Our Ecosystem’s Tiny Friends

Save the Pollinators

By The Perfect World Foundation. Photo: Private / Street Studios

Bees, bumblebees and other insects might not be as easy to love as majestic elephants or magnificent rhinos, but they are essential for biodiversity and all life on earth.

The school project ‘Save The Queen’ is part of The Perfect World Foundation’s campaign ‘Save the Pollinators’, and was initiated by Amanda Elmander. The project is run by Amanda and her husband, former professional football player Johan Elmander, with great commitment to the cause. For this couple, getting involved in environmental issues came naturally.

‘Save The Queen’ is a great slogan. Which queen are you talking about?

“Queen Bees, as a symbol for the project. The project is about teaching children how important pollinators, like bees, bumblebees and other pollinating insects and animals really are. But the project also aims to increase awareness about the fact that we are all part of a large eco system, where we all depend on each other for our own survival. Insects might not be very cute, and they aren’t generally loved in the same way elephants or gorillas are. Some of us are afraid of getting stung by them or even feel disturbed by them when having summer meals in the garden. So to understand how important they are, and actively participate in the work of ensuring the pollinators well-being, despite the fact that we may not actually ‘like’ them, is an exciting and challenging task. Insects and pollinators are all around us, and pollination occurs everywhere, which means that there are great opportunities to do things here and now, unlike projects with exotic animals that can feel very far from our everyday lives. With the Greta Thunberg ‘movement’, we think it became obvious that children want to get involved and it’s our responsibility (as adults) to show them ways to counteract the environmental problems that we are facing. Both children and adults are suffering from climate anxiety, and a productive way to release some of the stress, we believe, is to focus on solutions and things that we can actually do something about. Pollinators are our neighbours, so we can all help them!”

Both children and adults are suffering from climate anxiety, and a productive way to release some of the stress, we believe, is to focus on solutions and things that we can actually do something about.

How was the project executed?

“Schools in our local region (Gothenburg, Sweden) were invited to participate in a competition to build insect hotels, and to make a short film clip about the importance of pollinators. To learn about pollinators is part of the curriculum for fourth graders in Sweden, so they were our target group.

We visited as many of the schools participating in the competition as we could, and it was an amazing experience to see how engaged the children where in the project. We got a lot of questions that we had to take back to, and ask, our support team at the Gothenburg Botanical Garden. At the end of the project all of the schools submitted their film clips, and it was a lot of fun and hard work to pick a winner from all of the amazing contributions.”

WHAT ARE POLLINATION AND POLLINATORS? Pollinators pollinate around 90% of all flowering plants, which makes up a lot of what we eat, from strawberries to potatoes. When a flower is pollinated, seeds are formed which in turn grow to become new plants. For example, if pollinators don’t visit an apple tree, there will be no fruit on that tree. Bees and bumblebees don’t do all the work – butterflies, beetles, wasps and flies are also important in the pollination process, as are birds, bats and some mammals.

WHAT IS AN INSECT HOTEL? Insect hotels can be very different depending on which insect you want to create it for. The hotel will give insects a place to live, lay eggs, and shelter from the weather, as well as providing a place to hibernate in the winter. There are plenty of insect hotels in nature, but there is a shortage in urban areas, where people like to clean up and keep things tidy.

The hotel can be anything from a pile of grass and leaves to a piece of wood with drilled holes of different sizes. Insect hotels should ideally be in a place with morning sun, and just like us insects need food and water close to home.

Where did the idea for ‘Save The Queen’ come from?

“Part of The Perfect World’s work is to raise funds to support wildlife and nature conservation projects all over the world. But another equally important mission is to raise awareness and share knowledge. We have children ourselves, and through our work with the organization it has become increasingly clear how important it’s for our children to be given the right values so they can protect our planet from the very beginning. Adults are more set in their ways, and they often find it more difficult to be part of change. For children, it comes naturally. You tell them how things are, and what needs to be done, and they are more likely to act accordingly, that’s why we wanted the project to focus on school children… our future pollinator advocates.”

So are you pollinator experts?

“We don’t know as much as we’d like to about pollinators, so it was great to team up with Gothenburg Botanical Garden, who provided support and the educational material. By working together, we could achieve our common goal of increasing awareness about why pollinators are so important.”

AMANDA and JOHAN ELMANDER, ’beesy’ building insect hotels.

Why is it so crucial to take care of pollinators?

“We are seeing rapid and negative changes for our insects, and species are dying out. Without pollinators much of the food we eat will disappear, and biodiversity would suffer. It’s fascinating when you learn more about pollinators to realize how clever nature is. Certain insects and plants live in symbiosis – a specific plant and a specific pollinator are dependent on each other for their own survival, as only this particular pollinator can pollinate this particular plant. Neither of them can survive without the other, and that’s why we have to protect all of our pollinators to preserve our biodiversity… and have access to food.”

What threatens pollinators?

“Pesticides, monoculture and climate change are the major reasons why insect species are dying out. It’s scary that pollinators aren’t taken into account when regulations for pesticides are determined, since we know that we will have nothing to harvest without them. Whether it’s pesticides that are killing bees in Brazil, or heat waves killing bats in Australia, we will all suffer the consequences of vanishing food supply.”

What can we all do to help pollinators?

“If you have a garden… don’t mow the lawn, or at least part of it. Insects love it when parts of your garden are allowed to grow wild, and the lawnmower itself also destroys ‘insect homes’ and potential insect food. You can build an insect hotel. In spring place the ‘hotel’ where there is morning sun, shallow water within reach, and preferably a meadow close by, if possible. Lots of nursery and garden centres sell special planting seeds that are particularly suitable for pollinators. Making an insect hotel is incredibly easy, it could be just not mowing the lawn or keeping, and not burning, some of your garden wastes, as this will create wonderful conditions for insects.

Pesticides are one of the reasons our insects are disappearing. Buying locally grown and seasonal foods means less transportation and less emission, while supporting local growers. For example, by buying locally grown honey, you help beekeepers, bees and the vegetation in the area. If you eat meat, buy it from nearby organic farms, where the animals graze outside and are part of creating viable conditions for insects. Also consider the pesticides and fertilizers you use in your own garden, and make sure they are as organic as possible so they don’t destroy the flourishing natural flora or fauna.”