How we can help pollinators in our gardens?

What is a pollinator?

In the UK pollinators are mostly insects. As they move between flowers, they transfer pollen which fertilises the plant, enabling it to produce fruit and seeds.

Pollinators come in many different forms, including bees, butterflies, moths, and even some species of beetles and flies.

Pollinators play a vital role in maintaining the health and biodiversity of many ecosystems, as they facilitate the reproduction of a wide variety of plants, including many of the crops that we rely on for food. Without pollinators, many plants would not be able to reproduce and would eventually die out, leading to a decline in the overall health and diversity of the ecosystem.

What is the importance of pollinatiors?

Facts:

• 76% of globally important commercial crops depend on insect pollination (Source: Klein et al. (2007), Proc. Biol. Sci. 274, 303. In this review, the authors expanded previous estimates using novel primary data from 200 countries and found that fruit, vegetable or seed production from 87 of the leading global food crops is dependent upon animal pollination, while 28 crops do not rely upon animal pollination.)
• Three quarters of food crops depend on pollinators (Source: Klein et al. (2007), Proc. Biol. Sci. 274, 303.)
• 1 in 3 mouthfuls of food depends on pollinators (Source: Buchmann, S. L., and Nabhan, G.P. (1997) The Forgotten Pollinators [book], Island Press)
• Without pollinators we wouldn’t have potatoes, strawberries, tomatoes, coffee, chocolate or cotton (Source: Wikipedia holds a list of crop plants pollinated by bees: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_crop_plants_ pollinated_by_bees. Cocoa plants are pollinated by midges, as described in Young, A. (1994) The chocolate tree: a natural history of cocoa [book] Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington DC. Also summarised in this article by Smithsonian Magazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/ science-nature/you-wouldnt-have-chocolate-without- invisible-flies-and-extreme-yeast-180954172/)
• We get 90% of our Vitamin C, the majority of Vitamin A, folic acid, and lots of important antioxidants from plants that rely on animal pollination (Source: Eilers et al. (2011) Contribution of Pollinator-Mediated Crops to Nutrients in the Human Food Supply, PLOS One 6(6): e21363.)
• The decline of pollinators is a threat to human nutrition (Source: Eilers et al. (2011) Contribution of Pollinator-Mediated Crops to Nutrients in the Human Food Supply, PLOS One 6(6): e21363.)
• Bees are important pollinators but so are flies, beetles, moths, butterflies, wasps, ants, birds, and bats (Source: Radar et al. (2016) Non-bee insects are important contributors to global crop pollination, PNAS, 113, (1), 146-151)

Pollinators population decline

Pollinator populations have been in decline in recent years due to factors such as habitat loss, pesticide use, climate change, and disease, highlighting the need for increased efforts to protect and support these important animals.

• Over 40% of insect species are declining and a third are endangered (Source: Sanchez-Bayo and Wyckhuys (2019) Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers. Biological Conservation, 232, 8-27)

• We are losing insects eight times faster than mammals, birds and reptiles (Source: Sanchez-Bayo and Wyckhuys (2019) Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers. Biological Conservation, 232, 8-27)

• The world’s insects are being lost at 2.5% a year (Source: Sanchez-Bayo and Wyckhuys (2019) Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers. Biological Conservation, 232, 8-27)

• A major global report states that insects could vanish within a century (Source: Sanchez-Bayo and Wyckhuys (2019) Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers. Biological Conservation, 232, 8-27)

• Intensive farming is the main cause of insect decline - particularly the heavy use of pesticides (Source: Sanchez-Bayo and Wyckhuys (2019) Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers. Biological Conservation, 232, 8-27)

• 41% of Britain’s wildlife species have declined since 1970 and more than one in ten are currently facing extinction. Intensive farming practices have been identified as the primary drivers of these decline. (Source: State of Nature 2019’ The State of Nature partnership, available online from: https://nbn.org.uk/wp-content/ uploads/2019/09/State-of-Nature-2019-UK-full-report.pdf)

How gardeners can help our declining pollinators?

Fortunately, there are several things that we can do in our gardens to help support pollinator populations according to RHS:

• Fill gardens with RHS Plants for Pollinators plants. Choose plants that are native to your area, as they are better adapted to local conditions and are more attractive to native pollinators.

• Allow lawn ‘weeds’ to flower by cutting less often. Plant a pollinator garden: Create a garden with a variety of plants that bloom at different times throughout the growing season to provide a continuous source of nectar and pollen for pollinators.

• Provide water for pollinators. Provide a source of water for pollinators, such as a shallow dish or bird bath.

• Avoid using pesticides and never spray open flowers. Use natural pest control methods and avoid the use of pesticides, which can be harmful to pollinators.

• Provide nest sites for wild bees and habitats for other pollinators. Create nesting sites for bees and other pollinators by leaving patches of bare soil or installing bee houses.

And, the last, but not the least - become an organic gardener! Use natural and sustainable practices to promote healthy plants and soil without the use of synthetic chemicals.

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