Pollinator Crops and Beekeeping Meeting
Three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants and about 35 percent of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce. More than 3,500 species of native bees help increase crop yields. Some scientists estimate that one out of every three bites of food we eat exists because of pollinators like bees, butterflies and moths, birds and bats, and beetles and other insects.
Pollinators visit flowers in their search for food (nectar and pollen). During a flower visit, a pollinator may accidentally brush against the flower’s reproductive parts, unknowingly depositing pollen from a different flower. The plant then uses the pollen to produce a fruit or seed. Many plants cannot reproduce without pollen carried to them by foraging pollinators.
You may have heard that bees are disappearing and bats are dying. The number of Monarch butterflies has been greatly reduced. These and other animal pollinators face many challenges in the modern world. Habitat loss, disease, parasites, and environmental contaminants have all contributed to the decline of many species of pollinators.
These concerns affect not only food production and farmers, but also conservationist and homeowners and gardeners that enjoy their beautiful flowers blossoms. There are several programs and informational materials available to help improve the pollinator insects. Some programs include: Conservation Work for Monarch Butterflies, Conservation Work for Honey Bees, Backyard Conservation, Patio Plants for Birds and Butterflies, Pollinators Habitat in Pastures, Plant Materials Publications Relating to Insects & Pollinators, and many other publications and programs available.
The Greenhills Beekeepers Club will be hosting an informational meeting on Pollinator Crops: Their Importance and Production, next Monday evening, March 27, 7:00 p.m. at the American Legion Building in Braymer, Mo. There is no cost for attending the program. Presenters will include Dan Switzer, discussing various conservation cost share programs through NRCS and FSA for establishing pollinator crops. Tim Baker with the University of Missouri Extension will also discuss some of the pollinator plant species and flowers that help to promote better pollination and food sources for honey bees and other pollinators. There are also some local beekeepers and others that have grown pollinator crops the past three years that may share their experiences with problems with establishment and high seed cost and other issues. The meeting are free and open to the public.
For more information, contact Bud Motsinger at 816-583-4898, Jim Alkire at 660-745-3387, Tim Baker at 660-663-3232 or the local NRCS office in your county.
