In recent years, there’s been a lot of news
about bees dying and the threat to global food crops. Is this a real threat in
Canada?
A whopping 90%
of plants that produce food need to be pollinated. Who are the
pollinators? Any insect or animal that carries pollen from one plant to
another. That includes bees, wasps, flies and, yes, even mosquitoes. Bats and
hummingbirds are pollinators too.
William Husby is a BC entomologist – an insect expert to
the lay person. He says that in Canada, like other countries, there has been a
drastic decrease in the number of pollinators. A recent study in Germany
reported a 75% decline in flying insects. Husby says this is likely the case in Canada as whole,
too, although in more natural areas with a greater variety of plants, the
decline can be much less.
According to Husby, biodiversity is key. Natural
environments with many types of plants
are the best ones to support pollinators. The lack of plants in cities is one
challenge to keeping pollinators alive and doing their good work. Another
problem is large-scale agriculture because it depends on pesticides, particularly
bee-killing neonicotinoids.
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| Copyright W.Husby |
What can each of us do to help pollinators? Well, the good news is that
you don’t have to have a bee hive in your back yard. In fact, you don’t even
need to have a yard. There are about 450 different types of bees that are
native to BC, and they don’t live in hives.
Native bees fly alone and will find your blooms wherever they are. And
native bees are more efficient pollinators than honey bees, which are not
native. A single native bee can pollinate as much as half an entire honeybee hive,
according to Husby. “When it’s raining, native bees keep pollinating while
honeybees are back at the hive with their feet up, sitting in front of the
fire.”
Tips to
help bees and other pollinators
· Keep it natural. Don’t plant lawns. Instead, use the space to
create beauty and attract pollinators.
· Use your balcony. You don’t need a lot of space. Bees and other
pollinators will find your balcony blooms.
· Plant for early and late blooms. Free seed catalogues online or in print will tell
you when flowers bloom. You can have colour and attract insects and
hummingbirds from early spring to late fall and even into winter. One good
source is West Coast Seeds. If you plant vegetables, let some go to
flower. Insects love kale flowers!
· Plant native varieties.Many plants labelled “nativars” have been altered
from the original, wild plant, so they may produce less nectar. As well, changes
like double flowers may keep pollinators from reaching the nectar.
Linda Gilkeson, BC gardener, author and
speaker, encourages us to plant “the least
manipulated flowers.” (To receive Linda’s email
with great gardening tips, email her at info@lindagilkeson.ca.)
· Avoid pesticides and never use neonicotinoids. Learn about and use plants that act as natural
pest controls. Husby extols the benefits of cilantro. It attracts helpful
insects like wasps that control caterpillars. West Coast Seeds has a good page on helpfulinsects and what to plant to attract them.
Create resting places for pollinators. Native bees make homes
in stems of plants and under rotten wood. They hibernate in winter and use the
nests for baby bees in warmer weather. Other insect pollinators do the same.
· Buy locally grown food. Local farms are
smaller, and so they aren’t as likely to use the quantity of pesticides used in
large-scale agriculture. Visit your local farmers’ market or check the
supermarket produce stickers.
Note: Many grocery stores have taken to putting
up large signs that boast local produce. You may find that there is, in fact,
no local produce under the sign!)
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| Copyright W.Husby |
If we want to eat in the future, we need
pollinators! Taking care of them takes care of our food supply.
Article Written By: Burnaby Food First Member Joyce Cameron
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