- What do pollinating insects do in the garden?
- List of native insect pollinators
- Support pollinators in the garden
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Pollinator insects are essential in our garden. But which insects are pollinators? We clarify.
Many people know that insects play a central role in our gardens. In fact, only a few people know that there are numerous other pollinators in addition to the well-known bees and bumblebees. These are particularly important, because wild plants in particular cannot be pollinated by every insect, but on the contrary are dependent on certain pollinating insects. It is all the more important to be aware of the diversity of pollinators. In our article we will tell you which pollinators there are and why they are so essential for us.
What do pollinating insects do in the garden?
Even though many pollinating insects are often tiny, their importance for the garden is particularly great. In fact, over 80% of our domestic crops and wild plants depend on pollination by insects. In the context of zoophilia, i.e. pollination by animals, the male pollen (which contains sperm cells) from a plant is transported to the female plant organ (stigma). This forms the basis for the formation of seeds and fruits. This means that pollinating insects are not only essential for the reproduction of numerous plants, but also make an indispensable contribution to our diet. Especially in the vegetable garden, pollinators are indispensable, because only pollinated plants produce large, he althy fruits.
List of native insect pollinators
Pollinators come in all imaginable colors and shapes. Of course, the honey bee is particularly well known, but butterflies, bumblebees and other insects are also important pollinators in domestic gardens. But not only insects can be pollinators: Did you know that pollination by birds or even bats is also possible? Especially in tropical areas, they play an important role in the pollination of plants. You can find out below which pollinating insects are particularly widespread and important to us.
1.honey bee
Honey bees (Apis) are among the best-known pollinators of all. No wonder, after all, the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is not only a useful pollinator insect, but also produces delicious honey. Living in associations with about 20,000 other bees, honey bees are very social animals living in fixed colonies. From about 10 °C and only in good weather, the hard-working little animals fly out and go in search of nectar and pollen. The honey bee proves to be a generalist: Almost 80% of all plants that depend on cross-pollination can potentially be pollinated by bees - this means that the honey bee is one of the most important pollinating insects both in the garden and in agriculture.
In addition to the honey bee, there are also numerous wild bee species that are also pollinators. The biggest difference to their famous relatives lies in their lifestyle: almost 95% of wild bees live solitarily, i.e. do not form a colony. In Germany alone there are almost 560 different wild bee species, with the smallest species, the narrow bee (Lasioglossum calceatum), not much larger than a grain of rice, while the blue carpenter bee ( Xylocopa violacea), on the other hand, grows to almost three centimeters. Although wild bees are relatively unknown to laypeople, they are of particular importance for the garden: It is assumed that two thirds of the pollination work in Germany is carried out by wild bees - this means that wild bees are at the forefront of pollinating insects. The reason for their good pollinator performance is the fact that wild bees often fly in cooler temperatures and even in light rain, while honey bees stay in the hive in this weather. Mason bees in particular are considered to be reliable bad weather pollinators, which reliably fly to apricots and cherries in particular. But many wild plants also benefit from wild bees, as some of them have specialized in native plants - for example, the bryony sand bee (Andrena florea) only collects the pollen of the native bryony flower ( Bryonia).
3. Bumblebees
Although bumblebees (Bombus) also belong to the wild bees, they are much better known and also more popular than many other wild bee species. In addition to her almost chubby appearance, she is particularly concernedpeaceful creature for sympathy with many gardeners. As a pollinator, however, the bumblebee is characterized above all by its robust nature. It flies from as little as 3 °C, defies even small amounts of precipitation and can be on the road for up to 18 hours. With their long proboscis and strong build, bumblebees can even pollinate plants like the deadnettle (Lamium) that are inaccessible to other pollinating insects. The bumblebee is particularly popular with vegetable gardeners: it not only pollinates tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) and potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) better than the bee thanks to its vibration collecting , but it is also considered the most important pollinator for clover (Trifolium), peas (Pisum sativum) and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris ).
4. ButterfliesButterflies (Lepidoptera) are not only a welcome guest in the garden because of their pretty appearance - many species of butterflies also do a good job as pollinating insects. In fact, butterflies can often pollinate plants that are inaccessible to other pollinators. Thanks to their proboscis, they are able to suck nectar from tubular flowers that are up to 40 millimeters deep. Many butterfly species are often highly specialized and only visit a few selected plant species. But not only butterflies are active as pollinators, moths are also among the pollinators and can fly to long-tube flowers. They are among the main pollinators of honeysuckle (Lonicera), but also target other long-tubed flowers such as Scots honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum).
5. Hoverflies
For many people, flies are just annoying insects that are of no use whatsoever. However, this assumption does not apply to hoverflies (Syrphidae). In fact, the small flying artists are extremely important pollinators. Adult hoverflies feed exclusively on nectar and pollen, making them one of the most important pollinators alongside bees. Dung bees (Eristalis tenax), for example, can be found on almost all flowering plants, but are particularly effective pollinators of umbelliferous flowers and bulbous plants. Hoverflies are considered to be particularly robust, so they often continue to pollinate when other pollinating insects have given up. In addition, some hoverflies can be used in the fight against pests: The larvae of the common winter hoverfly (Episyrphus b alteatus), for example, eat reliablyAphids.
Tip: The distinction between monoecious, dioecious and hermaphroditic plants is closely related to fertilization. You can find out what this is all about in our special article.
6. BeetleBugs (Coleoptera) come in all shapes and sizes. It is therefore not surprising that some of them are also active as pollinators. However, gardeners often dislike beetles as pollinators. The reason for this is their chewing-biting mouthparts, which they use to pick up pollen but at the same time severely damage the flowers. Although this often looks ugly, it is not a problem for beetle flowers, as they often rely on a large number of flowers. Plants that are particularly well pollinated by beetles include water lilies (Nymphaea), but also tulips (Tulipa) and magnolias ( Magnolia).
7. Wasps
Wasps (Vespinae) are feared by many people due to their painful sting. Many forget that this insect is also a useful pollinator. In fact, adult wasps feed mostly on nectar, pollen, and honeydew. Some plants, such as figwort (Scrophularia) or ivy (Hedera helix), have even adapted specifically to pollination by wasps and show particularly short, easily accessible flowers. Since wasps mainly collect for their own use, but not for raising their brood, they are usually found in autumn and are important pollinators for late-flowering plants.
Support pollinators in the garden
Pollinator insects are indispensable in the garden because they ensure that the plants are fertilized. However, the number of insects is falling steadily because they lack the right habitat and suitable food plants. The best way to support pollinating insects is to have a plentiful supply of food in the garden: Various insect-friendly perennials and shrubs, native wild plants and the selection of plants with different flowering times serve as a good basis for an adequate supply of food for beneficial insects. On the other hand, rock gardens, large lawns and bee-unfriendly plants should be avoided in your garden as much as possible. So that as many pollinating insects as possible find their way into the garden, it is important to have a wide range of differentto offer plants. Insect-friendly seed mixtures that contain different plants for different pollinating insects are therefore perfectly suited.
But also the renunciation of chemicals and the use of organic fertilizers and sustainable soil ensure that a garden is designed to be more insect-friendly and thus attracts more pollinators.To find out how you can further support pollinators, read our article "Insect-Friendly Garden: Tips for more biodiversity".