Dangers to Pollinators

Pollinators are in trouble. And they are getting it from all sides. Climate change, pesticide use, pollution and fragmented habitats are all decreasing the population of our life-giving pollinators. There is a lot to learn about what we can do to save them. Keep reading.

Pesticides

Pesticide use is extremely wide spread. Pesticides are used to control disease carrying creatures such as mosquitos, ticks and rats. Herbicides, such as Glyphosate, commonly known as Round Up, are used to kill weeds in lawns and gardens.
Unfortunately, pesticides kill far more than their intended targets. Pollinators and beneficial bugs (bugs that kill the bad bugs) are affected by the common use of pesticides. Exposure comes in a variety of ways: when pesticides land directly on pollinators; residue contact when pollinators visit flowers that have been sprayed; and when nesting habitats have been contaminated from exposure to pesticides.
Chemical pesticides are insidious. They are not just harmful to pollinators, but all wildlife, as well as pets and humans. They get into our soil, crops and water systems, creating serious health issues for humans.
At the end of the day, pesticides are unnecessary. As Tyson Kemper, Manager of Grounds and Wetland Operations at University of Washington – Bothell, says, “After managing a large public piece of land [135 Acres] for 18 years organically, I can not imagine the need of using chemicals after seeing the success we have had. Without a doubt, it is possible to do.”

What You Can Do

  • Avoid chemicals in your home gardening. Use natural pesticides to help maintain a safe ecosystem.
  • Learn about alternatives to pesticides.
  • Practice organic gardening to avoid pests in the first place – plant native plants, hand pick bugs off plants, match plants to the soil and sunlight they require to be healthy, and use natural fertilizers.
  • Buy plants from trusted nurseries that do allow neonics. Here are some.
  • Learn about organic gardening practices.

Climate Change

One of the greatest dangers to pollinators is climate change. Warming temperatures cause blooming seasons to change. When bees emerge from hibernation, the flowers they rely on for food have often already bloomed and died. Wildfires and hurricanes have become more frequent and more devastating. Floods and drought are destroying nesting habitats and food sources.

What You Can Do

  • Get involved in advocacy. Donate time or money to environmental organizations, such Citizen’s Climate Lobby or Homegrown National Park.
  • Make sure your home is energy efficient. Install a heat pump or solar panels, and switch from gas to electric appliances.
  • Drive your gas powered car less often, or drive an electric vehicle.
  • Reduce your consumption of meat and dairy. This creates less of a need for livestock, cutting greenhouse gasses and freeing up land for agriculture. Read more.

Monocrop Agriculture

Planting the same crop year after year in the same spot leads to soil degradation, loss of biodiversity and over reliance on chemicals.
The answer to this dilemma is regenerative farming practices, which focus on crop rotation, soil health and no-till farming to keep carbon out of the atmosphere. The avoidance of heavy chemicals and integrating trees and shrubs into the field create crops that are friendly to pollinators.

What You Can Do

  • Be a discriminating consumer and speak with your buying power.
  • Shop for local, responsibly grown food from small farms and growers
  • Reduce meat consumption.
  • Grow your own food – plant a vegetable and herb garden.

Habitat Loss and Fragmentation

Loss of pollinator habitat occurs when roads and urban areas carve up the natural world that pollinators need to thrive, isolating insects from finding new habitats and food sources. Most native bees can only fly about a half mile before they need to eat again and some species cannot survive long enough to get to the next garden.
Native pollinators and native plants need each other to exist. Fragmenting habitats keeps insects from the plants they need for pollination to continue.

What You Can Do

Pollution

Light pollution harms nocturnal wildlife, such as moths, bats and beetles. It disrupts their navigation and can cause exhaustion and disorientation.
In addition, wars, air pollution and microplastics all contaminate the natural wildlife world. Read more.

What You Can Do

  • Turn outside lights off whenever possible. Point lighting downward and use bulbs at the warm end of the spectrum.
  • Avoid the consumption of one-use plastics, such as water bottles, straws and plastic packaging.