Honey Bees Are In Love With Small Urban Gardens – Know Why?
Reading Time: 2 minutes, 29 seconds Post Views: 1898The worldwide bee population has
been facing a rapid decline for the last several years. Habitat destruction,
climate change, pesticide usage, and air pollution have led to these important
pollinators' disappearance. As a result, people are now apprehensive about the
population decline bees face and are looking to find new ways to help them
survive & flourish.
In environmental change, honey
bees are an incredibly fascinating species. Their health and abundance can show
us a marker for the environment's health as a whole. In addition, honey bees
give a chance to judge longer-term environmental effects since they are one of
a handful of the insect species that produce colonies intended to survive for
multiple years. Finally, honey, wax, and pollen's by-products can also be
easily analyzed for pollution.
Saving honey
bees doesn't require a considerable setup & much effort. Several
studies found that the size of the pollinator garden plays an insignificant
role in the amount of nectar produced. This means that even small urban gardens
are crucial for conserving bees and other pollinators.
This study was carried out by the
Researchers at the University of Bristol. According to them, the research was
conducted on different gardens. There were some very flower-rich small gardens
and some very flower-poor big gardens. The researchers studied and measured 59
gardens each month from March to October. This was done to track nectar
production of both small & big gardens and when the production peaks.
Urban gardens had a lot higher
variety of blossoming plants than surrounding regions. Urban gardens
facilitated numerous non-local species, as well, for example, begonias and
butterfly bushes. People regularly plant these species for their beauty. Nature
reserves and farm sites had less plant variety. However, they had more local
species, like bellflower and heather.
The plants recognized as
delivering the most nectar were shrubs. These plants are dense with blossoms,
creating incredible nectar resources to fit into smaller spaces. Researchers
found that the assortment of plants between gardens also provided pollinators
in urban regions with a stable food supply throughout the year. This plant
diversity is significant because diverse pollinators prefer different types of
flowers.
After studying numerous gardens, researchers have found that the variety of nectar sources one gets in urban regions is surprisingly great, a lot higher than most natural habitats, even nature reserves. Gardens together form richer nectar sources that they can do individually.
Creating a pollinator-friendly garden isn't so difficult but essential. According to Mr. Basem Barry, founder & CEO of Geohoney, it's ideal for including an assortment of species. There should be numerous flowering plants of different flower colors, shapes, and sizes. This will give food to a wide range of pollinators. Furthermore, a nursery with various plants should also attract natural predators of garden pests. This, on the other hand, minimizes the need for pesticides. Planting for pollinators is an excellent method for supporting their preservation when they genuinely need our assistance.
Comments (2)
I am a beekeeper and i really like to read your articles as they are informative actually.
I love to get info about bees. And this topic is nice and article is also well written.