Bee Fest Awards Excellent Pollinator Gardens

  • Post published:06/17/2017
  • Post comments:6 Comments
Bee Spaces plaque
Bee Spaces plaque

The world needs more pollinator gardens. The Bee Fest organized by the Second Congregational Church and the Franklin County Bee Keepers Association last week included talks by bee experts Lynn-Adler  and Susannah Lerman, researchers at the University of Massachusetts and Kim Flottum the editor of Bee Culture Magazine. All gave us information about problems facing pollinators and how we can help.

Susannah Lerman told us about her research which showed that mowing a non-herbicide/pesticide and un-fertilized lawn every two weeks generated 64 varieties of pollinator plants (that some would have called weeds) and 111 pollinators including honeybees and many native bees. Her research was unanimously acclaimed by all those who have lawns to mow!

Most of us have heard about Colony Collapse Disorder which causes a whole hive to die, but the cause has been unclear. Lynn Adler has been doing research on the bee’s digestive gut. It turns out that bees have some skill in diagnosing some of their ailments and know how to medicate themselves.

She knew that many plants have been used medicinally over the centuries. She thought that those biological compounds, called secondary metabolites, might be an important medicine for bees. Her research showed that sunflower pollen and sunflower honey can both help bees suffering from Nosema ceranae, a pathogen that can kill bees in little more than a week. It has been suggested that this pathogen has been responsible for Colony Collapse Disorder that mysteriously kills whole bee hives. Where bumblebees and honey bees have access to sunflowers they tend to be much healthier.

Honeybees have an advantage over bumblebees in fighting this disease. Honeybees live in community. Their hive can live through many generations of bees. They store a good stock of honey and pollen to keep everyone fed and well. Adler said honeybees are able to diagnose disease and seem to keep a pharmacy so whenever there is illness they have the wherewithal to treat it.

Bumblebees do not overwinter together. After mating in the fall the queen bumblebee bee eats as much as she can to build up fat that will carry her through her winter hibernation in the ground. When spring arrives she leaves her home every day to feed on nectar and gather strength. At first she does everything alone, gathering nectar and pollen, laying eggs and raising the first brood. After that she will have the support of those first bees while she devotes herself to egg laying.

Sunflowers
Sunflowers

I never considered sunflowers great pollinator plants. I usually think of the great Mammoth sunflowers making seeds for snacks, but a browse though any catalog will list any number of sunflowers. They have different sizes and different colors – and some of them do not make pollen. Hybridizers have created sunflowers that do not make pollen which looks messy when it falls on a tablecloth. If you want to plant sunflowers for bees be sure to buy pollen bearing varieties.

Kim Flottum spoke about the loss of pollinator habitat which has been decreasing over the years. He told us ways that habitat can be increased. One idea taking hold in the Midwest cornfields is planting a border of pollinator plants all around cornfields. Corn does not need pollinators, but if there are pollinator plant borders, bees will come and the ecosystems will be healthier.

He also reported that two million bee hives are needed to pollinate almond orchards in California but there is nothing else for the bees to eat. Almond farmers have learned the benefit of planting pollinator plants in and around their orchards. The trees are pollinated better when the bees have additional food sources.

The National Wildlife Federation created the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge to add plants that will support the decimated populations of Monarch butterflies. They plant milkweeds in public parks, civic gathering place and along the highways.

Flottum talked about how easy it is to plant pollinator plants along the highways, which then would not need to be mowed. A town could save money while being more beautiful, and a supporter of birds and bees.

Flottum left us with a few words “Plant a flower, feed a bee. Make the world a better place.”

Deval Patrick, our former governor, then told a few stories about his own beekeeping practice, but he was there to help honor those who are already feeding the bees and making the world a better place. The Franklin County Beekeeper’s Association instituted the Bee Spaces Award this year, to be given to excellent pollinator gardens.

The first Annual Bee Spaces awards were presented to ErvingElementary School for its pollinator garden, Laughing Dog Farm in Gill, the Bridge of Flowers in ShelburneFalls and the University of Massachusetts for its two pollinator gardens.

Deval Patrick presenting  and Carol DeLorenzo accepting the Award
Deval Patrick presenting and Carol DeLorenzo accepting the Award for the Bridge of Flowers

If you have a garden supportive of pollinators, or want to add pollinator plants to your garden, you might win one of next year’s Bee Spaces awards. There are many books available at the library with lists of good pollinator plants including 100 Plants to Feed the Bees published by the Xerces Society, or you can go online to many sites including the New England Wildflower Society, newenglandwild.org. You can start collecting photos so you can apply to be a winner next spring. More information will be available soon.

Between the Rows   June 10, 2017

This Post Has 6 Comments

  1. hairytoegardener

    I want to plant pollinators, and I think I already have using a variety of flowers, but I can’t plant sunflowers because I’m allergic to them. Sunflowers contain latex. Gardeners who are allergic to latex need to know this. My backyard used to be covered with large stands of sunflowers, and every year I’d break out all summer long in weeping poison ivy-like welts. Eventually it got so bad that i would get bursitis in my joints (elbow and ankle) where a sunflower leaf simply brushed my arm or ankle. My doctor was clueless but extremely concerned. It took seven years to figure out the sunflowers were the cause. A random brush against a sunflower’s stalk (when I was paying attention) where the area became red and swollen within an hour clued me in.

  2. That is wonderful! Pollinators certainly need our help. Congratulations to Carol.

  3. Pat

    Beth – The Bridge of Flowers is very fortunate to have Carol DeLorenzo steering the Bridge design.

  4. Rose

    I’m happy that our local Master Gardener unit has become more and more focused on pollinators and informing the public. Two of the gardens on our annual Garden Walk this past weekend featured lots of pollinator-friendly plantings in the middle of upscale subdivisions, proof that a pollinator garden doesn’t have to look “weedy.” I’ve learned a lot more about bees in the past couple of years, but I wasn’t aware of the benefits of sunflowers–thanks for sharing this, Pat.

  5. Patsy

    Ms Lerman has now given me the freedom to mow the lower side of my property every 2 weeks. I live on a main street and although I don’t really care what my neighbors think, I still feel that I should show a bit of respect for the neighborhood. I don’t want a hay field in my front yard nor do I want one on the side of the house. But mowing every 2 weeks is manageable without getting out of hand unruly. And I will do it all for the pollinators.
    Thank you for your delightful blog I am a faithful reader.
    Patsy

  6. Pat

    Rose – I’ve just come from visiting gardens in the Philadelphia area and was surprised to see a lot of emphasis on native plants and their benefits. Chanticleer and the Mt. Cuba gardens were particularly wonderful and wild. Watch for upcoming posts.
    Patsy – I’m so glad that the every two weeks mowing works for you. My husband has been planting clover instead of grass in some new areas of our garden. Thank you so much for being a faithful reader!

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