Habitat Loss
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The biggest threat to all pollinators is the loss of habitat. In a big city, we have lots of buildings, houses, sidewalks and streets. Native plants were replaced by all of these human-made structures, and so it is difficult for pollinators to find places to live, make nests, and find food. Bumbles bees nest and overwinter in the ground, so any mowing destroys where they live and spend the winter.
Pesticides
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Many pollinators are considered pests, especially in areas where plants are grown for crops and food. Farmers, the Parks Department and homeowners use pesticides, or deadly chemicals, to kill insects and weeds they don't want in their outdoor areas. Pesticides keep lawns and plants looking good, but they kill pollinators and native plants.
Non-Native Species
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Even though a backyard or park lawn looks beautiful and natural, this grass is not native to NYC. Non-native means that a plant or animal lives in a place that it is not originally from. For example, gardeners may plant exotic flowers because they look beautiful and are fast growing. However, these non-native flowers don't provide food for native pollinators. Studies show that up to 60% of milkweed plants are in decline, which is a problem for the Monarch butterfly, since is is the only plant on which the butterfly lays it's eggs, and the only plant the caterpillar (larva) eats.
Air Pollution
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Some pollinators like bees rely on scent trails to find flowers to collect nectar and pollen. Air pollution can make it difficult for them to locate flowers.
Parasites and Disease
Disease caused by mites has been found in honeybee populations and is thought to be one of the causes of colony collapse disorder. In New York, it is estimated that over 54% of the honeybee population has been killed. Native bumblebees are also harmed by parasites brought in by non-native bumblebees from other countries. The non-native bumblebees are able to fight off the parasites, but native bumblebees die.
Climate Change
As temperatures and weather patterns are changing due to climate change, some plants and pollinators are no longer on the same schedule. For example, some flowering plants may grow and bloom earlier in the season. The pollinators they rely on may not have come out of their overwintering sites, or they might not be adults ready to eat the plant's nectar and pollen. Both the plant and the pollinator lose: the plants don't get pollinated and the pollinator can't find food.
THREATS TO POLLINATORS
Design, Build, and Test a Hand Held Pollinator
A Day without Pollinators
Imagine there were no more pollinators left to pollinate our flowers and plants had no way to grow the next generation! Let's see if we can do the work of agricultural engineers. Agricultural engineers study science, biology, and plants and design technology to solve problems in farming.
Challenge:
You will design, build and test a handheld pollinator that successfully pollinates a model flower.
Criteria:
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use at least 3 different materials
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your handheld pollinator must be able to reach the nectar and collect pollen from one flower and deliver this pollen to another flower
Test it out!
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Dip your handheld pollinator into the model flower
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Place your handheld pollinator over the pollen test paper
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Tap your handheld pollinator 3 times only
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How Well Did it Work?
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Did your handheld pollinator stay together after you used it to pollinate your flower? (It fell apart, only a little fell off, or it stayed together completely)
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How well did it carry out pollen and pollinate the test flower? (It did not carry pollen, it carried a few grains of pollen, it carried some grains of pollen, it carried a lot of pollen)
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If you could redesign your handheld pollinator and change something, what would you change?
Did You Know?
Vanilla flavor comes from the pod of the vanilla plant. Vanilla flowers are pollinated by tiny native bees that are nearly extinct. In order to supply
the world's demand for vanilla
pods and vanilla flavor, most
vanilla flowers are actually
pollinated by people. That's why real vanilla is the second most expensive spice.
Click the photo
to learn more.