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Flowers for Pollinators

GROWING HEALTHY LANDSCAPES�FOR BEES AND OTHER POLLINATORS

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Today’s outline

Understand the importance of pollinators and the threats they face
Be familiar with flower characteristics important to pollination
Recognize insects that are pollinators
Learn about pollinator friendly features for your landscape

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The importance of pollinators �and their challenges

FLOWER FOR POLLINATORS

http://z.umn.edu/wallstreetjournal

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Global importance of pollinators

~80% of flowering plants rely on bees and other animals for pollination�
Flowering plants support other insects, birds, mammals, etc.

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Global importance of pollinators

Pollinator services by production �volume is 35%
Bees (honey and wild) are most �valuable animal pollinators

By Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0,

David Hansen, MAES

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Importance of U.S. pollinators

Bee pollination services valued at $15.2 billion in 2009

Honey bees = $11.68 billion
Native bees = $3.44 billion

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Honey bee health problems

Increasing rate of colony losses every year

1 out of 3 honey bee colonies lost annually

Beekeepers �replace colonies
Colony numbers stable
Cost of pollination services increasing
Honey bees are not threatened with extinction

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Some native bees are declining

Several native bee species are threatened with extinction
Status of most native bees is unknown

More research needed

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What is causing declines?

Pathogens

Parasites

Pesticides

Poor nutrition/

Habitat loss

BEE INFORMED PARTNERSHIP

Climate change

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Poor nutrition

Bee sterile landscapes
Habitat loss
Habitat fragmentation
Urbanization�
With good nutrition:

Tolerate diseases
Tolerate pesticides

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Pests and pathogens

Parasites

Varroa mites (vectors diseases)

Diseases

Viruses, e.g. deformed wing virus
Nosema

Deformed wing virus

Klaas de Gelder

planbeeproject.wordpress.com

Varroa mite

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Insecticides: Neonicotinoids

Widely used insecticide
Systemic
Directly toxic

Persistent
Contaminate nectar, pollen

Sub lethal effects

Negatively impact bees without directly killing them

Systemic activity

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Other pesticides

Many insecticides toxic
Pesticide mixes can be more toxic
Some fungicides toxic
Some inert ingredients toxic
Some herbicides toxic

Also kill flowering weeds

Seth Perlman, AP

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Climate change

Loss of range

Pollinators may not keep pace with rate of change

Warmer temps can cause mismatches between flowers and pollinators
Some species can’t tolerate temperatures. Future loss of biodiversity

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About pollination

FLOWERS FOR POLLINATORS

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Pollination: Pollen grain �lands on flower stigma�

Pollen: protein, amino acids, enzymes
Nectar: a sugar reward, attracts pollinators
Plants have pollen and nectar as rewards for pollinators

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Parts of a flower (Adapted from https://sites.google.com/site/apbiowiki/)

Nectaries

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How do flowers attract pollinators? �What a bee sees

A different light spectrum, ultraviolet colors
Petal color that attracts pollinators
Nectar guides direct pollinators to nectar

Dandelion. Photo credit: Bjorn Rorslett

Asiatic lily Bearded iris

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Flower shape: Petals�

Double flowers:

Difficult access
Provide little nutrition

Single flowers:

Anthers easily accessed
Open and inviting to insects

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Different pollinators access nectar �and pollen on flowers of varying shapes, sizes

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Scent

Floral plumes signal at long distances
Larger stands of flowers �have stronger plumes
Bees attracted to �sweet-smelling flowers
Flies attracted to �fetid-smelling flowers

Hybrid Rugosa Rose

Peony

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Insects as pollinators

FLOWERS FOR POLLINATORS

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Insects contributing to pollination

Bees**
Flies*
Wasps
Beetles
Butterflies and Moths
Miscellaneous insects

Honey bee

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Bees move a lot of pollen�

Branched hairs aid in pollen capture

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Honey bees

One species in U.S
Non-native, social insects
About ½ inches long
Brown-yellow with black stripes

Color can vary

Black striped abdomens

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Where honey bees nest

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Bumble bees

25 species in MN
Native and social
Moderate to large (up to 1”)
Yellow and black (sometimes with red)

tri-colored

common eastern

Heather Holm

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Where bumble bees nest

Underground

former rodent burrows

Above ground

dried grass

Pre-existing cavities
Insulating materials

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Other native bees

Over 500 species in MN
Most species solitary
Size varies

⅛ - ½ inch long

Colors vary

Dark brown or black �with & without stripes
Metallic blue-green

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Solitary bees

Female solitary bees do not form associations with other members of their species. Once mated the female will excavate a nest either in the ground on in a hollow stem. She will then proceed to provision the nest with a mix of pollen and nectar (often called bee bread), lay an egg on the bee bread and seal-off the brood chamber. The egg will hatch to a larvae which will go through its metamorphosis to dig its way out of the ground or stem in the following spring.

There are several groupings of native bees that you could observe in your garden. These are shown in the following slides as follows:

Mining bees, long-horned bees, leaf-cutter bees, and sweat bees.

These solitary bees have no common nest to defend and are not aggressive, so the likelihood of getting stung is remote. However, sweat bees like to lick salt from sweaty skin, and will sometimes land on you to do so. If you swat them you could get stung. The sting will be mild and for some of these bees their stingers are not strong enough to penetrate human skin. When observing bees look before swatting and you could see the sweat bee’s tongue working its way in and out of the pores of your skin – quite fascinating actually.

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Minnesota native bees

Masked bees

Longhorned bees

Leafcutter bees

Mining bees

Sweat bees

Carder bees

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Where they nest: Ground nests

Entrance holes in undisturbed areas with exposed soil
Bee entering, leaving or guarding nest entrance

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Where they nest: Stem or wood tunnels

Hollow out stems
Sawdust (from stem) may be seen below
Tunnels from wood boring beetles

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Cut leaves�

Look for leaves with clean �cut circles, oblong pieces
Collected by leafcutter �bee females to line nests

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Other Pollinators�

Attracted to flowers to gather nectar
Typically move less pollen than bees
Same flower traits attract other pollinators

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Flower flies

Bee fly

Tachinid fly

Flies: frequent flower visitors

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Other Pollinators

Butterflies and Moths

Wasps

Beetles

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Create a pollinator friendly landscape

FLOWERS FOR POLLINATORS

PHOTO: Katie Pratt, UK Agricultural Communications

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Pollinator friendly landscapes

Diverse plant life
Flowers blooming spring - fall
Nutritious pollen, nectar
Habitat & nesting sites
Not “bee sterile”
Survey: How pollinator friendly is your landscape?

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4 steps to being pollinator friendly

Practice good gardening for healthier plants
Plant pollinator friendly plants
Create habitat
Utilize alternative lawns, ground covers

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1. Good gardening practices mean healthier plants

Good soil health including drainage, organic matter
Water root zone of plants to reduce splashing
Space plants for good air circulation and light

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Before you reach for a pesticide…

Identification: Is it a pest?
How important is the plant?
Is damage injurious or cosmetic?
Will the problem spread?
Will treatment prevent �more damage?

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If a pest, try non-chemical methods

Physical removal

Hard water spray
Hand-picking

Barriers

Netting, fencing, row covers
Kaolin clay

Traps - apple maggot, slug traps

Not all traps effectively manage pests (Japanese beetles)

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Still need more? �Try low impact pesticides

Insecticidal soaps

Potassium salt of fatty acids generally effective against small, soft-bodied insects
Thought to disrupt cell membranes

Horticultural oils

Petroleum or vegetable oil products generally effective against soft-bodied insects
Suffocates insects

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Low impact pesticides

Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.)

Naturally occurring insect bacterial disease
Different strains effective against caterpillars,

leaf beetle larvae, and fly larvae

Stomach poison

Spinosad

Fermentation of naturally occurring bacteria
Effective against caterpillars, sawflies, thrips etc.
Affects nervous system

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Use all pesticides responsibly

Treat late evening when bees are less active.

Don’t spray when windy to avoid pesticide drift onto non-target plants.

Avoid using systemic pesticides before or during bloom to prevent toxic residue in nectar, pollen.

Mow immediately before application to remove weed flowers bees might visit.

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Follow all pesticide label directions�

Follow label warnings regarding bees

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2. Use pollinator friendly plants

Plant masses of flowers with wide diversity

Form, fragrance, size and shape
Colors - white, yellow, purple, blue, patterns

Nutritious pollen and nectar for good bee health
Provide continuous bloom from April – October

�

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Replace plants that have little pollinator value with pollinator-friendly plants.

Select for similar plant characteristics

Select for type, size, form, texture, seasonal interest, color.
Helps to retain the appearance and design integrity of the landscape.

Native plants are typically most nutritious.

High quality pollen (protein) and nectar (carbs)

Location of nectaries and presentation of pollen conducive to pollination.

Minimize use of sterile plants and double blossom hybrids. – example is bloodroot (white flower) – you can see the plant parts clearly are more numerous in the single petaled native bloodroot vs. the double petaled cultivar.

Fragrance is an attractant.
Colors: white, yellow, purple, blue

Bees can’t see red, can see orange, yellow.

Bees see UV-green-blue-purple, patterns. UV colors and patterns: help define nectar and pollen location on flower.

Pictures (L-R)

Puschkinia spring bulb
Candytuft - spring
Rudbeckia - summer
Sedum – early fall
Animation insert: Bloodroot – Sanguinea canadensis, a early spring blooming native woodland flower in Minnesota, and a good choice for bees.

Shown here:

Single petal native plant – Note the large yellow center = more nectaries
Double blossom cultivar – almost non-existent flower center = little nutritional value for bees

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3. Create habitat

Mulch areas selectively
Leave stems, dead standing wood, logs
Add rock walls / piles
Leave leaves, grass

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It’s OK to be a little messy

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UMN Discovery �Prairie Pollinator Garden

Right, top to bottom : Great blue Lobelia, dotted mint, wild Quinine

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UMN Discovery Prairie Pollinator Garden�Design, plant and pollinator information

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4. Consider alternative lawns, groundcovers�

Bee lawns

Lawns to Legumes program

Non-turf slopes and hillsides
Create nesting habitat, provide nutrition
Reduce maintenance, inputs
Provide habitat for birds, butterflies
Aesthetically pleasing

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Bee Lawns

Traditional cool season lawn grasses
+ low-growing pollinator-friendly plants
Sunny no-mow slopes
Reduces mowing
Less visible areas
Near edibles to encourage pollination

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Slopes and hillsides

Choose trees, shrubs and flowers that provide food, nesting habitat
Eliminate difficult, dangerous mowing
Reduce erosion and minimize run-off

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Before: Removed buckthorn, garlic mustard, few wildflowers, volunteer trees and shrubs

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After: Native plants, flowers, grasses, rock

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Spread the word!

Look for pollinators
Talk about pollinator importance, challenges
Create pollinator friendly landscapes
Encourage others
Plant flowers for pollinators!

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Flowers for Pollinators

GROWING HEALTHY LANDSCAPES �FOR BEES AND OTHER POLLINATORS

Authors:

Jeff Hahn, Extension Specialist, Department of Entomology

Karl Foord, Extension Educator, Department of Horticultural Science

Julie Weisenhorn, Extension Educator, Department of Horticultural Science Dr. Mary Meyer, Professor, Department of Horticultural Science

Sam Bauer, Extension Educator, Department of Horticultural Science

Dr. Elaine Evans, Extension Educator, Bee Lab

Dr. Becky Masterman, Extension Educator & Program Director, Bee Squad

The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, this PowerPoint is available in alternative formats upon request. Direct requests to 612-624-1222.

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