Pollinators are responsible for providing us with one out of every three bites of food.
Birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles and other small mammals that pollinate plants are responsible for bringing us one out of every three bites of food. They also sustain ecosystems and produce natural resources by helping plants reproduce.
More than 80 percent of flowering plants rely on animal pollinators for reproduction. Pollinators feed on plant pollen and nectar to survive and to raise their young, so plants and pollinators depend on each other. Seeds, nuts, fruits and berries produced from pollination are also used by a vast array of wildlife. In Ohio, the primary pollinators are native bees, honeybees, wasps, flies, butterflies and hummingbirds. Sometimes beetles and other insects perform this important duty, too. Though bats in Ohio are not pollinators, bats play an important role in pollination in the southwest where they feed on agave and cactus.
When a pollen grain moves from the anther (male part) of a flower to the stigma (female part), pollination happens. This is the first step in a process that produces seeds, fruits and the next generation of plants. This can happen through self-pollination, wind and water pollination, or through the work of vectors that move pollen within the flower and from bloom to bloom. Pollination ensures that a plant will produce full-bodied fruit and a full set of viable seeds, and in some cases it increases genetic diversity to strengthen the genetic make-up of the plant.
Any animal that moves pollen from flower to flower is called a pollinator. Birds, bats, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, small mammals and bees are pollinators. They visit flowers to drink nectar or feed off of pollen and transport pollen grains as they move from spot to spot.
Worldwide, roughly 1,200 plant species grown for food, beverages, fibers, spices and medicines need to be pollinated by animals in order to produce the goods on which we depend. Foods and beverages produced with the help of pollinators include apples, blueberries, chocolate, coffee, melons, peaches, pumpkins, vanilla, and almonds, to name a few. In our area, alfalfa, melons, soybeans and tomatoes are some of the crops that rely on honey bees and native bees for pollination. In the U.S., pollination by honey bees, native bees, and other insects produces $40 billion worth of products annually.