How to promote healthy pollinators

Christi Henthorn is a journeyman beekeeper with Wuerker Bee Apiary, of North Carolina. She describes herself on her website as a native of Wisconsin and an Alaskan transplant, currently raising bees on the east coast. She was visiting Wrangell to host a "Beekeeping 101" class for community members interested in doing so, as well as giving a talk on how to promote "healthy pollinators" in the area.

"The honey bee's the poster child for promoting and saving pollinators, because everyone can relate to the honey bee because she makes honey, and almost everybody likes honey," Henthorn said.

A "pollinator" is any creature that moves pollen from flower to flower, helping plants to spread and crops to grow. As Henthorn said, bees are probably one of the best-known pollinators, but there is actually a wide array of animals that do the same job. Some other pollinators include wasps, flies, beetles, butterflies, moths, and some species of hummingbird. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the most common pollinators found in Alaska include several species of bees, wasps, Syrphid flies, Hawk moths, and butterflies. Henthorn added that the Sphinx moth is also a common pollinator to find in Alaska.

"Almost 90 percent of all flowering plants rely on animal pollinators," Henthorn said. "That's a lot of species; 200,000 species of animals act as pollinators. That's crazy, right?"

So why are pollinators so important? They are vital to food security, Henthorn explained, as they help plants to grow and spread. According to Henthorn, 80 percent of the crop plants grown around the world for food and plant-based industrial products require animal pollination. Pollinators encourage the growth of many different kinds of food, some of which may surprise people. Bumblebees increase tomato and pepper yields, she said, and squash bees pollinate zucchini, squash, and cucumbers. Honey bees help pollinate avocados, as well.

"Moths pollinate bananas, flies pollinate the cola nut, butterflies pollinate a lot of different nuts, beetles pollinate pomegranates, ants pollinate mangoes, and then you've got bees that pollinate coffee, grapes, watermelon, other melons, berries, kiwi, fruit, peaches for yogurt, and cotton for the tablecloth," Henthorn said.

Henthorn said that there is a lot individuals can do to help promote a healthy environment for pollinators. For example, Henthorn said people could consider supporting the Pollinator Partnership, an international organization that works to protect pollinator species. People can also plant a pollinator-friendly garden. An example of how to make a pollinator garden can be found on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's website, she said. According to this article, it is best to research what kinds of wildflowers and other plants are native to one's area before building a garden. This will help the plants grow easier and will be more likely to draw in local pollinators, as they are already familiar with the plants in the garden. Another way that Henthorn said people can help pollinators is by being careful with pesticides, and to follow instructions on their use carefully.