by christine pilgrim tssf · 2020. 9. 24. · pollinators are a critical part of god’s creation...
TRANSCRIPT
The Importance of Pollination and Pollinatorsby Christine Pilgrim TSSF
Environmental Officer for the United Benefice of St Bartholomew and St Lawrence with St Swithun upon Kingsgate, Winchester
Pollinators are a critical part of God’s Creation and purpose. This is a short and gentle look at pollination
and pollinators and the importance to our world.
It has been recognised that over the 2020 Lockdown period Creation has responded to the cleaner air brought
about by planes being grounded, cars parked and factories shut. Spring was a truly magnificent spectacle. As we
slowed down we became aware of nature unfolding whilst we walked, cycled, viewed our gardens, looked out
of balconies or windows throughout spring. Birdsong, leaves unfurling, colours, sounds of insects lifted many a
spirit. A blessing indeed. Of course none of this detracts from the awfulness of the virus and all its
consequences.
During this time I became more focused on my garden and pond and the creatures within those environments. I
joined various Facebook groups of like-minded people, learned loads and macro photography became my
fascination. As one thing led to another the creatures I was critically examining close up were pollinators. The
various species of bees I came across, particularly, caused me to research them and then other pollinators
became evident. I hope that this gentle look at what pollination is, why it is critical to our world and our
wellbeing will stimulate awareness.
Our Lord’s work creating our world and putting in place such tiny creatures, who work so tirelessly is beyond
amazing. God gave us plants, seeds, trees, flowers and fruits. With this gift of food came “the birds of the air and
everything that creeps on Earth” – animals that would fertilize and propagate his earthly garden. In other words, he
gave us a host of specialized species called pollinators.
WHAT IS POLLINATION
Pollination occurs when pollen grains from the
anthers (the male part of the plant) reach the female
stigma that leads to an ovary. The pollen is
transferred when small mammals such as bats or
animals such as birds and including hummingbirds,
moths, bees, wasps, butterflies, beetles, or other
insects, rub against the blossoms anthers and get
pollen on their bodies, which they then carry to the
stigma of a nearby similar plant. Most flowering
plants rely on animal pollinators; some rely on wind
to carry the pollen.
The pollen basket or corbicula (plural
corbiculae) is part of the tibia on the hind
legs of certain species of bees (honey
bees and bumblebees). They use the
structure in harvesting pollen and
carrying it to the nest or hive.
HUMMINGBIRDS as pollinators(taken from passionflow.co.uk including 1st photo)
They are often known as ‘hummers’ and are pollinators for many plants including Brugmansia, Datura,
Fuchsia & Passiflora.
There are over 330 species and they are closely related to swifts. They are found only in the Americas,
especially up in the Andes and also in the Caribbean.
They have proportionally the largest brains, longest tongues, smallest eggs and largest hearts in birds and
although we think of them as being very small some are up to 8" long.
Even in the wild they are thought to live ten years or more. These colourful birds are unique in their ability to
hover and fly backwards or even upside down, thus being able to drink nectar and catch insects on the wing.
Hovering is achieved by rotating the wings alternately backwards and forwards so that upward lift and forward
thrust are balanced by downward lift and backward thrust. The wings can beat 60 times per second, creating
the ‘hum’.
Daytime body temperature of 102°F to 108 °F which drops right down at night to near air temperature to
conserve energy. At this time heart rate can drop to 50 beats a minute. It can take up to an hour for them to ‘get
up’ in the morning. They can breathe up to 250 or more times a minute and heart rate varies from 1,260 to
2,000 beats per minute.
Often forked, their very specialized long tongues with many tiny hairs are curled into a tube shape to make use
of capillary action. They flick their tongues at high speed repeatedly many times a second into the floral tube to
reach the nectar. Those with the longest beaks and tongues can reach down long floral tubes that others
cannot and so avoid competition. The tongues, on average, have the ability to extend as far beyond the beak
as the beak is long.
Some hummers are “nectar robbers” and enter
a hole at the base of the floral tube that has
been made by bees, wasps, or other insects
who are known to use that technique, stealing
the nectar without repayment by pollination.
If the nectar robbers were human they would
have to consume two bottles of Coca Cola every
two minutes! (taken from Animal behaving badly).
BATS as pollinators
( taken from Bats Conservation Trust)
Bats are critical pollinators for plants of the American
Southwest, including agave plants, Saguaro and organ pipe
cactus. Many people are unaware that over 500 plant species
rely on bats to pollinate their flowers, including species of
mango, banana, durian, guava and agave (used to make
tequila). So, next time you drink some tequila or eat a mango,
say thanks to the bats!
The pollination of plants by bats is called chiropterophily.
Plants pollinated by bats often have pale nocturnal flowers (in
contrast, bees are mostly attracted to bright, daytime flowers).
These flowers are often large and bell shaped, and some bats
have evolved specifically to reach the nectar at the bottom of
them. The tube-lipped nectar bat of Ecuador and the banana
bat that lives only on the Pacific coast of Mexico both have
extraordinarily long tongues for this exact reason. The tube-
lipped nectar bat’s tongue is more than one and a half times
the length of its body!
While these plants rely on bats to pollinate their flowers, bats
also rely on the fruit and flowers of these plants to survive.
Disturbing this intricate system can have severe
consequences. For example, in Mexico, the lesser long-nosed
bat that is partly responsible for the pollination of agave plants,
used to make mescal and tequila. However, in the majority of
tequila production, farmers harvest the plant before it puts out
its flowers, meaning it has to reproduce through cloning. This
is bad for bats, as they feed on the flowers as well as
pollinating them. It’s also bad for the agave crops, as they lack
diversity – all tequila plants in one farming area have been
traced to less than a handful of clones. Disease has recently
killed off more than a third of the agave plants in some areas,
something that might have been avoided by allowing more
agave plants to flower and reproduce through pollination.
Pollinating is only part of their job, as one bat can eat more
than 600 mosquitoes in a single hour. Bats also eat harmful
beetles and other crop-decimating pests.
MOTHS as pollinators.(taken from BBC Science and Environment)
Over the past decade, public anxiety about the role of our
pollinators has focused squarely on bees. The fall-off in their
numbers, linked to changes in land and widespread use of
pesticides, has helped raise environmental awareness of the
critical role these creatures play in the food chain.
Moths, though, have not evoked similar sympathies.
“There’s this big misconception that all moths come and eat my
clothes. That’s not what happens at all,” said Dr Richard
Walton, from University College London (UCL), the lead author
of the new study. “Some of them happen to be visiting
flowers and can be an important part of the pollination
process.”
To find out how vital a part the moths play, Dr Walton and
colleagues monitored moth activity around ponds in agricultural
areas of Norfolk. They found that 45% of the moths they
tested were transporting pollen, which originated from 47
different plant species, including several that were rarely
visited by bees, hoverflies and butterflies.
The scientists found that while bumblebees and
honeybees are critically important, they tended to target
the most prolific nectar and pollen sources. Not so with
moths. “From what we see from our work, moths tend to
be generalists, meaning they’re not specifically visiting a
narrow group of flowers,” said Dr Walton. These tend to
be the open cup-shaped flowers like bramble, they can
access things from the legume family, the clover family
was also very important.”
Hairy bodies: Previous studies on moths have tended to
focus on their ability to transport pollen via their proboscis
or nose. This new work looked at the pollen collected
on the moths’ distinctly hairy bodies when they sit on
flowers while feeding.
The researchers believe their study shows that moths
complement the work of daytime pollinators by working
during the night and help keep plant populations diverse
and abundant. They serve as a form of back-up for
biodiversity, which in turn supports crop yields.
The vital role played by the moths has come under
increasing threat as they have suffered steep declines in
numbers since the 1970s. This is largely due to changes
in land use and the increasing use of pesticides. "This has
a knock-on effect for birds that feed on moths, such as the
cuckoo. Its decline is kind of tied to moth declines," said
Dr Walton. "Bats will feed on moths as well, so there's ties
to other creatures having declines in their own
populations, because their food supply, the moths, are
going down as well. You can see this kind of linkage play
out."
Helping the moths will require the use of less pesticide
and encouraging a wider diversity of plants in the
landscape.
But perhaps more importantly, the public perception
of moths needs to change.
BUTTERFLIES as pollinators
They are highly sensitive indicators of the health of the environment and play crucial roles in the food chain as well as being pollinators of plants.
The UK has 59 species of butterflies – 57 resident
species of butterflies and two regular migrants – the
Painted Lady and Clouded Yellow.
Though butterflies may not be premiere pollinators, their
continual flitting from flower to flower more than makes up
for the quantity of pollen they carry.
Another reason butterflies have not been taken seriously
as pollinators is because they are not considered major
players in commercial food crops.
BEES some history!
Apis Mellifera, or the western honey bee, has been loved for thousands of years for her ability to
produce honey.
The earliest record we have of humans using honey is a cave painting in Valencia, Spain, depicting a man
climbing a cliff to rob a swarm of wild bees. It dates about 10,000 years ago, just after the last ice age.
AMAZING DISCOVERY!
A primitive pollinating BEE infested with parasitic
beetle larvae and preserved in amber for around 100
million years is the 'oldest fossil of its kind ever found'!
Scientific name Discoscapa apicula was given to the
unique species of bee. The one seen below died around
100 million years ago in modern-day Myanmar, in tree
sap. In the same piece of amber is revealed evidence of
27 parasitic beetle larvae. It is an intermediate species
between carnivorous wasps and modern bee.
The primitive bee weighed down by parasitic beetle larvae
met its demise after getting stuck in tree sap. The moment
of death has been immortalised for millennia as the sap
overwhelmed the insect, killed it, and eventually hardened
into amber. It is the earliest evidence of a primitive bee
with pollen in the fossil record.
Bees are crucial pollinators that feast on pollen, but they descend from apoid wasps, a carnivore. But little is known
about how the animals transitioned to a pollen-based diet and what the intermediary animals looked like. Basically
bees are hunting wasps that have switched from a predatory and carnivorous lifestyle to one that involves collecting
pollen and nectar from flowers or evolving beyond that state to become cuckoos of other bees.(Steven Falk)
And mentioning WASPS!(Taken from gardeningknowhow.com July 2020)
Wasps are closely related to bees and are useful
pollinators. It may be difficult to distinguish the
difference between a wasp and a bee, but most
wasps are fairly hairless, while bees sport plenty of
fuzz. Many of our wasps have a characteristic
slender waist, while bees are chubbier. Interestingly,
the slender waist contributes to the reputation they
have in annoying our picnics in late summer. The
worker wasps struggle to digest the tasty soft bodied
insects they collect to feed the colony’s young, so
when they feed the larvae the grubs produce a
sugary spit that the worker wasps can drink.
Eventually the queen stops laying eggs meaning the
worker wasps have nothing to eat. This is when they
head out looking for rotting fruit, jam sandwiches
and coke etc. ( adapted from WWF)
When on the hunt for nectar, wasps can also
become accidental pollinators by travelling from
plant to plant carrying pollen. While their contribution
to pollination may not be as substantial as bees,
wasps still play a valuable part. Wasps are also a
food source for other animals – including other
wasps.
Since they protect our crops, make ecosystems
thrive, sustain fruit and flowers, and might help us
fight disease, perhaps we should appreciate the
wonderful work of wasps before we next swipe at
them with a rolled-up newspaper. They may be a
nuisance on a sunny afternoon – but a world without
wasps would be an ecological and economic
disaster.
(taken from an article first published in The Conversation by Seirian
Sumner, senior lecturer in behavioural biology and Ryan Brock is a master
of research candidate at the University of Bristol)
Some Mythology and early poems,
before moving forward to more modern
times!
Zeus and Greek mythology(taken from A world without Bees)
It was said that Zeus’ infinite wisdom was due to being
nourished on honey as an infant. The honey nymphs, or
bee maidens, were thought to be sacred as they had
saved him from being murdered by his father. Out of
gratitude Zeus gave the honey-bee its sting in unlimited
usage for its defence. Unfortunately a bee stung Zeus.
This caused Zeus to decree that the bee must die
whenever the sting was used as it had abused its power.
Greek poet Anacreon 2500 years ago wrote about
Cupid (Eros), the god of sexual love and beauty,
dipping his arrows in honey:
Cupid as he lay among
Roses, by a bee was stung.
Whereupon in anger flying
To his mother, said thus crying;
Help! O help! Your Boy’s a dying.
And why, my pretty Lad, said she?
Then blubbering, replyed he,
A winged Snake has bitten me,
Which Country people call a Bee,
At which she smil’d; then with her hairs
And kisses drying up his tears:
Alas! Said she, my Wag! If this
Such a pernicious torment is:
Come, tell me then, how great’s the smart
Of those, thou woundest with thy Dart!
Translated by Robert Herrick (1591–1674)
The Honey Thief
By Lucas Cranach the Elder (16th century)
Cupid (Roman) the honey thief, the child-god, is stung by
bees when he steals honey from their hive. He cries and
runs to his mother Venus, complaining that so small a
creature shouldn’t cause such painful wounds. Venus
laughs and points out the poetic justice, he too is small and
yet delivers the sting of love. The story was first told about
Eros (Greek) in the Idylls of Theocritus (3rd century BC).
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THE BEES LEFT US?
“WITHOUT BEES HUMANS WOULD BECOME EXTINCT
WITHIN 4 YEARS”
(taken from Know your pollinators by Tim Harris)
WHY ARE BEES UNDER THREAT?
Seventeen species of bees are now EXTINCT in areas of
the UK as climate change and pesticides damage their
populations, WWF claims. Without bees pollinating, our
trees and plants would seriously struggle to grow.
New research published by Nature Communications
has revealed that 33 per cent of wild pollinator species
have decreased in recent years, with populations of
American Bumble Bees dropping by 89 per cent from
2007 to 2016.
An example of why bees are under threat:
(Taken from theguardian.com)
American commercial beekeepers showed that 50 billion
bees (more than 7x the world’s human population) were
wiped out in a few months during the Winter of 2018 –
2019. Bee keepers attributed the high mortality rate to
pesticide exposure, diseases from parasites and habitat
loss.
However environmentalists and organic beekeepers
maintain the real culprit is more systemic – America’s
reliance on industrial agriculture methods, especially
those used by the Almond Industry, which demands a
large scale mechanization of one of nature’s most delicate
natural processes. They argue that the huge commercially
driven proliferation of the European honeybees used in
Almond Farms is undermining the ecosystem for all bees.
All bees thrive in a biodiverse landscape but California’s
almond industry places them in a monoculture so growers
expect bees to be predictably productive year after year.
Almond blossom
Habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation:
Habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation is generally thought
to be the most important factor driving bee declines through the
reduction of food and nesting resources available to pollinators.
In the UK an estimated 97 per cent of unimproved grassland was
lost in England and Wales between 1932 and 1984 (Fuller 1987).
These losses are as a result of changes in agricultural methods
such as re-seeding, intensive tillage, drainage, and use of
fertilisers and herbicides as well as the development of previously
species rich grassland. This loss of unimproved flower-rich
grassland leads removes habitats for bees.
Interesting fact: In the 1980s the uncontrolled use of
pesticides killed off honeybees in southern Sichuan. The
pear trees have to be pollinated by hand. This is a
seriously labour intensive process for humans, where one
bee colony might take care of three million flowers a day.
Pesticides and pollution
Bees are worth £690m a year to the UK economy
including in apple production
Neonicotinoids are neuro-active chemicals similar to
nicotine that have proved to be highly effective at
protecting crops from pests, especially aphids and root-
eating grubs.
They can either be sprayed on leaves or coated on seeds,
in which case they infiltrate every part of the growing plant.
Years of research have shown that under controlled
conditions the chemicals are toxic to honey bees and
bumblebees, causing brain damage that can affect
learning and memory and impair their ability to forage for
nectar and pollen.
The chemicals are a key battleground in the environmental
movement – with campaigners demanding a ‘complete and
permanent’ ban on the pesticides as they are suspected to
be harmful to bees.
Climate change
Alterations in insect distributions in the UK are already being seen in
response to recent climate change.
Climate change may also aid the natural colonisation of new species, as
has already been seen in Britain with bees such as Grey-backed mining
bee, Early colletes, Ivy colletes and Variable nomad.
Climate change also has the potential to decrease bee population
abundance, shift habitat ranges and ultimately increase extinction risk.
These effects are worse for specialist or species found in single habitats,
and small, isolated populations.
Climate change is widely predicted to increase extreme events such as
summer droughts, flooding and storms, all of which could directly impact
bees in the East of England.
BUMBLE BEES HONEY BEESFatter and furry. Smaller and slim like a wasp.25 different species in UK. Only 1 species in Europe.
Different species have different length tongues so
feed from different shaped flowers.All HBs have short tongues so prefer open flowers.
Lives in nests with 50-400 bees. Lives in hives with 20 - 60,000 .
Only the queen hibernates, in a hole in the ground. The queen can live for 3-4 years.
Live in the wilderness, garden and countryside. HBs live in hives.
BBs only make a small amount honey-like sustance
to eat themselves.
Most HBs make lots of honey which the beekeeper
can harvest.
BB populations are declining mainly due to a
shortage of flowers to feed and places to rest in the
countyside.
HBs are mainly declining due to disease and mites.
They sting more than once but only if aggravated.HBs die after they have stung, as their stinger is
barbed.
BBs don’t dance but communicate by passing pollen
between the worker bees.
HBs use a wiggle dance to communicate flower
locations.
Suggested early planting to encourage
emerging bees:
Crocus, hyacinth, borage (one of fastest flowers to
replenish nectar in its flowers), calendula, wild lilac,
dandelions ( 50% of nectar is from dandelions), mahonia,
hellebores, pulmonaria (lungwort), ribes ( flowering
currant) heather, lily of the valley.Borage
Later planting suggestions:
Salvia, nepeta, scabiosis, geranium, hebe, thyme,
cotoneaster, rosemary, oregano, lavender, hyssop,
marjoram, campanula, agapanthus, clover (30% of nectar
is from clover) foxgloves, roses, vetch, knapweed, thistles.
Meadow vetchling
To find out more and/or to get involved:
Do join the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and see the educational resources available, including a new bee
ID app and YouTube tutorials – at www.bumblebeeconservation.org which has a Bee-Kind tool enabling you
to see how many points your current planting gets plus, lots of information to improve your score.
If on Facebook do join the group – Bumble Bee Enthusiasts (recommended!)
There are many books available, examples are:
A world without bees by Alison Benjamin and Brian Mcallum
Know your pollinators by Tim Harris
RSPB Id Spotlight – Bees
Field Guide to Bumblebees of Great Britain and Ireland by Mike Edwards and Martin Jenner
The Little Book of British Bumblebees by Paul Duffield
RSPB First book of Butterflies and Moths
The Garden Jungle: or Gardening to save the Planet by Dave Goulson
PS If there is no pond in the garden please do leave a shallow dish with water and place some
stones/pebbles for creatures to be able to get out should they fall in.
Thinking of an Insect Hotel / Bee Hotel ?
The concept is good but there are pitfalls if the correct designs, maintenance and a nurturing environment
are not observed eg: parasitism causing a higher loss of solitary bees when kleptoparasites lay their eggs in
the tubes or cells and kill the bee larvae inside. Parasitic wasps or flies can attack red mason bees.
Mould can be caused when moisture condenses and gets trapped.
HOWEVER:
a) Look at the type of insect you wish to host .
Only 3 types of bees are tube nesters, namely Red Mason Bees, Leafcutter Bees and Bell Bees.
These bees require tubes 2mm to 10mm in diameter.
b) Look at where the hotel will go. Needs to be dry and in full sun.
c) Choose a responsible design and install it well, at least a metre off the ground with no vegetation in front
and fixed, so it doesn’t move.
d) Maintain it and clean at the end of summer.
(Taken from entomologistslounge.wordpress.com)
We have over 270 species of bee in Britain and Ireland and bumblebees and the Honey Bee account for
only 1/10th of that figure. The fantastic news is that the increasing popularity of wildlife gardening and bee
hotels means that gardens are now one of the few habitats where bee numbers might actually be increasing.
BUT PLEASE BE AWARE:
Research has emerged showing bee-harming chemicals can be found in some garden centre plants. It was
conducted by Professor Dave Goulson and colleagues (he founded the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in 2006
and is the author of the acclaimed books Sting in the Tale and A Buzz in the Meadow).
The research team purchased 29 different plants from a range of nationally widespread outlets. They tested all
the plants and found only 2 plants had no traces of pesticides or chemicals. 70% actually contained
neonicotinoids, the systemic pesticides that have been widely shown to cause damage to bees. The pesticides
were found on the leaves, in the pollen and also the nectar.
The best thing to do is ask the seller about their policy on neonicotinoids, if you are concerned, walk away.
BEES HOLD A SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE FOR HUMANITY
Bees are present in 71 Bible Verses, far too many to list here. There are also 61 verses using honey in 23
books of the Bible.
Bees and Monks go back a long way with the bees helping to teach monks how to dedicate their lives for
the good of the whole as the worker bees dedicate themselves for the good of their colony. Monasteries
often kept bees as a valuable source of sugar/honey and wax for making candles.
For example in Devon, Buckfast Abbey (Benedictine), apiaries have 40 hives each acting as homes to up
to 80,000 bees during the summer months. Around a three mile radius of the abbey there maybe three
million bees fulfilling that crucial link by pollinating flowering plants that in turn produce seeds, nuts, fruit
and vegetables.
Furthermore, the research in which the Abbey is involved includes combatting the varroa parasite that has
done so much damage to the British bee population since it emerged in this country in 1993.
St Benedict is the patron of bee-keepers. In some parts of France apparently it was, and may be still is,
customary for bee-keepers to have a medal of St Benedict affixed to their hives.
I do hope that you have found the subject of pollination and
pollinators as interesting as I have found researching it.
Christine Pilgrim TSSF
Environmental Officer for the United Benefice of St Bartholomew and St Lawrence with St Swithun upon Kingsgate, Winchester