by Margot Monson, entomologist and beekeeper

Margot Monson lives in St. Anthony Park.

Swamp milkweed attracts a pollinating wasp

Whether we're planting a garden or setting a flowerpot on a balcony, let's act on behalf of the pollinators we all depend on. By now most of us have heard about the stresses pollinators are facing: from our non-native honey bee species, Apis mellifera, to the thousands of natives including flies, moths, butterflies, ants, solitary bees, bumblebees, and wasps, and most numerous of all, beetles. 

Why are pollinators in decline? 

Natural wild habitats are increasingly rare--and not only because of urban development. In rural areas, farm fields have been taken over by ever-larger monocultures, single crops that are often

genetically modified with systemic pesticides. When planted right up to the roadsides, these fields leave no buffer zone where wild plants used to thrive. 

Not only that, but agricultural chemicals have spread from the fields, preventing wild plants from germinating, so that today even our iconic monarchs have trouble finding milkweed--which is the only place they can deposit their eggs. The chemicals also run off into wetlands, further hindering the flowering plants that nourish pollinators.

Unfortunately, systemic pesticides are also found in the plants and seeds sold in many nurseries and greenhouses. Plants retain these poisons in their nectar, pollen, seeds, and roots--the entire system. Soils can retain them, too. Generations of plants can pass the residue on to insects, making them vulnerable to disease. 

Sustaining the "little things that run the world" 

Scientists have tracked the declining numbers of honeybees and monarchs, and to some extent our native bumblebees. But the populations of thousands of other species of native pollinators--yes, there are truly thousands--are harder to estimate. In fact, they are responsible for most pollination globally. Unseen by most of us, pollinating our food supply as they go, they are absolutely critical to the healthy survival of this planet. They are, as Harvard entomologist E.O. Wilson says, "the little things that run the world."  

Just like humans, insects need a balanced diet. Pollen and nectar provide the protein and carbohydrates pollinators need for themselves and their young. They also need pollen and nectar that is free of the pesticides that can damage their immune systems. Social insects in particular--like honey and bumblebees--can easily spread diseases among colony members. The increasing effects of climate change may also affect pollinator decline: scientists are now considering how that might play out. 

Pausing on a native aster, this syrphid fly is a beneficial predator. Below: Bumblebees thrive on native plants: left, prairie onion, and right, bergamot (note the bright-orange pollen basket on the bee's right back leg).

What can we do about it? 

How can we help sustain pollinators? Right now, as we plan our gardens or container pots, we can take these steps. 

Choose pollinator-friendly plants. 

Select a diverse array of plants, including some pure Minnesota native perennials. See the "Quick guide: Native plants for pollinators" list at left. Or download a more inclusive list, including non-natives, from the Pollinator-Friendly Alliance (choose "Gardening: Pollinator-Friendly Plant List").

Diverse plants will attract the diverse insects with which they evolved, most of them beneficial (preying on pests). A great many of them will be pollinators as well.  And although we're used to seeing the big, bright blossoms of hybrids and cultivars, there's a tradeoff: these flowers have lower-quality pollen and nectar than native plants. 

Your mix of plants, native and non-native, should offer blooms throughout the season. Our honeybees and bumblebees need flowers from early spring until late fall, although some shorter-lived solitary species can manage with only a few weeks' worth in spring. 

The checkered beetle is an "incidental pollinator." It transfers pollen through its movements, although it lacks the body hair and pollen basket that make some species especially efficient.

Avoid plants and seeds with systemic pesticides such as neonicotinoids. 

We can make conscious decisions about everything we buy that goes into our yards, gardens, and even compost piles-from the annuals we buy for a pot or gift basket, to the perennials we add to our flower beds. That includes the seeds we buy for herbs and vegetables as well as flowers, since any plant that flowers may attract a pollinator. If a seed or plant has been pretreated with systemic pesticides, its pollen and nectar will contain them and will damage the insects feeding on it. (As for your compost bin: don't add cut flowers, gift plants, or other plants that may contain pesticides; these chemicals shouldn't be in your garden soil.) 

Ask questions wherever you buy plants or seeds.

Because these "neonics" are so common, we must be willing to ask persistent questions when shopping at a nursery or greenhouse. For a head start, use the sources listed at left: these vendors do all they can to avoid selling products with pesticides. Or go to any garden center and start a conversation with staff. 

What should we ask? Use this Question-and-Answer Flowchart to think it through in advance. 

You might begin by asking:

Let labels and signage guide your questions, too.

If some plants have "pollinator friendly" signage, ask the staff how they know this. Were the plants grown from seed on site? Or did the grower simply refrain from applying chemicals to the plants after they arrived? Does the grower even know the source? What about the plants without the signage: why are they selling these if they care about the worldwide pollinator decline? 

Vote with your feet. 

If you sense a lack of transparency, take your business elsewhere. Yes, this is hard. But doing the right thing starts with each of us speaking up. Even if your garden center has a good reputation on this issue, I urge you to still ask the questions, so every business sees that consumers want to know and will keep on asking. The pervasive use of pesticides will not go away easily because the chemical companies have too much at stake, and because too many of us seek plants without the slightest "imperfection."  Which leads to our next point.

Goldenrod and soldier beetle

Cherish the imperfect. 

Next time you're in a natural setting--a forest, prairie, lakeshore, or any remnant where humans haven't altered the landscape--look closely. The little holes, webs, and irregularities are a part of a natural scene, and actually indicate a healthy balance in an ecosystem. We've been conditioned to believe that each leaf and petal has to be blemish-free, because that's what we see in catalogs and magazines. But that's not how plants and insects evolved, and they depend on each other to survive.

More than one scientist has said that pollinator health may be at the tipping point, from our own entomology department at the University of Minnesota to dozens of others around the country. Some other countries are far ahead of ours in banning certain systemic pesticides. There is already plenty of research. We can't afford to wait for more data that "proves" the problem is serious: systemic pesticides should be banned, or at the very least more judiciously used. For now, we can do our part, making thoughtful, wise decisions as to what we buy and plant in our own little corners of the world. 

 Addressing what many gardeners perceive as "insect problems" is for another day. Meanwhile, I will try to answer any questions that come my way, make house calls, and do whatever I can to help gardeners avoid these pesticides and choose pollinator-friendly plants. Drastic action is needed to help save these "little things that run the world."

Entomologist and beekeeper Margot Monson is a researcher and educator on insects and ecosystems. She has taught graduate courses at the University of Minnesota and done contract work for private and state agencies. Margot also teaches in schools, nature centers, garden clubs, and other settings, using live insects. 

When she earned her MS in entomology in 1994, her research focused on the caddisfly: an aquatic insect that recycles organic debris. "Since many aquatic insects are bioindicators of water quality, studying the aquatic fauna reveals much about the health of the aquatic system," says Margot. "This fit well with my growing concern for the environment and the need for preservation of our wild places." Although that early experience centered around aquatic habitats, she has shifted her focus somewhat to terrestrial fauna. Since she started keeping bees in 2010, Margot has emphasized ecosystem integrity and native pollinator health in her presentations. To get in touch, send Margot an email. 

Photos of Margot by Bjorn Monson. 

Pictured with her are images from the hand-illuminated Saint John's Bible (a project of Saint John's Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota). Flowchart by Mindy Keskinen.