Pollinator Conservation Actions for Winter

If you live in the Southern Hemisphere or in the tropics, along the equator – we encourage you to spend time outside observing insect pollinators, as the warm weather this time of year is prime season for pollinator activity.

However, with colder weather approaching in the Northern Hemisphere – we hope you will consider pollinator conservation actions you can take in the winter.

One important step you can take is creating and preserving nesting sites for bees in the outdoor spaces where you live. According to the Xerces Society, a leading insect conservation organization “the availability of nesting and overwintering habitats is one of the most important factors influencing populations of native bees and other beneficial insects”. While many traditional landscaping practices encourage the removal of dead flower stalks and leaves – cavities in these plants provide critical shelter for some insect pollinators during the cold winter months.

While your observation of pollinators may decline over the coming winter months, there are still actions you can take to ensure healthy pollinator populations.

Learn more from the Xerces Society about their Save the Stems initiative and pollinator friendly landscaping practices here: https://www.xerces.org/publications/brochures/save-the-stems

Please also continue contributing observations to the Global Pollinator Watch project! Your observations provide important data about pollinator presence, diversity, and phenology (seasonal and climate-related behavior).

All the best!
The Global Pollinator Watch Team

Posted on 14 de novembro de 2022, 07:10 PM by apins