Bee the Solution: Create a Pollinator Oasis in Your Yard
Scientists estimate approximately 75% of the world’s food crops depend on pollinators to reproduce and they need our help. Conservation begins in your backyard. Learn how to build a backyard habitat for bees, butterflies, insects, and more.
In this article:
The importance of pollinators
What is a pollinator?
How are pollinators critical to our food supply?
What is happening to pollinators?
How can you help?
Resources to get started.
The importance of pollinators
We rely on 100 primary crops to feed 90% of the world’s population, and over 70 of them are pollinated by bees. So if bees were to go extinct, we could lose the majority of our food supply as well as the animals that eat those plants.
In 2021, US beekeepers reported losing an average of 45.5% of their bee populations. That’s right, almost half of the bees that were actively managed by beekeepers, died. And that year wasn’t a fluke. Bees and other pollinators have been struggling for years, going back to the discovery of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) in 2006 where worker bees were simply disappearing from their hives.
Did you know: Scientists estimate 85% of the world’s flowering plants depend on pollinators to reproduce.
So what can you do? In this article, you will learn what pollinators are, why they’re critically important to our food supply, and what you can do in your own backyard to help ensure that pollinators have what they need to survive.
What is a pollinator?
A pollinator is anything that helps transfer pollen – a fine yellow powder – from one flowering plant to another. More specifically, a pollinator will successfully transfer the pollen from the male stamens of one plant to the female pistils of another to fertilize the plant. Once a plant is fertilized, it begins to produce fruit and seeds.
Some pollinators are very well known, like honeybees and bumblebees. Other pollinators include butterflies, hummingbirds, bats, beetles, and even wasps and flies.
Why are pollinators so important?
Without pollinators, many plants wouldn’t be able to produce fruit, which is often the part of the plant that we eat. For example, cucumbers, squash, and zucchini are all fruit even though we typically refer to them as vegetables. And without fruit, these plants can’t produce seeds to grow the next generation of plants. Other plants like green beans, lettuce, and snap peas are self-pollinating and do not require any pollinators.
Did you know: In agriculture, about 80% of crops are “annuals” meaning they grow, set fruit, seed and die in the same year. This requires having a steady supply of viable seeds!
Without fruit or seeds, animals – including humans – would have a very hard time getting enough food to survive. In short, the entire food chain relies on pollinators to fertilize plants and produce food.
Can you name a food crop that relies entirely on honeybees to survive?
Hint: California produces 80% of the world’s supply of this nut – about 1.5 billion pounds!
What is it? Drumroll please…without honeybees, there would be no almonds. My favorite nut! Unfortunately, there would also be no:
Apples & pears
Cucumbers, squash & melons
Peaches, plums & nectarines
Lemons, limes, kumquats & oranges
Strawberries, blackberries, cranberries & raspberries
Avocados
Coffee, cacao & vanilla
When considering the importance of honeybees and pollinators in general, about 85% of the world’s flowering plants depend on pollinators to reproduce. This is why protecting our pollinators is critical. Without them, we’ll have a hard time growing enough food.
Almost all fruit trees require pollination to set fruit including apples, pears, peaches, plums, nectarines, oranges, lemons, and more.
What is happening to pollinators?
Pollinators need ample space, vegetation and food (pollen and nectar) to survive. It’s no surprise they are facing many challenges due to urbanization and loss of habitat, the widespread use of pesticides, and competition with non-native species.
Agricultural practices have devastated pollinator populations through the use of pesticides. The term “pesticides” is broad and includes anything used to get rid of unwanted pests. Think herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and rodenticides. These are collectively known as “biocides,” meaning “the destruction of life.”
When chemical sprays contaminate pollen, the pollinators eating that pollen can get sick. They might move too slowly to be effective or become disoriented and lost. Additionally, herbicides meant to eliminate weeds might actually eliminate the perfect food source for a pollinator.
The main problem with pesticide use is it doesn’t just impact a few pollinators. It negatively impacts entire ecosystems. Sometimes multiple generations of pollinators can be harmed or even eliminated altogether. And if bees are sprayed directly? Devastating losses occur. We saw this firsthand when 55 blooming linden trees were sprayed in a Target parking lot in Wilsonville, Oregon, in 2013. Approximately 50,000 bees were killed – a devastating loss.
And how about the impact of invasive species on pollinators? Non-native plants such as the prolific Himalayan blackberry and English Ivy, seen all around the Portland Metro area, grow incredibly fast and overtake whatever lies in their path. Invasive plants can confuse pollinators and attract them away from more nutritious, native food sources.
The entire Cucurbitaceae plant family requires pollination to set fruit. Members of this family include staples we count on like cucumbers, melons, squash, and pumpkins.
How can you help?
Amidst our fragmented landscape coupled with ongoing human development, more and more pollinators will be impacted in the future. Since the majority (60%) of land in the continental United States is privately owned, including almost 40% of Oregon, there's a real opportunity for homeowners to make a huge difference in providing habitat for our pollinators.
Our best hope could be right outside in our backyards. Conservation begins at home and no matter the size, your yard can provide significant gains for the environment.
The very best thing you can do to protect the existing pollinators in your neighborhood and encourage more to come is to create a backyard habitat that’s rich in native plants. It’s totally doable, and you don’t need a lot of space to make a positive impact.
Start here:
Learn as much as you can about native species and how to attract more pollinators to your property. You’re already well on your way by simply reading this post. Consult the resources section below for additional reading.
Assess your front and backyard areas. Identify the plants growing on your property as well as the pollinators who frequent your space. Are they native or invasive? If you need help, book a garden consult and we’ll walk you through the process.
Check out this report about native plants and when they bloom in the greater Portland, Oregon, area: Selecting Plants for Pollinators: Pacific Lowland Mixed Forest Province. (If you live outside the area, plug in your zip code to find a guide specific to your home.) Choose native plants as you build and upgrade your backyard habitat.
Fill your garden with plants that bloom at different times throughout the year. Even if your main goal is to plant a kitchen garden, it is critical to plant a pollinator garden alongside your fruits, vegetables and herbs to attract those amazing pollinators that will bring you abundant harvests.
Create designated habitat for pollinators to live, breed and nest. This might mean leaving a dead log in place for pollinating beetles and bugs to live, skipping the fall “clean-up”, adding a freshwater feature such as a bird bath or fountain, and/or leaving some exposed sand or dirt for ground nesting bees.
The problem of declining pollinators is big, but the solution starts small. Growing your own food is incredibly satisfying, and pollinators are the key to making your kitchen garden and backyard habitat not just come alive, but thrive.
If you’d like personalized support to grow your own kitchen and pollinator garden in the Portland, Oregon metro and Vancouver, Washington, areas, book a consultation with Nicole Spencer, founder and Garden Consultant with Noble Root.
Resources:
Article: Growing Edible Plants for Bees, Beepods
Article: Pollinators in Trouble, National Park Service
Article: Protecting Pollinators Critical to Food Production, US Dept of Agriculture
Article: The Why, What, When, Where, Who, How of Pollination, Smithsonian Gardens
Book: Nature’s Best Hope by Douglas W. Tallamy
Guide: Ecoregional Planting Guides, Pollinator Partnership
Program: Backyard Habitat Certification Program, Portland Audubon and Columbia Land Trust
Program: Pollinator Conservation Program, Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Report: 2022 Pollinator Priorities Report & Blog, US Dept of Agriculture
About:
Nicole Spencer is the founder and Principal Garden Consultant for Noble Root. She is a Gardenary-certified Garden Consultant, Kitchen Garden Coach, and Licensed Landscape Contractor specializing in raised bed edible gardens and backyard habitats. Her passion is helping clients transform their backyards into healthy, thriving, and productive oases that benefit people and pollinators.
