Categories
Pollinator News 2022

Devastating News About Monarch Butterflies

As of today 7-21-22 comes Devastating News About Monarch Butterflies. We thought we were seeing a bounce back, but now the monarch is on the red list.

Devastating News About Monarch Butterflies
Devastating News About Monarch Butterflies

Since my last post about Monarch Butterflies, new numbers have come out showing a seventy-two percent decline in Monarch Butterfly numbers. We are thinking that our current climate crisis plays a big part in their decline.

Nick Haddad, Michigan State University biologist states that he can see how quickly the Monarch Butterfly could become extinct. Monarch Butterflies spend winters in the mountains of Central America and make a long migration journey to North America for breeding and laying of eggs.

I don’t know about you, but I haven’t seen their migration at all in the last three years. I do however remember the last time I saw the Monarch’s going south, and that was 2019. That was the last time I saw Monarch’s migrating, which by the way was something I looked forward to seeing every year.

Now the Monarchs need help from Humans. Here are a few things we can do.

Milkweed

Providing habitat for the Monarch Butterfly to lay their eggs on is a great start. Milkweed is the plant on which the Monarch Butterfly lays her eggs.

Therefore, planting Milkweed in your landscape would help. Another important thing we all could do to help the Monarch and other pollinators is to stop spraying insecticides to kill mosquitos. Even if they say it’s natural, it still kills any pollinator that touches it.

Donate

Donating to Bee For Life Foundation is another way to help, not only Monarch Butterflies but other pollinators as well. We would use your donations to Educate the public about the decline causes and other concerns of our pollinators, as well as building and maintaining Sanctuaries and Organic Gardens for all pollinators.

This year, one of our plans is to plant as many Milkweed plants as possible. With your help we can help all pollinators together! Please donate often, and thanks for your help with this mission.

Categories
Pollinator News 2022

Urban Area Bee Decline

A frequently asked question we have received the last three years is, “Where are all the bees!” We will go over the Urban Area Bee Decline.

Written by: Bee For Life Foundation

Urban Area Bee Decline
Urban Area Bee Decline
Donate

It’s not just Honey Bees that are missing from urban gardens, sightings of Bumblebees, Sweat Bees and Butterflies have been down Nation-wide.

Noticeably, urban beekeepers have been losing strong colonies at a alarming rate. The question is why, what is going on, is it climate change or something more ominous.

Urban Area Bee Decline
Urban Area Bee Decline

The ecosystem we rely on, also relies on pollinators to keep it productive. Bees and other flying insects are responsible for making food for humans, but animals and bird alike.

Dr. Gouldson’s paper shows a seventy five percent decline of flying insect populations in Europe. Yet, it is not just a European phenomenon, pollinators have been disappearing Worldwide and will have devastating effects on our environment and food supply.

Well, here is a major reason for the outrageous pollinator loses. No, mosquitos are not killing the other pollinators, but Man is killing the mosquitos.

An all out attack is under way to delete mosquitos from urban areas. Not only do municipalities spray pollinator hazardous chemicals, now they have private mosquito killing companies spraying what they claim is all natural mosquito killing spray.

So, what’s in this magic, all natural bug killing substance. It is a mix of vegetable oil and essential oils, on of which is lemon grass.

Beekeepers use lemon grass oil to attract bees so that spray is designed to attract pollinators. Also in the mix is permethrin, a synthetic pesticide used to kill insects that touch it.

Worse of all, these private mosquito sprayers are spraying this stuff on open flowers and do not inform area beekeepers of the spraying, which is a federal violation. Permethrin is known to cause colony collapse.

Categories
Planting For Pollinators

Crepe Myrtles For Bees

One of our most liked summer flowering tree is the Crepe Myrtle. Looking  to incorporate Crepe Myrtles For Bees in your landscape?

Crepe Myrtles For Bees
Crepe Myrtles For Bees

Lagerstroemia, named after Magnus von Lagerström. Better known as the Crepe Myrtle, a beautiful summertime bloomer that attracts many pollinators. In the South this tree provides nectar and pollen at a time when nothing else is in bloom.

We call this the Summer Dearth (a scarcity). Many insect pollinators would starve this time of year without flowering plants or gas station trashcans.

Crepe Myrtles For Bees

One way a non beekeeper can recognize a dearth is when hundreds of honey bees converge on gas station and home trashcans. Pollinators are looking for simple carbs and there are no plants blooming.

Anyway, Crepe Myrtles bloom from early summer to the first frost which fills the nectar gap in our local plant species. A great choice for anyone wanting a pollinator landscape.

Crepe Myrtles For Bees
Crepe Myrtles For Bees

Not a native plant to America, Crepe Myrtle are native to parts of Oceania, northern Australia, southeast Asia and India. Found in Southern United State in municipalities landscapes.

Crepe Myrtles come in many different colors and are tolerant of most soil types. Crape Myrtles prefer full sunlight, but can handle some shade.

Crepe Myrtles For Bees

Although Crepe Myrtles are champions of the South’s brutal summers, The great Texas freeze killed quite a few exposed trees. Including Crepe Myrtles.

There is a lot of misinformation on the net about bees only working the White Crepe Myrtle. Simply not true, I have personally seen all sorts of bees sucking the flowers dry on all colors of Crepe Myrtles.

Any Questions you may have please use our contact page. Also, check out our purpose statement

Image by huey3800 from Pixabay

Quick tips for Crepe Myrtle care. They don’t need much, just some fish emulsion once a month. that’ll get em growing fast. Also, cut the suckers off. To continue the bloom just cut the seed heads off.