传粉者的保护

蜜蜂和蝴蝶在一起吃饭
Glenn Seplak摄

近几十年来, populations of important pollinators have been declining throughout much of North America. 美国的养蜂人.S. have been suffering from unusually high 利率 of colony loss of the domesticated honey bee (的蜜蜂). 美国西部几种大黄蜂种类的丰度.S. has declined dramatically, with at least one species now believed to be extinct. And both the eastern and western populations of the monarch butterfly have declined precipitously, 随着东部人口近年来创下新低.

With these continued declines, pollinator conservation has become a national priority. Recently the Desert Museum and the Community Food Bank of Southern 亚利桑那州 (CFBSA) began working together with the overarching goal of promoting healthy pollinator populations throughout the City of Tucson. This new partnership speaks to the fact that biodiversity and conservation efforts are, 事实上, 与粮食生产密切相关, and in no case is that connection clearer than when it comes to pollinators.

看一个短视频 about this collaborative effort to promote biodiversity and support urban agriculture in Tucson, 亚利桑那州.

In 2016, 由环境合作委员会提供资金, we launched an effort to create pollinator gardens at dozens of sites across the city. These garden sites not only provide high quality habitat for pollinators but also benefit urban gardeners and farmers, who rely on pollinators to obtain high yields of fruits and vegetables. 但也许最重要的是, these gardens have become places where city residents connect with biodiversity, 在那里他们可以看到和感受到大自然对他们的好处.

拉斯米尔皮塔斯入口
Lois settmeyer摄

In addition to creating high quality pollinator habitat throughout the city, 推荐一个买球网站发起了一项关于野生蜜蜂种群的长期研究 Las Milpitas de Cottonwood这是一个位于图森市中心的六英亩农场. Many wild bees are excellent pollinators of both wild and cultivated plants, 随着蜜蜂数量的持续下降, 支持野生蜜蜂种群从未像现在这样重要.

这项工作在与科学家的合作下得到了扩展, 老师, 学生和社区科学家都是 图森蜜蜂合作. The 图森蜜蜂合作 is a partnership of the University of 亚利桑那州, 皮马社区学院, the Desert Museum and local high schools who are working together to document the diversity of native bees in our region.

索诺兰沙漠是种类繁多的蜜蜂的家园, boasting more species of bees than just about anywhere else in the world, yet we know very little about the status of wild bee populations in the desert. Growing evidence suggests that the same factors driving honey bee declines (poor nutrition, 病原体, 和杀虫剂)可能会影响整个北美的野生蜜蜂. 往好的方面想, a substantial body of research has shown that wild bees can thrive in urban environments if their modest food and nesting resource needs are met. In fact, many of these needs are already being met through commonplace landscaping practices. 例如, 在园林绿化中使用本地植物的房主, 很简单，因为本地植物很容易照料, 也, 也许不经意间, 为野生蜜蜂和其他野生动物提供食物!

So the good news is that there’s a lot you can do to help out our Sonoran Desert bees without spending a fortune to makeover your yard. Below we outline some simple steps that you can take to make your yard more bee-friendly.

野生蜜蜂拜访推荐一个买球网站本土的锦葵，
有时被认为是杂草
Glenn Seplak摄

蜜蜂友好的景观美化措施

• 种植一些本地植物! The relationships between bees and flowers have evolved over millions of years. 因此, our Sonoran Desert bees are generally better able to utilize Sonoran Desert plants than plants from other parts of the world. 在索诺兰沙漠，推荐一个买球网站从不缺少迷人的树木, 灌木, 仙人掌, 还有多肉植物，用来美化你的院子. The Desert Museum’s plant list is a good starting point for selecting plants that will support a wide variety of pollinators.

• 成片种植花卉. Most bees will visit only one, or at most, a few types of flowers on each foraging trip. 他们学习如何处理某种类型的花, 然后倾向于坚持下去, 这使得它们成为高效的觅食者. 因此, most bees will benefit from a fair-sized patch of a single flower species. 种植开花的树(如. palo verde tree, mesquite tree) native to the region provides the same benefit.

• 种各种各样的花来吸引各种各样的蜜蜂. 因为大多数蜜蜂在某种程度上都是专家, 植物的更大多样性将有利于蜜蜂的更大多样性. Some websites may suggest that there is some minimum number of plant species required to create a pollinator garden, 但事实上, 即使是一小片花也几乎肯定会使一些蜜蜂受益.

• 提供筑巢栖息地! 这是任何人都可以帮助蜜蜂做的最简单的事情之一. 因为大多数野生蜜蜂都在土壤里筑巢, 它们需要一些光秃秃的土地，在那里挖隧道筑巢. 这意味着要在院子里留出一块没有砾石和护根物的地方, 最好是院子里有一个阳光充足的地方. 这些狭窄的隧道很难被发现, 它们的直径还没有铅笔头的橡皮擦大, 但它们的好处不仅仅是蜜蜂, 增加土壤水分和通风.

  
  地面筑巢的蜜蜂正在离开她的巢. Note the small diameter of the nest entrance by comparison to the pinky finger.
  Anna Howell拍摄

• Provide a source of mud, which is an important material for nest construction for some bees. Water is not necessary for most Sonoran Desert bees, but providing water (e.g. 一个鸟浴或小喷泉可以吸引各种传粉者, 包括鸟类和蝴蝶, 还有其他益虫. 水也会吸引大量的蜜蜂.

• 避免农药. 幸运的是，本地植物很少受到昆虫的伤害. On the other hand, vegetable gardens can attract some hungry insects eager for a meal. 首先，退后一步，评估问题的严重性. A dozen or so hungry caterpillars might be removed just as easily by hand as with the use of pesticides. 蚜虫和其他软体昆虫很容易用肥皂水处理. If you do decide to use pesticides, never apply pesticides when plants are blooming. 在大型商店购买植物时，检查标签. 许多植物都用新烟碱类杀虫剂处理过, a class of insecticide that is absorbed and distributed throughout all of the plant tissues, 包括花蜜和花粉. Both Home Depot and Lowes have committed to phasing out neonicotinoids over the next few years, 但与此同时, 购买不含新烟碱的植物.

• 种植向日葵(向日葵属植物). Some exciting new research suggests that the nectar and pollen of flowers within the genus Helianthus may help bees reduce their parasite loads. 为什么不种些向日葵呢，它们给花园增色不少!

随着推荐一个买球网站城市的不断发展, what will sustain a thriving bee fauna is not just a few spectacular gardens, but rather a network of small patches of pollinator habitat scattered throughout our city. Your yard or pollinator garden doesn’t need to be perfect to be of value to bees. I am reminded of the popular saying that it takes a village to raise a child. 这对蜜蜂和孩子来说都是如此!

志愿者在拉斯米尔皮塔斯种植传粉者花园
金·富兰克林摄

感谢推荐一个买球网站的支持者:

agnesese Nelms Haury环境与社会正义项目