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Benefits of Insects. Pollinators are invaluable!!!. Many different Insects Help with Pollination. Butterflies Flies Honeybees Bumblebees Moths Beetles Wasps. What do they pollinate?. Wildflowers Native Plants Agricultural Crops. Why does Pollination matter?.
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Benefits of Insects Pollinators are invaluable!!!
Many different Insects Help with Pollination • Butterflies • Flies • Honeybees • Bumblebees • Moths • Beetles • Wasps
What do they pollinate? • Wildflowers • Native Plants • Agricultural Crops
Why does Pollination matter? • They help to insure that 75% of the flowering plants in our world are pollinated (i.e. able to make new flowers and reproduce) • They also pollinate up to 75% of our crops that we eat everyday. • Almonds • Squash • Blueberries • Strawberries • Just to name a few.
Honeybees and CCD • What is CCD and why do we need to care about it? • CCD = Colony Collapse Disorder CCD: • Worker bees of hives disappear. No bodies. • Hives are still intact, queens are still in the hive, brood bees are still in the the hive, but NO workers.
When did it start? • 2006 saw some of the first cases with beekeepers losing 30-90% of their active hives. • It is typical for them to lose about 10% over the winter. • Cases were reported in the U.S and in Europe
How does this impact us? • Potential to cause $15 Billion in loses in agriculture. (Stipp, 2007) • Some of our crops are completely reliant on honey bee pollination (Rucker et al, 2011) • Almonds • Pears • Apples • Cucumbers • Seed Veggies (Peas, Beans etc)