Friendly 5 tips to create a pollinator-pleasing backyard BEE
BY CHELSEA TRABER BURNS . PHOTOS BY CHET BURNS AND SWEET STINGERS HONEY AND APIARY .
about 2.5 million today. But it’s not just honeybees that are on the decline; unfortunately bumblebees are, too. A study published by the Journal of Science in February 2020 found that areas populated by bumblebees have dropped by 47 percent in North America. So, why does this matter to your family? Let us count the ways ... Why we need bees Simply put: We couldn’t survive without them. The USDA reports that in the United States more than one third of all crop production – 90 crops ranging from nuts to berries to flowering vegetables — require insect pollination. In fact, some crops, like almonds, can only be pollinated by honeybees. So if the number of bees keeps declining that, in turn, means less crops, resulting in a rise in price on some of your favorite fruits and veggies (or in this case, almond milk) at the grocery store. The decline also hurts the economy as the added revenue to crop production from pollinators is valued at $18 billion, according to the USDA. Pollinators also help support healthy ecosystems needed for clean air, stable soils and diverse wildlife. And if you’re a backyard gardener, inviting more pollinators to your yard will help you produce bigger, healthier and more delicious fruits and veggies.
Throughout the past year, when most activities and traveling were uncertain or unsafe, you, like many families, probably turned to your own backyard as a great escape. And while there may not have been too many human visitors stopping by, you might have noticed all the bugs that crawl, fly or scoot through and also call your backyard home. They all play an important role in your yard’s (and the Earth’s) ecosystem. One category of visitors that are particularly important: pollinators. By definition, according to the National Park Service, a pollinator is anything that helps carry pollen from the male part of the flower (stamen) to the female part of the same or another flower (stigma). This is crucial because a plant must be pollinated to produce fruit or seeds or to make new plants. While some plants can self-pollinate, others are pollinated by insects. Arguably the most popular and well known pollinator is, you guessed it, bees! The yellow and black insects have garnered extra buzz in recent years for some unfortunate reasons. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the number of managed honeybee colonies has dropped from 6 million colonies in 1947 to
16 METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / MAY-JUNE 2021
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