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Supporting the reproduction of pollinators through a garden dance: Difference between revisions
Supporting the reproduction of pollinators through a garden dance (view source)
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:Solitary bees, wether they belong to the Osmia or Andrenidae family, won’t miss their chance: a bare soil, liberated from mankind’s urge for productivity, is ideal ground for digging their burrows in. After mating, the fluffy females will reach the end of the tunnel and lay a ball of pollen and nectar called bee bread; then an egg; then a wall made of soil or chewed leaves; a ball of bee bread; an egg; a wall; and so on until they’ll reach the doorway of their nest.<br> | :Solitary bees, wether they belong to the Osmia or Andrenidae family, won’t miss their chance: a bare soil, liberated from mankind’s urge for productivity, is ideal ground for digging their burrows in. After mating, the fluffy females will reach the end of the tunnel and lay a ball of pollen and nectar called bee bread; then an egg; then a wall made of soil or chewed leaves; a ball of bee bread; an egg; a wall; and so on until they’ll reach the doorway of their nest.<br> | ||
:During winter, these few eggs now confined in the warm soil will transform into pupaes, then in adults, thanks to the feed carefully provided by their mothers. Then, stepping out of their burrows at the beginning of spring, the bees will, at last, taste the fresh nectar of the melliferous flowers formerly sown on the half strip of naked soil. By foraging, from one flower to another, the solitary bees will contribute to the pollination and reproduction of surroundings plants and trees, with a much greater yield that of the well-known honey bee.<br> | :During winter, these few eggs now confined in the warm soil will transform into pupaes, then in adults, thanks to the feed carefully provided by their mothers. Then, stepping out of their burrows at the beginning of spring, the bees will, at last, taste the fresh nectar of the melliferous flowers formerly sown on the half strip of naked soil. By foraging, from one flower to another, the solitary bees will contribute to the pollination and reproduction of surroundings plants and trees, with a much greater yield that of the well-known honey bee.<br> | ||
:She or he who will have made room for solitary bees will be astonished by the politeness of these flying hosts, as they will contribute, thanks to their number and diversity, to intensify the biodiversity of local pollinators. To that end, the yield of a single crop | :She or he who will have made room for solitary bees will be astonished by the politeness of these flying hosts, as they will contribute, thanks to their number and diversity, to intensify the biodiversity of local pollinators. To that end, the yield of a single crop could, in average, increase by 20%.<br> | ||
:If we consider honey bees for the delicacies their hives produce, let us not forget their solitary cousines who also are part of the ecosystems of Brittany. The world’s biomass of insects is currently loosing annually, on average, 2.5% of its total. This number is akin to the impact of the Spanish flue, repeated every year, on the insect population. This decline is not exclusive to honey bees, it is a crisis which impacts all pollinators, from flies to butterflies. Though without them, humans wouldn’t be able to produce two third of the plants they cultivate.<br> | :If we consider honey bees for the delicacies their hives produce, let us not forget their solitary cousines who also are part of the ecosystems of Brittany. The world’s biomass of insects is currently loosing annually, on average, 2.5% of its total. This number is akin to the impact of the Spanish flue, repeated every year, on the insect population. This decline is not exclusive to honey bees, it is a crisis which impacts all pollinators, from flies to butterflies. Though without them, humans wouldn’t be able to produce two third of the plants they cultivate.<br> | ||
:We also bet on the potential of this strip of naked soil to foster the settlement of hosts, less directly of use to us. Among the animals that can be found in the soils of Brittany, we hope to see the <i>Sultzer purseweb spider</i>, a small mygalomorph spider living in a burrow, ambushed in its silk sock. A more humid soil could help see appear the swamp cricket who hides in cracks in the soil when it doesn’t sing. We could also see the <i>Gryllotalpa</i>, who is more shy: this rare insect, half between a mole and a cricket, sings from the tunnels it spends most of its time hidden in. | :We also bet on the potential of this strip of naked soil to foster the settlement of hosts, less directly of use to us. Among the animals that can be found in the soils of Brittany, we hope to see the <i>Sultzer purseweb spider</i>, a small mygalomorph spider living in a burrow, ambushed in its silk sock. A more humid soil could help see appear the swamp cricket who hides in cracks in the soil when it doesn’t sing. We could also see the <i>Gryllotalpa</i>, who is more shy: this rare insect, half between a mole and a cricket, sings from the tunnels it spends most of its time hidden in. | ||