The Perilous Plight of Pollinators

per·il·ous

ˈperələs/

adjective

full of danger or risk.

“a perilous journey south”

synonyms:

dangerous, fraught with danger, hazardous, risky, unsafe, treacherous; More exposed to imminent risk of disaster or ruin.

Can you imagine the world without bees? How about birds? Then you might also imagine the world without food because birds, bats, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, small mammals, and most importantly, bees are pollinators. As they move from spot to spot, they pick up and transport pollen from flowers. This pollen carries the genetic material necessary for plants to reproduce and produce the fruits, nuts, vegetables, and more, that all the earth’s creatures depend on for survival. But pollinators are struggling for survival because of loss of habitat, disease, pollution, and chemical misuse.

Why are pollinators important? Somewhere between 75% and 95% of all flowering plants on the earth need help with pollination – they need pollinators. Pollinators provide pollination services to over 180,000 different plant species and more than 1200 crops. That means that 1 out of every three bites of food you eat is there because of pollinators. If we want to talk dollars and cents, pollinators add 217 billion dollars to the global economy and honey bees alone are responsible for between 1.2 and 5.4 billion dollars in agricultural productivity in the United States. In addition to the food that we eat, pollinators support healthy ecosystems that clean the air, stabilize soils, protect from severe weather, and support other wildlife.

Most of us have been at least somewhat aware that honey bees are in danger, but how many realize how severe the problem really is and why? Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) began in 2006. There are a host of “stressors” attributing to the decline in honey bee populations, including, parasites, viruses, bacterial diseases, pesticides, nutrition, genetics, “queen quality,” and management. Pesticide usage is possibly the biggest contributor to the severe decline in honey bee populations.

More than 1200 chemicals are registered for use in the United States and are used in some 18,000 separate products sold under a variety of trade names. People who apply the more toxic pesticides must have training and a state issued license to use these materials. Some insecticides have warnings or bee hazards on their label because they are toxic to honey bees, causing honey bee deaths. If the insecticide has a sub-lethal affect on honey bees it may result in reduced larval survival, altered foraging behavior or shortened lifespan of adult bees. The extent of the sub-lethal affects is still unknown. (Pollinator.org)

According to the Pesticide Action Network:

During the 2017-2018 winter, beekeepers reported losing an estimated 30.7% of managed colonies in the U.S. This is an increase of almost 10% from the previous year.

Traditionally, measures of honey bee losses have focused on overwintering losses, but more and more beekeepers are seeing losses throughout the year. The BIP also asked about summer losses this year, and beekeepers reported losing 17.1% of managed colonies from April 2017 – October 2017. For the entire year, beekeepers lost an estimated 40.1% of their colonies, 2.7% higher than the average annual rate of loss experienced since 2010.

Download this PDF to learn more about global Honey Bee colony disorders and other threats to insect pollinators.

There is good news, though. There are things you and I can do to help pollinator populations recover.

• Spread the word about the importance of pollinators.
• Support Farmers and Beekeepers by buying local honey and locally produced organic foods.
• Donate to support researchers so that they can help fill in the blanks, the more we know the more we can help the bees!
• Plant to provide habitat for pollinators in your yard and in your community.

Pollinator Partnership (P2) has compiled planting guides and an APP that helps you select the right plant for the right spot. “Plant the right plants on highway rights of ways, farms, schools, home gardens, corporate landscapes and on public spaces.” Their mission “is to promote the health of pollinators, critical to food and ecosystems, through conservation, education, and research. Signature initiatives include the NAPPC (North American Pollinator Protection Campaign), National Pollinator Week, and the Ecoregional Planting Guides.”

So let’s do what we can to keep them pollinators pollinating. Together, we can keep them bees a-buzzin’!!!

About Jan Schim

Jan is a singer, a songwriter, a licensed body worker specializing in CranioSacral Therapy, and a teacher. She is an advocate for the ethical treatment of ALL animals and a volunteer with several animal advocacy organizations. She is also a staunch believer in the need to promote environmental responsibility.

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