps
• Flies
• Beetles
• Ants

Most pollinators are insects. But birds and bats can be pollinators, too! In many parts of Canada, hummingbirds are important pollinators.

Did you know? 

Plants use their scent and their colouring to attract pollinators. 

What is a solitary pollinator?

Most of us know about bee colonies, where different bees have different roles. The colony works together to collect food, take care of its queen, and raise its young. Bees that live in colonies, like bumblebees and honeybees, are called social pollinators.

You might be surprised to learn that most bees aren’t social pollinators at all. They are solitary pollinators. A solitary pollinator is a pollinator that lives and works alone. Usually, female solitary bees build their own nest. They are responsible for raising their young by themselves.

There are about 20 000 bee species in the world. Scientists think over 90% of these species are solitary pollinators. Some species of solitary bees are specialists. This means they only visit certain types of flowers. Other species are generalists. They do not have a preference for the types of flowers they visit. 

Did you know?

There are about 800 different species of bees in Canada. These bees are responsible for pollinating important crops like flax, alfalfa, and canola. 

Solitary pollinators build nests in all kinds of places. They look for hollow places in tree bark, piles of sticks or twigs, or small spaces in human-made buildings. They may burrow underground or even build nests in empty snail shells!

Did you know? 

Some bee species have both social and solitary members. One of these is the “sweat bee.” They feed on nectar from plants, but they also enjoy snacking on human sweat!

What problems do solitary bees face?

Solitary bees are wild pollinators. People do not raise them for honey like they do with honeybees.

Wild pollinators face all kinds of threats. Climate change and habitat loss affect them. When farmers use pesticides on crops, they affect all kinds of insects, including wild pollinators.

Did you know? 

In 2019, scientists began worrying that honeybees from the many hobby farms in Calgary, Alberta were outcompeting local native bee populations.

Scientists and farmers can try different things to help social bees. For example, honeybees are often farmed. Farmers can breed more honeybees if their populations get too low. 

But it is much harder to help solitary pollinators. Humans can’t manage them the way they can manage social bees. Also, scientists have not done a lot of research on how to help them. Lots of research has been done on how pesticides harm honeybees. But scientists don’t know how much of the same pesticides harm solitary bees. 

Many scientists say that solitary pollinators need better protection. If the population of social bees gets too low, solitary pollinators may be able to keep our crops reproducing. And keep us fed!

Scientists have found that solitary bees are very good at pollinating certain flowers, like blueberries, each time they visit. But other types of pollinators, like flies, beetles, and butterflies, visit flowers more often than bees do, so they could be very important to crop pollination worldwide. 

You can help pollinator populations in your area. If you have a garden, you can buy a bee box to put in it. Bee boxes provide homes for solitary bees, and a place for them to lay their eggs safely. You can also make your own bee homes by bundling sticks and twigs from your garden together and leaving them in piles. 

Bees like flowers with easy access to pollen, so plant flowers that have large open petals, instead of tiny buds. Most importantly, you can choose not to use pesticides. They are harmful to pests, but they also hurt helpful pollinators like bees.

We can’t live without pollinators, so we all need to help protect them!