What is pollination? Pollination is when pollen grains are moved from one flower to another of the same species, resulting in fertilization. This can happen by wind or pollinators! Successful pollination can even require multiple pollinators to visit the same flowers.

Vital to humanity’s survival, pollinators are responsible for an estimated one third of all food products. These pollinators add $20 billion to the food industry in the United States alone. Some crops that rely on these beneficial animals include corn, coffee, blueberries, melons, peaches, pumpkins, and even chocolate!

Pollination enables 40% of the world’s crops and 90% of our wild plants to thrive. It’s important to remember that not all pollinators are bees. There are roughly 1,000 beneficial vertebrae species (birds, bats and other small mammals). Another 200,000 species are beneficial insects such as bees, flies, wasps, and beetles. Though a large focus is put on the pollination benefits of bees due to recent news about synthetic pesticides causing a decline in their populations, we should not forget that many other pollinator species are also effected.

How can you protect pollinators?
You can reduce your impact by eliminating synthetic pesticide use. If you need to use pesticides, make sure that they are natural and pollinator-safe, like neem-based pesticides.
You can also plant for pollinators by creating pollinator-friendly habitats that teem with nectar and pollen.
Spread the word! Make sure that everyone is aware of the dangers for pollinators, including conventional agriculture, and encourage others to practice more sustainable methods in their daily lives!

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Bumblebees are vital to our survival. In the United States, wild bees are integral in wildflower and crop pollination, responsible for the pollination of one third of all crops in the United States, such as blueberries and tomatoes. The main factors that have contributed to this loss include disease, pesticides, climate change, and habitat loss. Before the 1990s, this bee species could be found in 28 states, but now they are limited to small populations in 13 states and Ontario. An 88% loss of population and an 87% loss of territory has been recorded in the last 30 years.

Scientists are blaming neonicotinoids, a common, toxic synthetic pesticide that is typically used on crops, lawns, gardens, and forests, because the plant entirely intakes the poison. That includes the leaf tissue, nectar, and pollen. Therefore, when the bees take in nectar, they ingest pesticide poison.

What does this mean for the future of agriculture? It means that a dramatic change needs to be made, and fast. 75% of food crops rely in some part on pollinators, so extinction of these species indicate a threat to our global food supply. A switch to sustainable agricultural practices in order to save pollinators, and thus our food sources, is necessary for the survival of mankind and our planet. Neem, an extremely effective natural pesticide, does not pose any danger to pollinators because they do not eat the plant. Neem is safe to pollinators and other non-target insects and mammals because the pesticide must be consumed to work. By using processes, like neem-based products, that do not pose any danger to pollinators or non-threatening insects, we can ensure our survival and global food supply.

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