By CHRISTINE LYNCH
By now we know that everything in Nature is interconnected. When one component is changed, it inevitably affects something else. At present, there are many detrimental factors depleting our butterflies and other pollinators such as bees, wasps, moths and birds. High percentages of these plant pollinators have been decimated due to habitat loss, overuse of agricultural chemicals and serious climate change.
Great thinkers, including Rachel Carson, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein and E.O. Wilson, have expressed concern about our life on Earth and its ecosystems. All acknowledged the importance of and the precarious circumstances facing pollinators. For decades their writings have issued strong warnings about bringing harm to these special creatures, yet their thoughts and those of so many others go unheeded. Hummingbirds and monarch butterflies follow climate cues to start their lengthy journeys from Mexico. Hummingbirds pause along the way to sip nectar from flowers and to find tree sap oozing from holes poked by woodpeckers.
The monarchs rely on milkweed (Asclepias) plants, their single food source. Upon their arrival in North America, the monarchs commence laying eggs on milkweed. Milkweed leaves also are consumed ravenously by the emerging larvae. Then, after entering the chrysalis stage, they emerge as butterflies and continue traveling north for their brief lifespan. The cycle continues, locating milkweed and reproducing twice more before returning south. Without milkweed, future monarch generations will suffer, and that’s already happening. Statistics state that more than 90 percent of North American monarch butterflies have been lost. The US Fish and Wildlife Service now budgets millions of dollars to grow milkweed and other butterfly-attracting plants along monarch migration routes.
Honeybees, however, don’t migrate far. Whether in an apiarist’s hives or out in nature, bees prepare for the cold months by sheltering as a colony. Relying on the honey they’ve stored, they remain in close proximity, completely surrounding the queen, and maintain heat by continually flexing muscles located by their thorax. Then, as spring temperatures encourage budding trees and blooming plants, the bees readily begin their continuous labors.
Working With Nature
Beekeepers vouch for the essential role that bees contribute to life on Earth. Brian Todesco is a Cape apiarist who “always thought bees were cool.” It wasn’t until he was an adult that he “took a leap of faith.” Ordering some bees, he placed hive boxes in his yard, where the bees could feast on wildflowers growing on his property. Bees are active from early spring and rely on nectar from the early-budding maple tree. As more flowers begin to bloom, food sources become easier to find. He mentioned that dandelions and red clover are good food sources.
Later in the year, goldenrod and Japanese knotweed are some of the season’s last food sources that will bloom for the bees. Unfortunately, these beneficial plants often get eradicated by people spotting them in their yards, using toxic chemicals that harm pollinators. “Every flower varies in the strength of its nectar,” Mr. Todesco said, comparing honey’s taste to the different flavor notes in wine. He also pointed out that the quality of honey changes as the summer proceeds. “In the spring, the honey is clear and sweeter. Then, by the end of fall it’s dark and thicker,” he said. Rather than collecting the honey just twice a year, as many commercial beekeepers do, he extracts five to six smaller batches a year.
When it’s time to harvest some honey, he starts by scraping the comb, then places it in a spinner. After that step it passes through a 600-micron mesh filter. “You want to keep some of the pollen in the liquid,” he said. His label is Mr. T’s Bees, a pure, natural raw honey—nothing else is done or added. It can be purchased at Vital Nutrition, located in Homeport in Falmouth.
Mr. Todesco documents the seasonal stages of beekeeping in weekly video segments available on YouTube. These informative clips demonstrate his skill as well as his ability to explain what needs to be done for a healthy beehive.
Mr. Todesco is seeing success, including mentoring people in the craft. “It’s started as a hobby and now it’s getting to be a part-time job,” he said. Through the years, he’s learned how incredible bees are. “Put hives on a farm and production skyrockets,” he said.
What You Can Do To Help
As often is the case in Nature, pollinators and plants have a symbiotic relationship. One example mentioned on the Mass Audubon website (massaudubon.org) is that certain plants, such as blueberries and tomatoes, release pollen only after they sense vibrations from a bee’s wings. To attract bees and other pollinators and keep them coming, sow a variety of plants so that there are blooms throughout the growing season. Native plants are best. For people without a yard, even windowboxes or porch containers can hold plants that beckon to bees, insects and butterflies. Don’t feel you have to provide all the food they need, just help them get nourishment to carry them along until they need more.
And absolutely avoid using pesticides and nonorganic fertilizers. Marcia Chapman, Soares Flower Garden Nursery manager, said, “Planting to encourage local ecosystems to thrive requires accepting some damage (munching) of foliage. No insecticides.” Soares Nursery offers educational talks for the community. “We did educate lots of folks on raising monarchs for several years,” she said. The nursery also has handout material and partners with American Beauties Native Plants (abnativeplants.com) and Monarch Watch.
Soares carries several types of native milkweed varieties available through online shopping, and in store when it opens for the season on March 20, the first day of spring. She said, “Most people are happy to plant more flowers (perennials, annuals and shrubs) to support pollinators.” Cape gardeners who want to attract pollinators can choose from a wealth of plants. A short list of suggestions includes: basil, bee balm, blueberries, butterfly bush, butterfly or milkweed (Asclepias), coneflowers (Echinacea), hibiscus, lavender, lilacs, lobelia, mint, morning glories, nasturtiums, petunias, phlox, rosemary, and sunflowers.
In addition to having reliable food sources, pollinators need spots for nesting, egg laying, larvae development, et cetera over their life cycles. Establishing a brush pile with leaves and twigs somewhere on your property can provide shelter for birds and insects into the cold months. For more tips, visit the Mass Audubon website and read the section called “Plant a Native Pollinator Garden.” Other organizations with informative websites include Monarchwatch.org, Pollinator.org, thebeeconservancy.org and abnativeplants.com. Also, a selection of books about pollinators and pollinator gardens is available at Cape bookshops and libraries.