We should encourage native pollinators and native plant species

The European honeybee is perhaps agriculture’s most important pollinator. Its greatest

importance is that we derive honey from it. Honey production is a multibillion-dollar

industry.

There are no native honeybees. The varroa mite nearly wiped out honeybees in the late

80s and 90s, but those bees originally escaped captivity. They weren’t native. In fact, the

European honeybee is the only honeybee that doesn’t reside in tropical regions. There

are other pollinators though, and many are more effective than honeybees at pollinating

plants.

I knew there were a lot, but I read there were over 4000 species of native bees. There are

dozens of species of bumble bees alone. Bumble bees are more efficient pollinators for

most plants than honeybees.

Bees aren’t the only pollinators. Wasps, beetles and other insects are important, too. So

are hummingbirds, beetles, ants, butterflies, moths, bats and other small mammals and

lizards. Many of these we’d like around our homes. Some of them wouldn’t.

Agriculture is dependent upon pollinators. Some crops can’t exist without them. More

than a third of all crop plants rely upon some type of animal for pollination. Fruit

production especially depends on them.

We often look at pollinators only as they relate to agriculture. However, our ecosystems

depend on them. When native pollinators suffer, so do native plants. When native plants

suffer, so do native wildlife species.

In our home landscaping it is important to keep in mind when different plants flower.

Pollinators need a constant supply of food. If we plant things pollinators like but they all

bloom in the same season, we aren’t helping much. The same goes for planting food

plots for wildlife. Stable supplies of both vegetation, pollen and nectar are essential.

When landscape plants invade the natural environment, they tend to upset that balance.

In the past, well-meaning individuals have planted exotic plants for conservation

purposes. This has led to disastrous situations. Multiflora rose and kudzu are two

examples.

Our unfortunate interference hasn’t been limited to exotic plants either. We’ve

introduced nutria to control vegetation in ditches, and that has caused major problems

for our waterways.

When wild Canada goose populations were in decline, we introduced a strain of Canada

goose that doesn’t migrate. Now we’re stuck with resident geese that leave their

droppings everywhere and are a health hazard. They also consume resources that won’t

be available for future migrating geese.

Introducing species not native to an area can have unforeseen consequences. Creating

an imbalance can limit native plant species. That can hinder native animal species.

People often want to manage the environment to favor certain species. Some would even

like to see certain ones wiped from the earth. However, if we wiped out mosquitoes, ants

and wasps we would upset the balance and we might not like the results.

Native plants and native pollinators have existed since the beginning of time. If we plant

native species, we stand a greater chance of encouraging native pollinators and

achieving more stable populations of wild creatures.