8/1/2024: Ask a Naturalist: I’ve heard that pollinators are in trouble. What can I do to help them?

You are correct! Insect populations in general have dropped dramatically in the past 50 years; according to some studies, the decline is at least 40% worldwide. The health of entire ecosystems, including humans, depends on these animals. The good news is that we can all help reverse this trend!

In terms of pollinators, it helps to first understand who they are. Many people think of honey bees when they hear the word ‘pollinator’. But there are about 4,000 bee species native to North America, many of which are more effective pollinators than honey bees, even for agricultural crops. Blueberries, cranberries, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and squash are among the food crops for which native bees are more efficient pollinators than honey bees. Using native plants in hedgerows near agricultural fields will attract native pollinators and increase crop yields.

Other insects are important pollinators, too, especially flies and beetles, but also butterflies, moths, even wasps and hummingbirds.

How can we help them?

• Give them the food they need—native plants! Many insects have evolved to specialize on a small group of closely related plants as their food source. This includes most butterfly and moth caterpillars, as well as many bees and beetles.
• Leave the leaves and other plant material in your garden for habitat. Many pollinators and other insects nest in or under fallen leaves, some in tunnels in the ground that are both sheltered and made accessible by a blanket of fallen leaves. Some insects nest in stems or curled leaves of spent perennials, others in rotting wood. Include these essential habitat elements on your property.
• Minimize or diversify your lawn. Non-native cool season turf grasses provide little in the way of food or habitat for insects and other wildlife. Minimizing or diversifying your lawn by including some native sedges or low-growing flowering ground covers can help.
• Eliminate the use of pesticides and minimize herbicides. Pesticides are by definition toxic to insects, and may be to people and the animals that eat insects. Many herbicides also contain toxic chemicals.

For more information, I recommend this website.

— Mary Anne Borge, Preserve Naturalist