3 Ways You Can Help Out Important Pollinators [Week 21]
Pollinator Week is in June! Celebrate the critters that help pollinate the Earth’s plants by learning how to help them out. Let’s learn about the basics.
Amanda Drews, 4 minute read
What is a pollinator?
Pollinators are the animals that spread pollen around from plant to plant as they feed or even just as they pass by. This in turn fertilizes the plants and helps it reproduce. Think of pollinators as the matchmakers for the plant world! From lemurs to tiny ants, any animal that frequently gets pollen on them and then transfers that pollen to another plant could be considered a pollinator. Think about what you have in your area that you see feeding from or crawling around on plants…birds, beetles, bees, wasps, bats, lizards, butterflies… Yup! All pollinators (USDA).
Some fruit and nectar bats are pollinators. 
Small lizards can be pollinators too!
Why are pollinators important?
If you like eating food, pollinators are important to you. The USDA states that “Of the 1,400 crop plants grown around the world, i.e., those that produce all of our food and plant-based industrial products, almost 80% require pollination by animals.” Think coffee, chocolate, nuts, cherries, apples, bananas. Like seriously, most fruits. And say “Adios!” to your margaritas if tequila isn’t around anymore since the agave plant depends on bat pollinators. But there is so much more beyond that reason. You know, the biodiversity of the planet and balance of ecosystems…that whole deal. Let’s just say, we need’em!
“Of the 1,400 crop plants grown around the world, i.e., those that produce all of our food and plant-based industrial products, almost 80% require pollination by animals.”
US Department of Agriculture
How can you help pollinators?
1). Avoid pesticides and herbicides when possible.
Pesticides and herbicides should not be a preventative that is just regularly applied in your yard all willy-nilly like. Know what pests you have in your yard and take a few minutes to figure out the best way to target that specific pest. When you do use pesticides, follow the directions exactly and avoid application on windy days. Take care to not get any in water sources, on blooming flowers or on plants that caterpillar larvae may be munching on. If you are seeing some pests but they aren’t actually causing any problems, you may not need to remove them in the first place. Try removing them by hand or planting to attract their predators.
Read the labels! The University of Georgia has this handy table for insecticides and miticides and how toxic different types are to honey bees. The main goal of reading the labels for these is to chose an effective product that will take care of your issue that has the highest LD50 and the shortest residual time.
2). Leave opportunities for nesting
Remember when we learned in Week 11 to just wait to clean up our yard in the spring? That’s because pollinators may be nesting in the stems or under the leaves. If you find yourself the host to wasp or bee’s nests and it’s not a safety issue, just let them be. Same with dead trees and piles of wood that could be potential nesting sites. Avoid mass produced bee houses that don’t allow you to change out nesting tubes as they can’t be cleaned out and may lead to disease. I bought one not realizing they can do more harm than good so we will spend one week in the future retrofitting it to make it a safe nesting site.
3). Create a pollinator garden
Here are some quick tips for planting a pollinator garden!
- Plant natives
- Know when your flowers will bloom so pollinators can have a constant source of food
- Plant in clumps
- Learn about what caterpillars of butterflies eat so you can plant for different life stages here
- Have a variety of different flowers
- If you are feeding hummingbirds, check out The Hummingbird Society to make sure your are doing it properly
- Provide a water source. Re-use a shallow dish or planter bottom like this or check out the bee and butterfly baths below
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General Sources:
- US Fish and Wildlife Services, Pollinators, 6/15/2020
- University of Michigan, Tips For Planting A Pollinator Garden
1). Do some research to find out what types of pollinators you have in your area.
2). If you use herbicides or pesticides, look at through the labels to make sure you are using them properly. See if you there are any safer alternatives and evaluate if you need them in the first place.
3). Identify potential nesting sites around your yard. Can you create any?
4). Plant a pollinator garden. Or just start out with a couple flowers. It’ll grow on you! (Make sure you call before you start any digging.)
5). It’s summertime! So next week we are going to have my Complete Guide to healthy and eco-friendly sunscreen.
