Click to enlarge. Can't help writing about insectsJust at the moment I am addicted to writing about insects. That's because, when I researched the United Nations 'extinction report' two weeks ago, (see post for Friday 17 May) I was deeply disturbed by news of the rapid destruction of insect populations world wide. If you are a regular follower of my blog you may remember this quote: "The world's insects are hurtling down the path to extinction, threatening a castastrophic collapse of nature's ecosytem" says UN environment biodiversity expert, Marieta Sakalian. "We urgently need to take action on many fronts to stem this decline." The pollinators are especially vunerableBumblebees particularly are threatened. Four species of bumblebee live in New Zealand: they are lined up across the top of this post. Part of the native fauna? No, they are not. Bumble bees live in many parts of the world and these four species were brought to New Zealand from England in the 1880s to help pollinate red clover, which itself was acclimatised here to feed sheep. To find out more about the importance of bumblebees I went to the New Zealand Bumblebee Trust. Here are some things I read: 'Bumblebees, Honeybees and other insect pollinators are in dramatic global decline. They are essential for the reproduction of an estimated 90% of flowering plants and 33% of human food crops. Bumblebees are one of the best pollinators – better than honeybees – and essential for food production and an healthy environment. ' And what about this? 'A single bumblebee can do 50 times the work of a honeybee and carries a bigger payload of pollen. They will also pollinate flowers honeybees can’t. For example honeybees aren’t boisterous enough to dislodge pollen from tomato flowers where as bumblebees will vigorously buzz the flower and be rewarded with showers of pollen falling on their bodies. This technique is known as ‘buzz pollination’. In a glasshouse one bumble bee can pollinate up to 450 flowers per hour. And this? Bumblebees carry up to 90% of their body weight in food and the level of activity required to fly is so great they are only ever 40 minutes away from starvation. They can reach ground speeds up to 54 kms per hour. And even this? Bumble bees are fantastic navigators and can remember landmarks to help steer them back to the hive. They will forage out to about 1-1.5 km and equally so are also happy in confined areas. They will work from daylight to dark in rainy weather and will be out and about at temperatures just above freezing. They have a unique body temperature control system which keeps them warm when it’s cold and cool in the heat.' WorldwideBumble bees are declining everywhere. Europe, America – all over! On the internet I've just been surveying a swathe of scientific reports from the last few years. They all say much the same thing: loss of habitat; the use of pesticides; the inability of bumble bees to adapt to higher temperatures caused by climate change. And they all say how drastic this situation could be for human kind because of the loss of pollinators in the production of our food. Locally What can we individuals do? Anything? Yes. Quite a few things if we have any sort of garden or patio with pot plants. Resuscitate trapped or fallen bees. (See my post for Earth day 22 April 2019 or click 'Environment' in the archive list.) We can plant lots of blue flowers (bumble bees like those) and wildflowers of every kind. Flowering herbs are useful. A tip I read is "Plant vegetables and let some run to seed so that they flower on the way." What about giving up our very green lawns by scattering wildflower seeds over over them? That would be a cultural change wouldn't it? Let the flowers grow up through the lawn. When the lawn is mown they'll come up again. Make bumblebee housesAnd above all, say many of the experts, "Make bumblebee houses." Give bumble bees places to live. They naturally like gaps in piles of rocks or bricks. They like holes in dead trees or any sheltered weatherproof spaces which have small entrances. So, make the equivalents of those. Bumble bees live in small colonies centered on a Queen who comes out of hibernation in early spring. Right now, where I live, the Queens are going into hibernation. All the houses below (selected from all over the world) have weatherproof lids, and narrow entrances. One is up a tree. One is ceramic. All have landing pads beside their entrances. The simplest (an upended flower pot) has a pipe entrance – see the lowerleft corner of the picture. bumblebee houses for the garden – click to enlarge Share experienceMaybe, wherever you are, you are already concerned about bumblebee decline. Maybe you already help the bees. Please write a comment if you'd like to. Maybe you have a really good bumblebee house design to share. ########## John McInnes Friday 31 May 2019 References: Click the name to open the link.
NZ Bumblebee Conservation Trust How to make a bumblebee house - basic How to make a bumblebee house – simple How to make a bumblebee house – substantial
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