by Kirby Lindsay, posted 25 April 2014
On Saturday, May 3rd, at 1p, the Fremont Branch of the Seattle Public Library (SPL) will offer a presentation, ‘Pollinators in your Garden,’ as part of the Library’s Spring ‘Edible Garden’ series. These free talks, held at a variety of SPL branch libraries, will share information on starting gardens, growing vegetables, composting and worm farming.
On May 3rd, Fremont’s own Paul Bryant, a master gardener and backyard beekeeper, will tell all about the native insect and animal pollinators (butterflies, beetles, moths, hummingbirds, flies, etc.) that keep the Pacific Northwest green. Pollination is a vital part of the cycle of growth of our food, and the plants that provide the air we breathe.
As beekeeper for Hazel Heights P-Patch, and a Friend of Fremont Peak Park, Bryant can also talk about that best known, and often most feared, of all pollinators – the bee.
‘Instead Of Freaking Out’
Bryant knows that many people fear bees, but when asked to share what he thinks is most important about pollinators, and bees, he answered, “the number one thing is tolerance. Instead of freaking out, and grabbing a can of Raid,” he advised, “the best policy is to remain calm. In order for the good insects to be there,” the butterflies, ladybugs, etc., he explained, “you need some of the bad too.”
“We need to be a little more accepting of nature,” Bryant explained, “we are very bad about fixing the system,” with a fix that may cause more problems.
“I give quite a few talks around town,” Bryant said about his presentations on gardening and pollinators, “most people are fascinated, and clueless.” As he observed, “one of the parts of my talk – 10 to 12 slides – is about the difference between bees and wasps. Ninety percent of all ‘bee stings’ are from wasps.” Yet, he will point out in his presentation, “Wasps are one of the main predators for garden pests.”
Colony Collapse Disorder
Recent losses of whole colonies of bees have endangered crops, and led many to the realization that without the bees, the whole human race stands at risk. According to Bryant, the dramatic deaths of bee colonies can be traced to one of our ‘fixes’ of nature – the streamlining of crop growth. He recommended the book ‘Fruitless Fall’ by Rowen Jacobson as a reference on this tragic, and potentially calamitous, phenomenon.
“Backyard beekeepers don’t tend to experience this,” Bryant said of colony collapse, but “it is a very large and very serious problem.” Most who keep hives for their own yards, and/or their in-city garden, will normally see a die-off rate of 3 – 5% of the hive each year. However, since 2005, approximately 35% of all bees have died off each year.
Bryant pointed to the large farms that grow a single crop on hundreds of acres of land, and require thousands and thousands of bees. “When the crop comes into bloom, it takes all the bees to pollinate it,” Bryant observed, “every single flower must get pollinated.” Yet, for the bees, they must collect pollen throughout the year, preferably from more than a single type of flower.
The farms, to get the number of bees necessary for pollination, will call in professional beekeepers who bring their hives by semi-truck, or ‘itinerant pollinators’ as Bryant described them. “It’s stressing the bees,” he observed, as the hives are relocated from farm to farm, region to region, all the while encountering a variety of climates, pesticides, and other, foreign bees, all introducing new pathogens and diseases.
Less Stress, For The Bee
Backyard hives provide a less stress-filled environment, where bees encounter a wider variety of plants. Yet, still bees in Fremont are visitors to a foreign land. “Bees are not native to the U.S.,” Bryant observed, “and our wet is not friendly.” Molds and fungus native to our climate challenge them, although they do survive here, particularly from March to September. Still, “our weather is confusing,” to them, he explained, “the climate is weird.”
The backyard beekeepers do a service for all, ultimately, and this hobby takes very little space. Bryant observed a hive only takes about two feet of space, and even a tiny garden space is fine since your neighbors’, and their neighbors’, will provide the plants needed for the bees. “They travel up to five miles for pollen,” Bryant reported, and “they don’t care about boundaries,” and the choicest garden, “doesn’t have to be next door.”
For those uninterested in keeping bees, “there are a lot of things you can do to attract them,” Bryant explained, “and also to help them.” Bees, and other pollinators, need water. “One third of their time,” Bryant said about the bees, “is spent carrying water to the hive to keep the hive cool.” Using fewer pesticides – and looking at organic options – makes our ecosystem healthier. “Bees are incredibly sensitive to pesticides,” Bryant observed. Finally, try to plant a garden with vegetation that blooms at different times, to provide all the pollinators with an attractive, abundance of options.
“Bees have a cycle,” Bryant explained. If this talk were meant to convince a few more people to become backyard beekeepers, “the time to give the talk is in the fall.” However, Bryant’s presentation at the Fremont Library will be on pollination, and the crucial role of insects and animals in keeping our spring flowers flourishing. “This is a good time,” to talk about pollination, Bryant acknowledge, “since the public is aware.”
Please come hear all about the pollinators, including more about bees and wasps, at the Fremont Branch Library on May 3rd at 1p. Also, go to the SPL website for a list of all the free ‘Edible Garden’ talks – including those aimed at children – for more ways we can all assist in creating a more sustainable and healthy urban garden landscape.
Related Articles
- The Birth Of A P-Patch, An On-Going Community Success Story
- by Faith Cooley, August 28, 2013
- The Committee That Steers Peak Park
- by Kirby Lindsay, September 21, 2012
©2014 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.