ANIMAL
The plight of the pollinators They’re the unsung heroes of our backyards, bushlands and farms, but the birds and the bees (and many other pollinating creatures) need our help. WORDS Beth
Wallace
IMAGE Jo
Howell
T
wo years ago, a Facebook post grabbed global attention, instructing members of the public to leave sugary water outside for tired bees. Supposedly written by Sir David Attenborough, the post claimed that bees were on the brink of extinction and that their future was in our hands. As it turns out, the post had nothing to do with the acclaimed naturalist and its message, though probably well intended, was wrong. The information included in the post, if followed, could have a disastrous impact on bees. Sugar water, although potentially helpful in reviving a single collapsed bee, does not have the nutrients needed to feed larvae and will stop bees from doing their vital job as pollinators, collecting nectar from nearby flowers. Nevertheless, the post did highlight one truth: that bees and their fellow pollinators
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are in trouble. Though European honeybees are probably the best-known pollinators, this diverse group also comprises wasps, butterflies, moths, beetles, ants, flies, birds, flying foxes and Australia’s own native bees – of which we have nearly 2,000 species. Not only do pollinators play a vital role in agriculture, pollinating around a third of everything we eat, they also make an invaluable contribution to the biodiversity of our planet. According to Kate Pearce, Ectotherms Coordinator at Melbourne Zoo, Australia is far behind other countries when it comes to monitoring local pollinator populations. “Especially here in Victoria, we’ve got a lot of work to do to even know what native species are out there, let alone what the numbers would’ve been 250 years ago,” she explains. “Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of funding for taxonomy of invertebrates like pollinators. If you go into your back garden and pick up a beetle, there is a chance it hasn’t been scientifically
