Rita's Monthly Gardening Tips, July 5, 2013
It is a commonly known fact that you can thank a pollinator for one out of three bites of food you eat. We understand that we need pollinators. We hope for them to create our wonderful bounty of edible crops. We wait for them. We worry about if and when they will come. The service that pollinators provide is part of a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with plants. The bee ensures plant species survival by moving around the male pollen to the female flower. In exchange, the bee receives nectar and pollen to ensure its own survival. Continue reading
Ants are a part of nature, but it is rarely a pleasure to come upon them. Ants and their honeydew-producing insect partners are a well-known example of mutually beneficial behavior. Understanding more about the life cycles and feeding needs of both these insects will help us to come up with a plan for managing their potential destruction in our garden.