Gardening Articles: Care :: Seeds & Propagation
The Other Pollinators (page 6 of 6)
by Amy Bartlett Wright
Make a Hospitable Habitat
Although the honeybee is an extremely valuable pollinating species, wild bees and other insects not often recognized as pollinators are also vital to our well-being. Spraying broad-spectrum pesticides destroys all insects: harmful, beneficial, and pollinating.
Gardeners can encourage the proliferation of the beneficial and pollinating insects by providing nesting sites, especially for solitary bees. Turn flowerpots with bottom holes upside down, and leave cut garden plants' stems exposed. Blocks of wood or logs with holes that are drilled about 1/4 inch wide and 4 to 6 inches deep provide convenient nest sites when placed in a protected area.
Amy Bartlett Wright, Portsmouth, Rhode Island, is a scientific illustrator and writer. For his help with this article, she thanks Terry Griswold, research entomologist, Bee Biology Lab, Utah State University.
Photography by Michael MacCaskey (top and bottom) and the National Gardening Association (middle)