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Many of Vermont’s pollinator species are in peril, and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department would like to share a few simple suggestions to greatly benefit our essential pollinator species.
“The majority of our flowering plants need pollinators in order to produce seeds,” said Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department zoologist Mark Ferguson. “Vermont is home to hundreds of species of pollinators from bees to butterflies to beetles and other bugs that play a vital role in pollinating our flowers, trees and food crops. These insects are responsible for pollinating 60 to 80 percent of Vermont’s wild plants and play a critical role in the propagation of fruits and vegetables in gardens, wild berry patches, commercial berry farms, and apple orchards.”
But many pollinator species in Vermont are in trouble. Habitat loss, invasive species, single-crop farming, disease, and pesticides are a few of the threats affecting populations of these insects across our state. Vermont’s native bees, including over 300 unique species and three that are threatened or endangered, are among our pollinators being impacted the most.
A recent examination of our 17 different bumble bees compared recent observations with historical collections and concluded that several species have drastically declined or disappeared from Vermont, including the Rusty-patched Bumble Bee.
To better understand not only the number and diversity of our native bee species, but also their distribution and population trends, the department and partners are conducting a three-year study of Vermont bees. Vermont Fish and Wildlife is working closely with the Vermont Center for Ecological Studies (VCE) and is inviting any members of the public interested in contributing to this data collection to send their bee observations to iNaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.org/).
Vermonters can also help conserve our native bees and other pollinators with a few simple household considerations:
You can also ensure the viability of Vermont’s pollinators by contributing to Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s habitat conservation projects though the Vermont Habitat Stamp program: https://vtfishandwildlife.com/node/225
To learn more about Vermont’s pollinators and additional ways to help, please visit https://vtfishandwildlife.com/node/191 or contact Mark.Ferguson@vermont.gov.
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Media Contact: Mark Ferguson 802-279-3422; Mark Scott 802-777-4217