Encouraging Pollinators in Your Garden and Community

So when people talk about pollinators, what do you think of?    Well, most people go to Honeybees.  Did you know that the common Honeybee is actually from Europe?  They are great for pollinating our Rosaceae (Rose Family) fruit crops, which includes peaches, cherries, apples, strawberries and raspberry among many more.  Honeybees will feed strictly on my flowering plant at a time, such as peaches, before they move onto other plants.

Honeybee, Lisa Mason CSUE Agent

 Our native pollinators including native solitary bees, syrphid flies (hover flies), bumblebees, beetles, butterflies, moths and animals like bats.  Most of these native pollinators need a variety of resources to get enough nutrients.  They are grazers or buffet eaters rather than eating just one item at a time.  I am sure you know people that fit into both those categories. 

Common blue butterfly-TRA

Of course, there are native pollinators that have specific relationships with one plant such as the yucca moth, Tegeticula yuccasella, which lives its entire life in some way on or within the Yucca and the Gaillardia moth, Schinia masoni.  So always exceptions to the rule.

Yucca moth- Malisa Science Source photo

In Colorado, we have 946 native bees, 250 species of butterflies, 1000 species of Moths, many wasps, beetles and flies.  This information can be found at https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/agplants/native-pollinators

Of the syrphid flies, aka hover flies aka flower flies there are 900 species in North America.  Many of these look like bees so birds and other creatures do not try to eat them.  I personally find them quite cute. And they are also beneficial insects!

syrphid fly-bugguide.net

So what can you do in your garden and your community?  You can plant a variety of plants, native plants, and do your homework on what each specific pollinator needs.  For example, solitary bees need bare soil to build their nests.  It may appear that there is a colony, but there it is actually more of an apartment or town-home situation where one bee lives in their own condominium. 

Solitary bee- MaLisa Spring Photo

Or take note of what pollinators you are attracting.  Some of our agents do citizen science projects, which help us to track what people are seeing.  Some pollinators will need a source of water other than just pollen and nectar.  So shallow water sources can be a benefit in the garden.  Planting a variety of types of plants will assist as well.  Some of the native bees like to nest at the base of native grasses such as Little Bluestem https://xerces.org/blog/plants-for-pollinators-little-bluestem

Standing Ovation little bluestem- Colostate

Do not only plant a variety of plants that bloom at once, but that grow and bloom throughout the year.  For example, we had a yarrow in our demonstration garden blooming last November and I observed syrphid flies hovering over and feeding on the yarrow.  Use natives from your area.  Some cultivars are so far from their origin that they are not good sources of pollen and nectar.  Typically, plants with double or triple the number of petals, tetraploids, are NOT good for a pollinator garden.

Pollinator on Columbine

 For more information on pollinator habitat see our factsheet: https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/insects/creating-pollinator-habitat-5-616/

Take care of weeds!  Weeds compete with natives and garden plants and typically are not a good source of pollen and nectar for the pollinators.  Weeds also affect the environment and agriculture but out competing, stealing resources, attracting insects like aphids and overall just look messy.  Support conservation efforts of plants in your area.  If you need education on native plants, which ones are good pollinators, historic uses, plant id and landscape sustainability, check out the CSU Extension Native Plant Master’s Program.  We have 13 counties that offer this series of classes. http://conativeplantmaster.colostate.edu/

By Susan Carter, Horticulture and Natural Resource Agent in the Tri River Area

Saving pollinators one garden and one person at a time

Irene Shonle, CSU Extension in Gilpin County



At this point, most people have heard about the dire situation of Monarchs butterflies.  The World Wildlife Fund and others documented a 59 percent decline in monarch populations this year.  Monarchs get a lot of press because of their beauty and the spectacle of their generations-long migration, and their plight helps to also shed light on the issues facing other pollinators.

Monarch butterfly courtesy Dave Cappaert, Bugwood.org

Honeybees are struggling, too, and many native pollinators are in serious trouble, according to Eric Mader, assistant pollinator program director with The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Several species of bumblebees in the United States have declined substantially over the past 2 to 3 decades, according to a study led by entomologist Sydney Cameron of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. The declines are thought to be due to habitat loss/fragmentation, pesticide use, climate change, and non-native pathogens.

Scientists are particularly tracking five declining species of bumblebee, including the Western bumblebee, Bombus occidentalis – and there have been recent sightings in our area! For more information, go here: http://www.xerces.org/bumblebees, or to join a citizen science project documenting bumblebee distribution, go here: http://www.bumblebeewatch.org/.

Bumblebee photo courtesy Whitney Cranshaw wiki.bugwood.org/HPIPM:Bumble_Bees

Protecting, restoring, and enhancing habitat is the best way to reverse the declines in bumblebee populations, and the best thing is that this is a project where individuals in our own mountain yards can actually make a significant contribution!  So often, you hear about one environmental disaster after another, and can feel somewhat helpless and depressed, but here is a win-win situation where your efforts will help the pollinators and make your yard more beautiful.  Bumblebees are gentle creatures (often likened to flying teddy bears), and will rarely sting unless threatened, so don’t be alarmed at the thought of attracting them to your house (unless someone in your house has a severe allergy).

Bumblebees need three types of habitat to survive: plants on which to forage for pollen and nectar, nesting sites, and places to overwinter.  Usually the latter two don’t require much effort on our part (other than leaving them undisturbed); so here are some tips on what to plant to attract our native pollinators:

• Plant a diversity of species (best choices are native) so your yard will provide bees and butterflies with nectar and pollen from early spring through fall.  Great flower choices include Golden banner (Thermopsis divaricarpa), Blanketflower (Gaillardia aristata), Yarrow (Achillea lanulosa), Lupine (Lupinus argenteus), Rocky Mtn. beeplant (Cleome serrulata), Beebalm (Monarda fistulosa), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Harebells (Campanula rotundifolia), Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa), and all Penstemons.  Flowering shrubs can also be good choices – look for Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia), Wood’s rose (Rosa woodsii), and Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana).
• During hot, dry periods, provide water in shallow birdbaths or pools where pollinators can easily land. Some wasps and bees need mud to build their nests, and butterflies like to gather in muddy puddles.
• Reduce or eliminate use insecticides, especially ones that state that they are harmful to bees or butterflies on their label. If using an herbicide, target only invasive weeds, and don’t spray when bees or butterflies are present.