First study showing pesticide exposure can affect crop pollination by bees
For the first time an international team of researchers have shown that pesticides impair the pollination services provided by bumblebees.
Bees play a vital role in pollinating some of the most important food crops globally and have been declining in recent years. Until now research on pesticide effects has been limited to their impact on bees, rather than the pollination services they provide.
The study discovered that bumblebees exposed to a realistic level of neonicotinoid pesticides found in agricultural environments collected pollen from apple trees less often and visited flowers less frequently.
The findings of this study have important implications for both society and the economy, as insect pollination services to crops are worth at least $361Bn worldwide every year, and are vital to the functioning of natural ecosystem.
Scientists have shown that low levels of pesticides can impact the foraging behaviour of bumblebees on wild flowers, changing their flower preferences and hindering their ability to learn the skills needed to extract nectar and pollen.
Bees and other insects pollinate many of the world’s important food crops and wild plants, and have been threatened in recent years.
The study is the first to explore how pesticides may impact the ability of bumblebees to forage from common wildflowers in the UK that have complex shapes.
This infographic aims at raising awareness among stakeholders about the benefits of pollinators and beneficial practices that help to enhance pollination services across agricultural sectors.
Having a greenhouse at home is a definite blessing. Season extension is one. We planted these tomatoes from cuttings in a 15 gallon bucket in September. The 4 plants are now 7+ feet tall, bearing flowers and fruits. We should probably begin eating tasty, soil (compost) grown heirloom tomatoes in mid January or sooner. A important FYI for you… when you see the flowers, it’s important to pollinate those flowers. Pollinators don’t go in the greenhouse this time of year and if you want fruits, you gotta help the plant and act like a bee.
#SimpleFoodSmallFarmz is the hashtag to look for. Follow us on social media and book that EXPERIENCE today.
Violas keep a secret hidden below their foliage. Sometimes they even bury it shallowly in the soil near their roots. I suppose it’s not a secret really, just something out of sight. There isn’t a reason to show it off, after all. Showy flowers are showy for the sole purpose of attracting pollinators. If pollinators are unnecessary, there is no reason for showy flowers, or to even show your…
It may come as a surprise to some that small mammals such as rodents, shrews, and even marsupials have been coopted by plants for pollination services. Far from being occasional evolutionary oddities, many plants have coopted small furry critters for their reproductive needs. Some of the best illustrations of this phenomenon occur in the Protea family (Proteaceae).
The various members of Proteaceae are probably best known for their bizarre floral displays. Indeed, they are most often encountered outside of their native habitats as outlandish additions to the cut flower industry. Superficial interest in beauty aside, the floral structure of the various protea genera and species is complex to say the least. They are well adapted to ensure cross pollination regardless of what the inflorescence attracts. Most notable is the fact that pollen doesn’t stay on the anthers. Instead, it is deposited on the tip of a highly modified style, which is referred to as the pollen presenter. Usually these structures remain closed until some visiting animal triggers their release.
Although birds and insects have taken up a majority of the pollination needs of this family, small mammals have entered into the equation on multiple occasions. Pollination by rodents, shrews, and marsupials is collectively referred to as therophilly and it appears to be quite a successful strategy at that. Therophilous pollination has arisen in more than one genera within Proteaceae.
A therophilous pollination syndrome appears to come complete with a host of unique morphological characters aimed at keeping valuable pollen and nectar away from birds and insects. The inflorescences of therophilous species like Protea nana,P. cordata, and Leucospermum arenarium are usually tucked deep inside the branches of these bushes, often at or near ground level. They are also quite robust and sturdy in nature, which is thought to be an adaptation to avoid damage incurred by the teeth of hungry mammals. The inflorescences of therophilous proteas also tend to have brightly colored or even shiny flowers surrounded by inconspicuous brown involucral bracts.
Contrasted against bird pollinated proteas, these inflorescences can seem rather drab but that is because small mammals like rodents and shrews are drawn in by another sense - smell. Therophilous proteas tend to produce inflorescences with strong musty or yeasty odors. They also produce copious amounts of sugar-rich, syrupy nectar. Small mammals, after all, need to take in a lot of calories throughout their waking hours and it appears that proteas use that to their advantage.
As a rodent or shrew slinks in to take a drink, its head gets completely covered in pollen. In fact, they become so dusted with pollen that, before small, easy to hide trail cameras became affordable, pollen loads in the feces of rodents were the main clue that these plants were attracting something other than birds or insects. What’s more, the flowering period of many of these therophilous proteas occurs in the spring, right around the time when many small mammals go into breeding mode. Its during this time that small mammals need all of the energy they can get.
As odd as it may seem, rodent pollination appears to be a successful strategy for a considerable amount of protea species. The proteas aren’t alone either. Other plants appear to have evolved therophilous pollination as well. Nature, after all, works with what it has available and small mammals like rodents make up a considerable portion of regional faunas. With that in mind, it is no wonder that more plants have not converged on a similar strategy. Likely many have, we just need to take the time to sit down and observe.
At every level, insects and (arachnids) are around us, whether it be a fruit fly or those fucking stink bugs that we get in the house everysingle winter, they’re around us whether we like it or not. Chitinous critters corral themselves into crannies or cowardly fly cross the room when we’re trying to kill them, but what if we used these cool carapaced creatures to our advantage instead of them being a general annoyance, no i’m not talking about beekeeping or honeybees or even those bee hotels that don’t really work, I’m talking farming them, cooking them, seasoning them, dehydrating them, etc. We’ve all heard that insects are the purest form of protein as a joke when someone accidentally swallows a bug, but this little joke is actually true, specifically with crickets. Crickets contain 2-3 times more complete protein than a beef steak on the same weight basis and contain no cholesterol and fat, on top of it all they contain more iron and contain fiber as well. That’s not even including the ecological benefits, such as water usage, waste disposal, carbon emissions, and runoff from improper animal waste disposal.
Part II: Pollination
Like I said above, I don’t condone owning honeybees, not out of a moral stance or anything, they’re ecologically unsafe, they compete with native bees and usually end up winning due to sheer numbers. I’m talking about mason bees and growing habitats for them, yes growing habitats, mason bees use reeds to make their hives, so grow some pop grass (horsetail reed) and watch the magic happen, preferably not too close though. Spending money on those bee houses isn’t a good idea anyhow, they’re a breeding ground for diseases and mostly get occupied by native wasps, which isn’t a bad thing, having natural predators around a certain area is a very good thing, but they’re not pollinators, which is the focus right now.
Part III: Permaculture
Insects and arachnids are essential members of our ecosystem and play a vital part in keeping it balanced, whether it be a common fly laying eggs on a carrion for decomposition or a butterfly doing its butterfly thing of being pretty and drinking nectar, they all serve a purpose, even the annoying bastards like mosquitoes or those fucking stinkbugs. Some may even serve a culinary purpose in the future, like meal-worms, crickets, and grasshoppers being the most common forms. These little creatures make a significant impact together, just like us.
This has been it for me babes, this has been @punkofsunshine ,I’ll be checking in tomorrow. Have a nice night.
This is how I feel about Joshua Trees. They and avocado trees produce fruit meant to be eaten and dispersed by giant ground sloths. Without them, the Joshua Trees’ range has shrunk by 90%.
(my own photos)
Not only they, but the entire Mojave ecosystem is still struggling to adapt since the loss of ground sloth dung. their chief fertilizer.
Many, many trees and plants in the Americas have widely-spaced, extremely long thorns that do nothing to discourage deer eating their leaves, but would’ve penetrated the fur of ground sloths and mammoths. Likewise, if you’ve observed a tree that drops baseball or softball-sized fruit which lies on the ground and rots, like Osage Oranges, which were great for playing catch at my school, chances are they were ground sloth or mammoth chow.
You can read about various orphaned plants and trees missing their megafauna in this poignant post:
Here’s a nature version of where’s Waldo! My Hercules garden is bees heaven! Look at them all. So fun to see pollinators at work. Several types of bees working together#pollinators #pollination #garden #gardening #herbs #homegrown #oregano #sage #instafood #instagood #instagram #instadaily #organic #healthylife #healthychoices #honeybees #masonbees #bumblebees
Echinops @ Sexbys by Adam Swaine Via Flickr: Echinops is a genus of about 120 species of flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae, commonly known as globe thistles. They have spiny foliage and produce blue or white spherical flower heads. They are native to Europe, east to central Asia, and south to the mountains of tropical Africa.. Easily recognisable because of the round balls of tightly packed flowers carried on slender, stiff, upright flower stems. Initially the flower balls are spiky, but as the flower buds open, tiny, star-like flowers emerge turning the whole ball a softer colour. As the flowers are so small they are really attractive to bees and butterflies. They are especially good for adding simple, architectural shape to a late summer border.
When bumble bee queens emerge from hibernation, they need to gather pollen and nectar to start their new colonies. If they wake up too soon, there may not be enough flowers in bloom. Now, researchers have discovered the bees have a way to order some fast food: They nibble holes in leaves, spurring plants to blossom weeks ahead of schedule.
Terry Parris Jr. created Bee Detroit, a video about beekeeping in the city of Detroit. Proof that you don’t have to live in a rural area to harvest bees.
More than 100 agricultural crops are pollinated by bees, imagine having to do all of this by hand! Honey can help those with allergies since the bees collect pollen from plants around where you live, the small amounts present in the honey you eat (provided you’re eating local honey) can help immunize the body meaning minimal reactions during the allergy season.
Don’t forget the many uses in skin and hair care that honey provides.
![The Pollination Services of Forests [Infographic]→ http://ecogreenlove.com/?p=14390This infographic](https://64.media.tumblr.com/3e0790731597581bf75f69400a4e0867/87bea29ab8fb6346-7a/s1280x1920/982324061a678abdbd2e58c35dbf054a8b52edcf.png "The Pollination Services of Forests [Infographic]→ http://ecogreenlove.com/?p=14390This infographic")
