Pollinators travel from plant to plant carrying pollen on their bodies transferring genetic material critical to the reproductive system of most flowering plants. These plants bring us countless fruits, vegetables, and nuts, ½ of the world’s oils, fibres, and raw materials.
However, our pollinator populations are struggling. The development of natural landscapes into urban areas, more modern farming methods and the excessive use of pesticides are resulting in a decline of many of our major pollinators.
The cost of pollinators.
Insect pollination is very important to the economy. Pollinators are responsible for a net £690 million worth of crops each year in the U.K. (https://www.britishbeecoalition.org/importance)
UK bees and other insect pollinators are commercially important, as they are essential for the efficient pollination of major crops, such as tomatoes, strawberries, and apples.
Insect pollination will increase crop yields as well as marketability, as it improves the quality of the produce and lengthens its shelf life.
Insect pollinated crops make up 20% of Britain’s cultivated land, which would cost at least £1.8 billion a year to pollinate without insects. Honeybees pollinate between 5-15% of crops, then wild pollinators do the rest. Its important to have a diverse range of pollinators to face future change and support crop yield.
How you can help save our pollinators.
Provide a mixture of flowering plants in your garden throughout the year.
Use pesticides only when you really need to and use them late in the day or evening, or even try to deal with them in other ways.
Provide areas of shelter for pollinators such as log piles, thick vegetation, and untidy areas. You can even buy or make a bug hotel, which if you have children will allow them to learn about different insects.
Shelter is especially important during winter months. Although some butterfly species are well-known for migrating when the seasons change, most pollinators prefer to stay at home and ride out the cold. So, even during winter you are currently surrounded by bees and butterflies, but they are just hidden away. Most native bee species will spend the winter in the nests that their mothers provided. And just like bears, many pollinators hibernate through the winter, and they may need a little help to survive until spring.
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