Do you make a grocery list before going shopping? What's on your list? Maybe some nice, fresh produce. You plan to fill your cart with juicy, red strawberries, crisp apples, plump tomatoes, and an avocado to make guacamole. Now head on over to get some coffee for that much needed morning brew. And don't forget some almonds to munch on and chocolate for your sweet tooth.
But when you enter the store and head for the produce section, you stand there confused. Half of the shelves are empty. There are no apples, or other fruit grown on trees, like pears, plums, and cherries. There are no blueberries. And the strawberries and blackberries are terribly small. When you head to the nuts hoping for a crunchy snack, there are no almonds, cashews, or Brazil nuts. And sorry, no coffee . . .or chocolate.
What's going on? All these foods, and many others, need animal pollination to reproduce. Without this needed activity, many of our favorite foods will disappear.
Why the Need for Pollination?
Since plants can't move around like animals, they depend on outside help to reproduce and make seeds. The dusty-yellow pollen from the male part of the flower has to get to the female part of the flower.
Some plants don't need any help from animals to move their pollen. Corn and wheat have light pollen that is easily blown by the wind. But many of our other favorite foods have pollen that is too heavy to be blown by a breeze.
When a creature lands on a flower to lap up some of the sweet nectar, the pollen gets stuck to their body. So when they fly to another flower, some of that pollen is deposited onto the new flower. A match is made, the flower is fertilized, and food begins to grow.
And we may think that if one pollinator disappears, another will step up to do its job. That's not the way it works. Each one plays a part and has a specific job to do.
Different flowers have different colors, shapes, and smells. A long, tubular flower is perfect for hummingbirds, not so much for a fat, little bumblebee. And some flowers need "buzz pollination", where a bumblebee vibrates its wings at a specific musical note to release the pollen. A honeybee can't do that.
Meet the Pollinators
When you think of a pollinator, you probably first think of the honeybee. And while they are the best known of the buzzing bees, they are not the only ones that pollinate our food.
Bees of all kinds - Besides honeybees, there are thousands of species of wild and native bees, like bumblebees, mason bees, and leafcutter bees. Many native bees are faster and more efficient at pollinating certain crops than honeybees.
Beetles and Flies - Beetles were actually some of the first pollinators, starting millions of years ago. Some species of flies are also pollinators, especially in cooler weather.
Birds - Some birds, like hummingbirds, sunbirds, and honeyeaters pollinate our food supply, mostly some of our favorite tropical foods like bananas, papaya, and nutmeg.
Bats - Yes, the nights belong to the bats. In tropical and desert climates, bats are essential for some plant pollination. If you like tequila or mezcal, you should appreciate the bats.
The Crops that Need Their Help
These are some of the major food groups that would have a hard time existing--or even cease to exist--without these pollinators.
Out of the Orchard - Do you love a good, crunchy apple? Or how about a juicy peach that drips down your chin? Tree fruits are heavily dependent on animal pollination. Apples, peaches, plums, pears, cherries, and almonds need help from these friendly insects to reproduce. California grows around 80% of the world's almond supply and needs around 50 billion bees every spring to keep up with demand.
Berries and Vines - Forget blueberry pie. Your strawberry shortcake and morning smoothies will look pretty blah. Do you like grape jelly? Or a nice glass of wine? Or cranberry sauce? Grapes and most berries need insect pollination to reproduce, or at least to grow bigger and better fruit.
Into Autumn - If you tend to a garden, many of the fruits and vegetables depend on these insects. Cucumbers, watermelons, cantaloupes, and squash like pumpkins and zucchini rely on animal pollination. Even tomatoes and peppers produce larger, healthier fruit with help from bees.
C and C - That would be coffee and chocolate (cacao). Two staples in my life. Coffee plants produce more beans when bees help with pollination. And cacao is almost completely dependent on a tiny fly called a midge. No midges, no chocolate!
A Partnership to Protect
Pollinators do an extreme amount of work for our planet and our food supply. All they ask for is some of that sweet nectar. By knowing how much we depend on them, we can appreciate and be thankful for their service in keeping us fed.