By Ruth Perkins
Are we starving the bees? Are we unknowingly starving the pollinators and our precious ecosystem too? Are we unaware that each time we plant another one of those perfect looking, unsustainable hybrid plants that we are actually hammering another nail in their coffin... and ours too?
Like fast food chains, hybrid plants and flowers have slowly popped up everywhere and are in everyplace; and just like the nutritionists and doctors who voice concerns about the overall health effects from fast food chains on their patrons, so too are ecologists, scientists and gardeners voicing concerns about the overall health effects from hybrid plants on their patrons: the pollinators.
Pollinators, such as bees, require nectar and/or pollen as nutrients for themselves as well as for their unborn bees. Hybrids are generally hand pollinated by their manufacturer rather than by the bees and other pollinators who depend on them.
Are we starving the bees? Are we unknowingly starving the pollinators and our precious ecosystem too? Are we unaware that each time we plant another one of those perfect looking, unsustainable hybrid plants that we are actually hammering another nail in their coffin... and ours too?
Like fast food chains, hybrid plants and flowers have slowly popped up everywhere and are in everyplace; and just like the nutritionists and doctors who voice concerns about the overall health effects from fast food chains on their patrons, so too are ecologists, scientists and gardeners voicing concerns about the overall health effects from hybrid plants on their patrons: the pollinators.
Pollinators, such as bees, require nectar and/or pollen as nutrients for themselves as well as for their unborn bees. Hybrids are generally hand pollinated by their manufacturer rather than by the bees and other pollinators who depend on them.
These fast food hybrids lack proper nutrition for
pollinators. Hybrid plants, especially those of the F1 variety, lack the
sufficient nectar or pollen that hungry bees and other pollinators
require.
Pollinators eat from hybrid plants but they do not receive the
proper nutrition needed to maintain overall health. These mass-produced
plants populate our garden centers, greenhouses, city landscapes and
gardens and have contributed to the decline of bees, butterflies, birds,
even pests and all of their predators too.
When our pollinators starve
our ecosystem starves.
Are we starving the bees? Yes, but they are
not the only starving pollinators. Bees are the most recognized
pollinators because gardeners interact with them almost on a daily
basis. When bees are absent, gardeners take notice.
Many other
pollinators depend on a nourishing menu of nectar and/or protein rich
pollen too. Real organic, open-pollinated plants, both domestic and
wild, have gradually been replaced by ones that are not.
Today's
pollinators live in a world spread with unsustainable hybrids,
genetically modified plants and flowers, toxins and pesticides.
The
rise in manufactured hybrid plants and the decline in open pollinated
plants have stripped the pollinators of a well balanced menu. The lack
of plant diversity, increase in corporate uni-crops and destruction of
natural landscapes have all been devastating for pollinators and all the
other creatures who depend on them. Our peace-loving pollinators are
losing the battle.
Planting a diverse array of multi-seasonal,
true organic, open pollinated flowers and crops is one way to prevent
starving the bees while at the same time nourishing our entire
ecosystem, but it isn't the only one. It's one that we can all participate in whether you're a window box gardener, a landscape artist or a farmer.
If you're looking for even more information about hybrids, pollinators and our ecosystem please visit Heirlooms Organics & Hybrids Happy Gardening!
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