Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Bats, Beetles, and Wind–Oh My

What do all these things have in common? They all help provide pollination, so we have food on our tables.

Grocery stores would be rather empty without the hard work of bees, birds, butterflies, bats and other pollinators. Yes, even the wind helps with pollination. About 75 percent of crops are pollinated by animals. That’s a whole different range of foods, from fruits to nuts to vegetables. The USDA estimated that crops dependent on pollination are worth more than $10 billion per year. Despite the importance of pollinators, they are taken for granted all too often.

Different pollinators are vital for pollination of different crops. When we hear the word “bee”, most of us think honey bees, non-native to North America, but there are so many native and other non-native bees needed to pollinate the fruits, vegetables and flowers we love to eat and enjoy. Native bees are often better than honey bees at pollinating most native plants.

With the increased interest in pollinators, more research is being conducted to increase what little is known about native bees in Wyoming. An estimated 800 different species of bees reside in Wyoming. Most native bees can be grouped as bumble bees, sweat bees, mason and leafcutter bees, long-horned bees, mining bees, small dark bees or cuckoo bees.

Many of our plants here are pollinated by mason bees as they can be active in rather cold weather and on cloudy days. This means they can collect pollen for longer times in a single day and more frequently than other types of insects.

Leafcutter bees are also prevalent in our area. They use scissor-like mouthparts called mandibles to cut circles out of leaves, oftentimes lilacs, roses, and alfalfa. They carry these leaf pieces back to their nests to build walls around and between egg chambers, which are created in long, narrow crevices or tubes. The damage to the plant is minimal and mostly aesthetic. Leafcutter bees are vital to increase commercial alfalfa seed production in northern Wyoming.

Pollinators can be picky about where and what they choose to eat. Pollinators prefer certain colors of flower petals as well as certain flower scents. The shape of a flower petal is important too; it serves as a landing pad for the pollinator! Pollinators seek out flowers to find the food they like: pollen and nectar. Some examples of who pollinates what:

Tomatoes – bumble bees & other bees

Banana – fruit bats & birds

Strawberry – honeybees

Apples – mason bees

Raspberry – honeybees & solitary bees

Chocolate – midges (flies) and stingless bees

Pineapple-hummingbirds and bats

To honor and thank pollinators for the food that we enjoy every day, the Saratoga-Encampment-Rawlins Conservation District (SERCD) is joining with the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) to celebrate Stewardship Week (April 26–May 3, 2020) with the theme “Where Would We BEE Without Pollinators?” to foster education and awareness.

NACD established Stewardship Week 65 years ago to educate the public on the importance of soil health, water quality, pollinator habitat and other conservation topics. Stewardship Week helps to remind us all of the power each person has to conserve natural resources and improve the world.

For more information about pollinators go to www.uwyo.edu/barnbackyard/ and search for the UW Extension Bulletin Promoting Pollinators On Your Place - A Wyoming Guide or access the Stewardship Week materials at nacdnet.org/stewardship-week.

If you are not able to access the information on the website listed and would like more information on pollinators or Stewardship Week, please contact the SER Conservation District at 307-326-8156 and ask for Leanne.