The Importance of Pollinators

Perhaps the most famous pollinator is the honey bee. Surprisingly, there are several different types of bees! Unfortunately, wasps, or yellow jackets, get confused as bees, which do not perform the same duties as bees; they are also more aggressive than bees. 

Bees are available to purchase for agricultural and hobby use. A common type of bee used for pollinating alfalfa carrot, onion, and other seed crops here in Idaho are Leaf Cutter bees. Leaf Cutter bees were introduced from Eurasia, and unlike other bees that produce honey and build hives/colonies, leaf cutter bees are more of a solitary bee and live for only a short period of time before dying in the fall. They get their name "leaf cutter" because they cut parts off of plants to make their nest to lay eggs in. 

If you have ever driven past a field and there are little wooden sheds on wheels parked off to the side, chances are that those sheds have Leaf Cutter bees around them. If you get the chance to see the open side of the shed, there'll be little slats that line the walls of the shed. Those are the nests that the bees use to lay their eggs in. Normally, the bees would build their own nest out of plant material they gather, but farmers use premade slats with tubes in them so the bees can spend more time pollinating instead of making nests. Leaf Cutter bees are considered the most efficient bee because they aren't worried about storing honey for winter, but by having premade nests for the bees, the Leaf Cutter bee is even more efficient at pollinating! However, that doesn't diminish the importance of all bees. Without bees, many of the foods that we eat wouldn't exist. A large majority of crops that are grown in the U.S don't require pollinators in order to reproduce. Perhaps the best example is corn. Corn produces its own pollen to fertilize its own fruit, which means that bees are non-essential for corn growers. While bees can still collect pollen off of the corn tassels, its not sustainable for the bees, which is one reason why bee populations have dropped significantly. Another reason why bee populations have been hurt badly is because of mosquito spraying. Often, the amount of mosquitoes that are killed are less than the amount of bees that are killed, which helps nobody. 

One simple way to keep bees around is to plant flowers, or flowers along with vegetables that require bees, such as squash. A few flower species that bees seem to like are sunflowers and lavender. While bees aren't particularly picky, I've noticed more bees hanging around lavender bushes or sunflowers because of the abundance of blooms, which means more pollen. 

Lastly, don't be afraid of bees! Making lots of loud noises and sudden movements can actually be what triggers a bee to sting because they view you as a threat. Instead, either leave them alone completely, or just "act casual" around them! Sometimes they might even land on your hand and then buzz off somewhere else, but in general, bees are pretty harmless. I will say this though, from experience.... don't wear lots of bright or extra colorful clothing unless you feel like having many, many bees land on you (bright colors act as an attractant for bees, which is why flowers are generally bright and colorful). But, if you want to experience what its like to be a flower, go ahead!