Creating Habitat for Pollinators

 

Seed and plant specialist Barbara Schaefer explains in her blog how to make a habitat for pollinators - using the example of the sweat bee:

"In early spring, insects are still in diapause (a state akin to hibernation). They are triggered to wake up when the weather warms and/or the day-length increases. Cutting down dead plant stems too early in the spring will disturb them before they have a chance to emerge."

Prevailing knowledge said it was a sign of good gardening to have a tidy garden, providing fewer places for unwanted pests to overwinter.  Turns out that I was dead wrong."  

"So, back to the fall … if I knew then what I know now, I would have done more than just leave the leaf litter and the stalks. I would have added a variety of over-wintering habitats for insects, such as decomposing logs and random rock piles".

"My gardens are not only for my enjoyment and satisfaction but also home to insects that pollinate my plants and whose larvae feed nestlings of songbirds. As a steward of the land, I have a large role to play in my small part of the world". 

I have learned that some butterflies overwinter as adults. They nestle into rock fissures, under tree bark, or in leaf litter until the days grow longer again and spring arrives. Other butterflies overwinter in a chrysalis, either found hanging from dead plant stems or tucked into the soil or leaf litter. And still, other butterfly species spend the winter as a caterpillar rolled into a fallen leaf or inside the seed pod of a host plant.

Predatory insects may also spend the winter ‘sleeping’ in my garden as either adults, eggs, or pupae. They are one of the best reasons not to clean up the garden in the fall because they help control pests. If I want to have a balanced population of predatory insects, I must provide diverse winter habitat.

Some insect-eating birds have not flown south for the winter. They are quite good at gleaning ‘hibernating’ insects off dead plant stems and branches, and out of leaf litter (when it’s not buried in heavy snow). Not cleaning up the garden means there will be more protein-rich insects available to them during the coldest part of the year. The more insect-nurturing habitat I have, the greater the bird population will be. Further, seed-eating birds will appreciate the seeds and berries they can find on intact perennial, annual, and shrub stems.

Read her eye-opening blog post here: 
https://gardensbybarby.ca/gardening-for-pollinators/

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Vanishing Bumblebees Due to Extreme Weather

Bumblebees are vanishing because of extreme temperatures and habitat loss. Extreme temperatures, both cold and hot are driving a dramatic decline in bumblebees across North America and Europe, according to a new study. Yet another way climate change is putting ecosystems at risk.

Researchers looked at half a million records showing where bumblebees have been found since 1901, across 66 different species. They found that in places where bumblebees have lived in North America, you're about half as likely to see one today.
The decline is especially pronounced in Mexico, where bumblebees once lived in abundance. Big heat events can stress both the bees and the flowers they depend on.

"It's these extreme events throughout the year that's pushing bees beyond what they've ever had to handle before," says Peter Soroye, a graduate student at the University of Ottawa, Canada, and lead author on the study published in the journal Science. "And that seems to be driving a lot of the disappearances in bees."

Bumblebees also don't seem to be rapidly expanding into new habitats in search of cooler temperatures. Scientists believe that some plants and animals will move northward or to higher elevations as the climate warms.

Bumblebees are crucial pollinators for natural landscapes. Just don't confuse them with honeybees. Bumblebees are native to the U.S., evolving with the ecosystems that rely on them. Honeybees were brought over from Europe to pollinate many agricultural crops.

"Bumblebees are some of the best pollinators that we have." One bumblebee, the rusty patched bumblebee, is listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. In California, a legal battle has erupted between the state, agricultural groups and conservationists over protecting four bumblebees species under state law.

Still, scientists say there's a lot everyday people can do:
"If you have a garden, fill it full of native plants that the bees can go visit," Soroye says. He also recommends leaving fallen logs or leaf piles on the ground, in a corner of your garden. It can create shelter and shade during extreme heat events.

Read more:
https://www.npr.org/2020/02/06/803130948/bumblebees-are-disappearing-because-of-extreme-heat

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumblebee