Bee Alert: Sunflower Pollen Has Protective Effects for Bees
Carl Sigel
Global declines in honey and wild bees have been linked to pathogens, climate change, habitat fragmentation, and pesticide use.1 With bee populations in decline, a recent study showed that by feeding sunflower pollen to bumble and European honey bees, they were protected from infection by certain pathogens.2 The study was conducted by researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Thus, planting native sunflowers in our gardens may help to reduce disease and improve the health of these important pollinators, while at the same time provide a food source for insects (pollen) as well as birds and other wildlife (seeds). Future studies by these researchers will examine whether other bee species are protected from infections by pathogens also. Protecting our pollinators is inextricably linked to human well-being through support of our ecosystems and food production.3
Planting native sunflowers in our gardens would be a win-win-win for the pollinators, the birds, and the planet!
References:
1. Woodcock, B. A., et al. Country-specific effects of neonicotinoid pesticides on honey bees and wild bees, Science 356, 1393 (2017).
2. Jonathan J. Giacomini, et al., Medicinal value of sunflower pollen against bee pathogens. Scientific Reports, 8, 14394 (2018).
3. Potts, S. G., et al., Safeguarding pollinators and their value to human-wellbeing, Nature 540, 220 (2016).