By JoAnne Skelly — I recently finished a terrific book called A Sting in the Tale, My Adventures with Bumblebees by Dave Goulson. He’s the founder of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in Great Britain.
As the jacket of the book claims, “A fascinating travel memoir that will alter the way you think about the bumblebee.” It definitely opened my eyes to the wonders of the bumblebee and its critical importance in the world.
A graduate of Oxford University, Professor Goulson is a well-known and respected conservationist who has also written A Buzz in the Meadow, The Natural History of a French Farm, which I plan to read next.
Our contemporary gardening/landscaping styles can be terrible for bumblebees, other bees and other wildlife. Decking, gravel, hardscape and even our manicured lawns provide no life support. Many modern bedding plants, while beautiful in color, shape and size, have lost their nectar or pollen. Another factor is that in breeding for large sizes and shapes, they may have changed too much for bees to access the nectar or pollen.
For example, according to Goulson, wild pansy is popular with bumblebees, but their cultivated cousins are ignored. Many hybrids are sterile with no pollen. Double flowers’ extra petals prevent bee entry into the flowers. Many of the instant splashes of color so beloved by us all have lost their original function of attracting pollinators.
However, we can make a difference by changing our gardens for the better. “There are many flowers which are easy to grow and that are also great for bees,” says Goulson. Think old-fashioned perennials and herbs such as lupines, hollyhocks. scabiosa, lavender, chives, sage, thyme and so on. I can confirm that bees love my oregano, and bumblebees are thoroughly enjoying the Russian sage. Goulson writes “A wildlife-friendly garden does not have to be a chaotic mass of nettles and brambles.”
A single container, window box or small bed with a lavender plant or two can attract bumblebees, even in urban environments. He recommends planting comfrey, viper’s bugloss, foxgloves, columbines and others to feed the bees. It is important to support a diversity of wildlife.
“We need worms to create soil; flies and beetles and fungi to break down dung; ladybirds and hoverflies to eat greenfly [aphids]; bees and butterflies to pollinate plants; plants to provide food, oxygen, fuel and medicines and hold the soil together; and bacteria to help plants fix nitrogen and to help cows digest grass” (Goulson). The interactions of living creatures on earth are complex and we have barely begun to understand that complexity. Saving a bumblebee may be more important than you know.
The book is quite enjoyable and well worth reading.
— JoAnne Skelly is an Associate Professor and Extension Educator, Emerita, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. She can be reached at skellyj@unr.edu.
