Another Issue Affecting Pollinators

Another Issue Affecting Pollinators. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

We’ve done a lot of stories about the problems with pollinators and honey bees in general. It seems such a little thing but it can have a wide ranging affect on most of the ag industry. Without pollination many crops just won’t grow. No tree fruits like apples, pears or cherries, no vegetables and no nuts. In particular the honey bee populations have seen dramatic declines with a lot of research being done on the varroa mites that infest hives as well as the use of pesticides to help grow bigger, better commodities. Now another idea is being brought to the fore. Mary Kay Malinoski is an insect expert

MALINOSKI: A lot of places I’ve noticed, especially new developments, they tend to put plants in that don’t flower. They’ll use a lot of evergreens that may not produce pollen and they have more of a sterile landscape so the idea is to try to get people to diversify their landscape and put in a mixture of things. Things that will flower all throughout the season and to sort of mix it up and not have such a sterile landscape.

A number of groups have been offering anyone who wants a package of what they call a pollinator mix of wildflowers. The flowers have been chosen specifically for their nutritional value to pollinators.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network of the West.