Kentuckians can take steps in their own backyards to help keep fruits and vegetables on their tables. Lexington Rotary Club members got a few growing tips late last week.
Without pollinators University of Kentucky Entomologist Dan Potter told Rotarians there would be very little to eat except meat and grains. The decline in bee populations is well documented. When it comes to honey bees, Potter said colony losses average about 40% annually. Although it means additional costs for beekeepers, Potter added honey bee colony numbers in the U.S. remain stable. “They can buy new colonies. They can re-queen colonies and such. So, it’s an economic problem for honey beekeepers, but there’s no indications that honey bees are on the verge of extinction or anything like that,” said Potter.
Mites are a big threat to honey bees and Potter said loss of habitat is hurting native bees.
Potter suggests planting flowers to boost bee activity. The UK insect specialist said planting additional milkweed is key to aiding another pollinator, the Monarch butterfly.
Adding flowers to vegetable gardens is one way to help bees pollinate fruit and vegetable plants. That’s according to Fayette County Horticulture Extension Agent Jamie Dockery who offered a number of tips to Lexington Rotarians last week. And the extension agent said some flowering weeds in the yard can be a good thing. “I can plant a lot of plants in the beds on my property and that’s fairly easy to do, but I will always have way more lawn area than my landscape beds and I suspect many of you are in the same boat. Well, a lawn full of dandelions is going to do so much more bloom wise than a couple of plants in my beds,” explained Dockery.
Dockery noted clover is another ripe location for pollinating bees. He added many homeowners don’t appreciate the patchwork appearance of clover in their yards.
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