April 25, 2018

Promoting Pollinators to Our Local Communities


National Pollinator Week 2011

National Pollinator Week 2011


Plants and pollinators have evolved together over the last 130 million years; today 80% of the flowering plants on the planet are reliant on the 200,000 individual animal species world-wide that transfer pollen. In Maine alone we have approximately 270 native species of pollinators. Globally, wild pollinators provide a service valued at $3 billion annually, according to The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Protection. Yet pollinators are in danger.


Currently honeybee populations are declining at an average of 32% every year, and the same issues plaguing the domesticated bee are affecting our wild and native pollinators as well. Habitat loss through agricultural practices, urban development, and the introduction of exotic organisms are crowding out the native plants and animals that have evolved together, some which are particularly habitat-specific. As a result, a number of species have already been lost. Pollinators may be affected by the changing climate, as varying and extreme weather patterns cause seasonal or geographical shifts in plant communities, putting pollinators out of sync with their food sources. A number of diseases and pests that are being monitored in the domestic honeybee are also causing declines in the numbers of wild bees, including the common bumble bee. By far the biggest threat to insect pollinators is the use of pesticides, which affect animal populations all the way up the food chain, but have a particularly disastrous effect on insect pollinators. Insecticides kill insects directly, via ingestion or by absorption through their exoskeletons. Herbicides affect pollinators more indirectly, by reducing the diversity of the flowering plants supplying pollen and nectar, and by diminishing suitable nesting habitat and forage for larvae. Many pesticides degrade slowly, lingering as a toxic hazard to wildlife, and can affect animals for generations.

Surprisingly, studies have found more pounds of pesticides are applied per acre in urban neighborhoods than on farm lands, resulting in a higher concentration of the chemicals in urban streams than those in agricultural areas. This is likely because there are numerous laws regulating the use of pesticides by commercial farms, requiring they use trained and licensed applicators; also commercial growers strive to save money by using as little chemical as possible. The residential homeowner, however, is not regulated, and has little or no opportunity for education about the potential impacts of spraying.


While not every homeowner is interested in keeping bees, it is possible to provide the ideal conditions to encourage populations of pollinating insects and animals in our yards and gardens.

Eliminate the use of pesticides whenever possible. Insecticides kill insect pollinators directly, while herbicides reduce food and habitat diversity. If you must use a pesticide, use the least toxic product available. Read the labels carefully—many pesticides are dangerous to bees. Use the chemical as directed, and spray at night when bees and a lot of other pollinators are not active. [There are, however, moths and bats who are nocturnal pollinators.]

Honey Bee Pollinating

Honey Bee Pollination


Avoid hybrids and “doubled” flowers. While those showy blossoms might be attractive to the human eye, modern hybrids are typically less fragrant, and offer little pollen and nectar for pollinators.

Provide a variety of plants that bloom from early spring through late fall. By hosting a continuous bloom, you will feed the pollinators who visit your yard throughout the growing season. Offer a diversity of flower colors, shapes, and sizes, to accommodate the varying lengths of pollinators’ tongues, including night-blooming plants for nocturnal pollinators. Planting in clumps helps pollinators find [concentrated] food and nesting sources.






To learn more about pollinators and what you can do to help those in your yard and garden, check out the following online resources:

The Xerces Society  –  xerces.org
Pollinator Partnership  – pollinator.org
Celebrating Wildflowers – www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers

Share your love for and knowledge of pollinators with friends and family, neighbors and community members; be a pollinator advocate by helping people realize that bugs are not bad!

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