JANESVILLE, Wis. — The Hedberg Public Library in Janesville put on a display Monday to mark the start of National Pollinator Week.
Organizers hope the display will teach people more about bees and their role in the food chain. While native bees are some of the most helpful pollinators, they’re some of the least understood, and declining bee populations can have substantial effects.
“Because bees tend to fly very short distances — most bees live their entire lives within a few hundred feet of where they’re born — people really can make a difference in making those bees make a comeback,” said Ruth Flescher, a master gardener volunteer at the library.
While many people may know about honeybees and bumble bees, they may not know about the 400 other bee varieties, she said.
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There are ways to entice them to a garden.
“The most important thing, number one, is cut back or eliminate the amount of pesticides that you might use in your yard or on your garden,” she said. “Sometimes that’s not practical, in which case you do your best to use the least toxic thing and to apply it in the best way.”
Gardeners can also help by planting native plants — and a wide variety of them — to support the widest possible number of pollinators.
Plant native plants to help support them. Plant for variety to support the widest number of pollinators.
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