Globally, writes Zoe Devlin, bees are the most important pollinators because they visit flowers to collect pollen for their larvae, as well as feeding themselves on the nectar, deep inside. Thus their entire life cycle relies completely on their relationship with flowering plants
When I was a youngster, I looked upon bees as nasty little creatures that could inflict pain, best left alone or even, dare I admit it, swatted. Wasps were nuisances too, especially when mother was making jam. They’d buzz around the kitchen and in an effort to divert them, Mum would take out a jam jar and put a bit of jam inside the rim. Then she’d pour in some water, cover the top with a piece of greaseproof paper, held on tightly by an elastic band. The final part of the job was making a wasp-sized hole in the paper through which the wasps could enter, seeking the sweetness of the jam and finding it difficult to get back out many of the poor insects would meet a watery death.
Bumble bee on Vipers Bug Gloss
As I grew up, so did my interest in biodiversity expand and I started on a journey in which I tried to teach myself as much as I could about the natural world. Wildflowers were what interested me most and when I watched how bees bumbled around them and butterflies fed off them, I began to see the interdependence that existed between the flowers and the insects. Over time, I learned just how valuable each of our insects is, particularly our pollinators. Pollination is the transfer of pollen grains from the male part (anther) of a flower to the female part (stigma) and without this, no seed will occur. Not all pollination is carried out by bees, other creatures that perform a similar service are butterflies, moths, hoverflies, bats, beetles and wasps and in some parts of the world, birds do the job.
My fascination with nature led me to attend an event in Waterford, in 2015. This was the launch of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan*, a framework that was established to bring together many different sectors throughout our island. I sat, enthralled, as I listened to two enthusiastic and dedicated scientists, Dr Úna FitzPatrick, Senior Ecologist with our National Biodiversity Data Centre, and Prof Jane Stout, Entomologist and Ecologist at Trinity College Dublin, who told those assembled how their ambition was to create a landscape where not only could pollinators survive but they would be helped to thrive. My learning curve suddenly took off in a seriously upward direction as I became aware of some of the facts about the little creatures whose very existence we depend upon. I had never realised before that without their help, our vegetable and fruit crops would not be pollinated and how their survival is absolutely crucial to our survival – a chilling message.
Globally, bees are the most important pollinators because they visit flowers to collect pollen for their larvae, as well as feeding themselves on the nectar, deep inside. Thus their entire life cycle relies completely on their relationship with flowering plants. I was unaware that along with many other insects, wild pollinators have been declining at a horrific rate. Just two decades ago, it was revealed that 33 of our 99 bee species are at risk of extinction – that is one-third, an appalling thought.
Green winged orchid (Orchis morio)
In China, wild bees were completely eradicated because of the overuse of pesticides and habitat destruction and this has caused farmers there to employ human hands to pollinate fruit trees. In what is quite difficult work, each blossom has to be pollinated by use of a long pole, topped with a brush of feathers. The brush is dipped into a jar of pollen, covering the feathers with the pollen, then that brush is rubbed against the stigma of the flower – the part that would normally collect the pollen from the insect’s furry body. It doesn’t do the job every time and it is a costly process. In Ireland, the annual value of pollination to home-grown food crops was recently estimated to be up to €59 million per year.
For me, one of the best sounds of summer is that of bumblebees, buzzing and rattling their way, up and down the purple fingers of foxgloves. It’s not just the romantic in me that appreciates nature’s music but the practical. I have learned that those bumblebees – they’re the ones with the rounded, furry bodies – do their job by vibrating their wings in order to dislodge pollen. If you’ve ever watched them as they work their way up a spike of flowers, your can hear this buzzing sound while they’re shaking the pollen free and onto the tiny pollen sacs on their legs. It is this ability that makes them such excellent pollinators.
After that first All-Ireland Pollinator Plan was launched, thousands of people across this island knuckled down to help to turn around the bees’ diminishing fortunes and bring back some space for them to thrive once again. Schools, communities – both big and small – business, public spaces, farms and even small gardens and window-boxes – all were seen to be places in which room could be made for foodplants for these valuable insects. County councils came on board but best of all, the plain, ordinary citizen scientists– i.e. the nature lovers – came into their own and helped to spread the word in whatever way they could. The message began to filter through and information was generously given to everyone who wanted to help.
One of the questions most often asked was ‘How do you know if a plant is pollinator friendly?’ The answer is that if you take time to have a look at plants in a garden centre or anywhere that has colourful flowerbeds such as the National Botanic Gardens, you will quickly spot which floral diners are the most popular. Open, single-flowered (rather than double-flowered) varieties or perennials are best as they make the access easier for the insect and frequently they have more to offer. If you look at the simple form of a dog-rose compared with a more complex, multi-petalled garden variety, you can see what I mean. Choosing plants such as lavender, broom, grape hyacinth, borage, viper’s-bugloss and comfrey will mean not only a colourful garden but lots of food for pollinating insects. I have recently added some catmint to my patch and I love watching the bees foraging their way up each little spike of the pretty blue flowers. However, I would sound a word of caution in regard to purchasing so-called ‘native wildflower’ seeds. These are generally not from plants native to Ireland and could cause problems for our own plant species by crowding them out or muddying the native’s gene pool.
The second phase of the Pollinator Plan was launched in 2021 and in the foreword to the plan, Minister of State for Heritage & Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, stated that during his involvement in a number of the Plan’s projects, he had seen what an impact they have made, not only for the insects but for people too. He went on to say how ‘these amazing insects have brought us together in new ways, enhancing social cohesion and helping to improve our physical health and mental wellbeing’. A look back showed that the first phase had been 100% successful but there was more work to be done. The impact of the changes would take time to see and although pollinators are now in a better place, they still face huge difficulties.
On the positive side, what I am noticing now, in many parts of our lovely country, is the way mindsets have gradually accepted the notion that it is alright to let the ‘weeds’ grow. There are many definitions of that word and the one I like best is that ‘weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them’. I acknowledge that there are folk who cannot bear the sight of the humble dandelion but that same plant is a massive help to bees and its early flowering time can be the difference between life and death to some emerging, hungry creatures. When you look at the butter-yellow flowerhead closely, you can see what look like umpteen long, toothed, narrow petals. In fact, each of those ‘petals’ is a small flower or floret in itself and if you pluck the floret from the flowerhead and examine it closely – a hand lens helps – you can see, right at the bottom, a small angle in which there is a minute drop of nectar and this is what is nourishment for a large number of spring-flying pollinators.
There is a growing body of folk who have accepted the emerging trend for rewilding and if you have a spot in the corner of the garden, preferably in the sun, why not let a few nettles grow there. I think it can be said that most of us love butterflies and for several species of those wonderful flying jewels, the common nettle is one plant that will help them to thrive. The flashy red admiral, the widespread small tortoiseshell, the stunning peacock and the newcomer to our shores, the striking comma butterfly – they all need the nettle plant as it is that species that feeds the caterpillars and sustains them until their emergence from their chrysalises as beautiful butterflies.
In an effort to encourage folk to leave wild plants undisturbed, the ‘Don’t mow, let it grow’ call went out. It wasn’t long before some astonishing results were seen. A grassy verge in a Portlaoise housing estate had been left unmowed during the lockdown and what surfaced was seen as a silver lining to that horrible time. It was the unexpected appearance of the rare and very beautiful green-winged orchid and it was greeted with utter delight. Then came the 2019 international initiative ‘No Mow May’. Resisting the urge to shave a few centimetres off the lawn on the campus of Dublin’s Trinity College brought about a surprising outcome. It was expected that clovers and daisies would be allowed to bloom, however another rare member of the orchid family – a helleborine – poked its little head above the ground to the delight of all involved. And if that wasn’t proof enough of the success of the initiative, yet another rare treasure was spotted, this time in Co Waterford. After the WIT signed up to the Pollinator Plan, they left parts of their campus unmowed. To the great delight of the staff, a rare and beautiful bee orchid was discovered on a subsequent inspection of the site.
What was most impressive in all three cases was just how quickly nature had managed to restore itself and bounce back from a programme of intensive mowing. These success stories demonstrate that nature can persevere and even come back from the brink, if given a chance.
