Si Pak Tani

by Abi Saeed, Garfield County Agri/Horticulture and Natural Resources Extension Agent Just like us, pollinators need two main things in order to survive: food (floral resources) and shelter (nesting materials and habitat). Bee on Black-eyed Susan (Photo by Abi Saeed) Pollinators, like bees, butterflies, birds, bats, etc., play an enormous role in our lives, affecting agriculture, the economy, wildlife and plant diversity in the region. Of the plethora of animals referred to as pollinators, bees are the most important because of a key part of their anatomy: their fuzziness (aka: the tiny hairs that they have all over their bodies). Bees are covered with these branched hairs specialized for collecting pollen, and different bees have hairs on different parts of their bodies. These hairs allow them to be the incredible pollen-carrying critters that we know and love. Colorado is home to 946 different bee species. The majority of these bees rely on floral resources in the natural en...

Picture Courtesy University of Leeds These hard-working animals help pollinate over 75% of our flowering plants, and nearly 75% of our crops. Often we may not notice the hummingbirds, bats, bees, beetles, butterflies, and flies that carry pollen from one plant to another as they collect nectar. Yet without them, wildlife would have fewer nutritious berries and seeds, and we would miss many fruits, vegetables, and nuts, like blueberries, squash, and almonds . . not to mention chocolate and coffee…all of which depend on pollinators.  But they are disappearing and at an alarming rate.  While all pollinators are impor tant, we will be focusing on honeybees (though many of the causes relate to all pollinators not just honey bees). Picture Courtesy National Audubon Society There are a number of pressures on pollinator populations, but there is lack of information about their relative importance or to what extent they have led to the declines we are now seeing. Possible causes inc...