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Honeybees are important to your environment not just for their honey, but for other byproducts as well. A 15 billion dollar industry that is experiencing a high rate of loss due to several factors such as; Colony Collapse Disorder".

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Hello and welcome to MC Garden Tips, the show that shares garden tips to the Montgomery County, Maryland community. I'm your host, Julie Goddard.

*Our guest today is Nancy Brady. She is a member of the Mill Creek Towne Garden Club with a passion for gardening. In today's episode, we will talk about Gardening for Pollinators.

Why Garden for Pollinators?*

Supporting pollinators helps develop a healthy, functioning ecosystem.

What are Pollinators?

Facts about Pollinators (from Pollinators.org)

• More than 1,000 of all pollinators are vertebrates such as birds, bats, and small mammals. Most (more than 200,000 species) are beneficial insects such as flies, beetles, wasps, ants, butterflies, moths and bees.
• In the U.S., pollination produces nearly $20 billion worth of products annually.
• Monarch butterflies have declined by 90% in the last 20 years.
• 25% of bumble bees species are thought to be in serious decline.

Bees -Provide Ecosystem Services

(Source: The Buzz on Native Bees, https://www.usgs.gov/news/buzz-native-bees).

• There are about 4,000 different species of native bees in North America. Maryland has around 400 different species of native bees.
• Native bees pollinate native plants like cherries, blueberries and cranberries.
• Honeybees are well known for pollinating almond and lemon trees, okra, papaya and watermelon plants.
• However, native bees are estimated to pollinate 80 percent of flowering plants around the world.

To support our Pollinators, we need to plant native plants.

• Most birds feed insects to their young and native insects require native plants in order to develop.
• Unfortunately, many urban and suburban landscapes are filled with non-native plants that support a very small population of birds.
• Pollinator animals sustain our ecosystems and produce our natural resources by helping plants reproduce. They also:
  • bring us countless fruits, vegetables, and nuts,
  • provide half of the world’s oils, fibers and raw materials;
  • And prevent soil erosion
• Once established, a well-chosen native plant does not require much upkeep because it is adapted to grow in our native soils.

For more resources on pollinators, please check:

• Montgomery County Master Gardener’s Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC) website at:
  • https://extension.umd.edu/
• Other helpful sites include:
  • Pollinators.org
  • Mdflora.org
• Also check Mill Creek Towne Garden Club’s website at mctgardenclub.org, and our Facebook and Nextdoor pages that include garden-related events and resources.