Why Pollinators and Bees Are Important in Gardens

Bees are essential to a healthy environment and economy. They are also incredibly stunning and fascinating small insects.

A plant’s fruit or vegetable is necessary for seed production and the creation of future generations.

Tomatoes, pumpkins, zucchinis, beans, peas, cucumbers, sweet corn, chokos, and eggplants are just a few of the popular vegetables that are also fruits.

To produce edible ‘fruits’, the flowers of these plants must be fertilized through the passage of pollen from one flower to another, a process known as pollination.

Meet our pollinators.

Bees

Without pollination, there is no fertilization, no fruit, no seeds, and crops collapse.

Bees are the most well-known pollinators; they carry pollen from one flower on their legs and deposit it in another while moving from bloom to bloom, collecting nectar to return to their hives.

While bees are the true ‘work horses’ of the garden, they are not the only pollinators to watch for.

Hoverflies

Small, black or white/yellow banded insects that hover on the place before darting off to another bloom.

Hoverflies eat on nectar and accumulate pollen on their bodies, which they spread to other flowers as they fly on. Some hoverflies are natural aphid predators, which makes them popular among gardeners!

Butterflies

Most butterflies are nectar feeders. They have a lengthy ‘proboscis’ (feeding tube) that penetrates flowers and extracts nectar. As they feed, they collect pollen on their bodies, which they then deposit in other flowers as they wander about looking for nourishment.
Attracting butterflies to the yard by growing nectar-rich flowering plants has numerous advantages, including the fact that they are attractive and help with food production.

Moths

Some, but not all, moths are drawn to nectar-rich blooms in the garden. They can also be found on flowers that retain moisture after watering or rain. As pollinators, they are not ‘top of the list’ because they are less numerous and less active than bees or butterflies.

Native bees

Blue banded and other native bees are commonly referred to as’solitary bees’ since they do not form big colonies, swarms, or hives, however females may nest communally.

Native bees are avid foragers and so good pollinators; they may visit hundreds of blooms each day. Tomatoes, basil, sage, and rosemary are among the preferred flowers.

Some native bees are stingless, while others sting but are generally less aggressive than honey bees.

Why Pollinators are So Important

Even though many of the fruit-producing vegetable varieties we plant today are hybrids that do not produce live (viable) seeds, pollination of their blossoms is required for them to bear fruit.

When pollinated, ‘heritage’, ‘heirloom’, and ‘open-pollinated’ kinds typically produce fertile seeds. If you wish to save seeds from your crops for the next year, make sure to select non-hybrid kinds.
Birds, bees, and plants all do it!

Plants are sexual organisms! Male pollen settles on the sticky female stigma. Each pollen grain generates a fine tendril that extends down through the style and into the ovary, where it is fertilized.

To move pollen from the anthers to the stigma, pollinating insects are required

To produce fruit, many plants require “cross pollination,” which is the transfer of pollen from one type of bloom to another.

For example, pollen from one blossom can be placed in another in the same cluster, on the same plant, on another plant in the same garden, or on a tomato plant in a neighbor’s garden in order to produce a delicious, ripe tomato.

Certain flowers are self-fertile, meaning that while an insect is gathering nectar, it can move pollen from the anthers to the stigma of the flower.

Other plants—pumpkins, zucchinis, and squashes are common examples—have separate male and female flowers. A pollinator that has just visited a male flower needs to visit the female flowers in order for them to set fruit.

The majority of the time, insects are responsible for transferring pollen, however wind, animals, and people walking by can also move plants.
How a fruit grows

A flower knows it has completed its task when it begins to fade after being pollinated and fertilized by male pollen. The flower’s base ovary will begin to enlarge and mature into the fruit that will yield seeds.

A lack of pollination could result from:

• A lack of bees and other insects in your area;
• Unfavorable weather—cold, rainy weather lowers insect populations.
  

Attracting Pollinators

Although some pollinating insects will be drawn to the blossoms of the crops you are planting, you can increase your chances by adding some plants that attract bees and butterflies to the vegetable garden or near it.

Bees

Purple, blue, and yellow-flowering plants, such as basil, mint, daisies, and calendula

Butterflies

Scabiosa, echinacea, gaura, and buddleia

Australian native bees, such as the blue-banded

Native plants that produce nectar, such as callistemon, hakea, banksia, and grevillea

Best Advice

Create a border surrounding the vegetable patch with a variety of vibrantly colored blooming annuals. Marigolds, pansies, petunias, and sunflowers are among the plants that attract insects.

Create a permanent hedge of low-growing bushes, such as lavender, thyme, geraniums, tiny and groundcover roses, that are good pollinator attractor plants around the food garden.

Bees are wonderful, but…

Bee stings can cause severe allergic reactions in certain individuals.

European wasps are also present in areas with bees and are just as hazardous.

How to stay away from them

During the warmest parts of the day, from mid-morning to late afternoon, bees and wasps are most busy.

Do your gardening to stay away from them:

• Early in the day, before they are awake, or late at night, once they have returned to their hives.

• When they’re active, avoid disturbing or agitating them with watering.

Additional helpful advice to lower the risk:

• Before using a glass, container, or straw, make sure they are clean.
• Gather fallen fruit and feces from dogs or other animals (flies can draw wasps and bees).
• Steer clear of loose clothing that could trap bees in between your skin and the fabric.
• When bees are less busy, it is preferable to mow the lawn or trim the hedges early in the morning or late at night.
• In the event that you discover a European wasp nest on your land, get guidance from your local municipality.
• Sometimes bees will swarm; to get rid of them, contact a licensed apiarist. There can be a cost.
• Remain composed and gently retreat if one or two bees approach you; slapping at them could make themsting.
• Cover your mouth and nose and exit the area as soon as possible if you get stung or if a large group of bees or wasps begin to fly around.
• A substance released by a stinging bee draws in other bees. For protection, move indoors or into a car if you can.

Advice on how to handle wasp and bee stings

• Take out the stinger as soon as you can.
• Use soap and water to clean the impacted area.
• Put an ice pack or cold compress on it.
• As needed, use an over-the-counter pain reliever; ibuprofen is recommended by some sources.
• Elevate the area if the sting is on your arm or leg.Calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream can be applied to reduce swelling, redness, and itching.
• An oral antihistamine containing diphenhydramine (found in over-the-counter Benadryl allergy pills) or chlorpheniramine (found in over-the-counter Sudafed, Demazin, and Codral) may lessen symptoms if itching or swelling is mild to severe.
• Refrain from scratching as this could exacerbate the swelling and irritation and raise the risk of infection.

Disclaimer:

This article’s guidance should not be used in place of expert counsel; it is meant simply as basic information. If you are worried about being stung or bitten by a bee or other insect, always get medical help. Speak with a medical expert about your case if you have ever experienced an allergic response. When going outside, we advise bringing an epipen (available only with a prescription).