Bumblebees and honeybees are undisputed heroes of our climate zone as they are the most important pollinating insects. However, it's worth mentioning that honeybees receive more recognition due to financial considerations - we utilize them to the fullest by not only using their pollination abilities but also producing honey, bee pollen, propolis, and wax, which brings us financial benefits.
On the other hand, bumblebees are mainly responsible for pollinating many economically important plants. In Poland, there are a total of 29 species of bumblebees, all of which are legally protected. This is important because as we traverse the Polish landscape, we often see empty areas of agricultural fields that are unusable for pollinators. In such monocultures, bumblebees and other pollinators lack food diversity, gradually leading to their extinction.
To help bumblebees and other pollinators, we need to take active measures. It's not enough to protect existing habitats; we also need to create new spaces for them, such as flower meadows.
But what makes bumblebees so worthy of support?
๐ Bumblebees are more efficient than honeybees and can even work in worse weather conditions.
๐ They have the ability to pollinate flowers that are out of reach for honeybees, all thanks to their specific mouthparts. Their vibration-induced pollination is a key mechanism that enhances pollination efficiency, resulting in better yields in our gardens.
๐ They can pollinate up to 20-30 flowers per minute.
๐ They also work in challenging weather conditions such as drizzle, fog, or light rain, while honeybees stay in their hives.
๐ They can pollinate flowers whose structure and depth are beyond the reach of honeybees.
๐ A bumblebee can visit up to 6,000 flowers per day.
๐ Only mated females survive the winter, so we mainly see females in spring, which are larger than males.
๐ Bumblebees do not die after stinging and rarely sting.
๐ Bumblebees will avoid flowers that have been excessively fertilized or sprayed with artificial pesticides.
Note! If we want to consciously help these insects, we should sow plants in our gardens that are particularly loved by bumblebees, such as clover, lavender, borage, celery, dead-nettle, vetch, mallow, to name just a few. A bumblebee nest requires 0.5 to 1 hectare of habitat, so even small measures like encouraging neighbors to sow flowers can bring significant benefits to these beneficial insects.
So let's get up and sow!