Bees, Insects, Animals

Our community garden area includes an active colony of honeybees. The bees are important as many of the plants require pollination in order to fruit and seed. Bees use the pollen from flowers to make the honey that feeds the hive. The remarkable cross-species synergy between the bee and the plants is one of many that make up any bioregion.

Recently, honeybee populations and other insect pollinators have declined precipitously across North America. Bees have not been surviving the winter and have shown signs of colony collapse syndrome. Many believe that chemical pesticide use in agriculture is a major cause of the bee and pollinator crisis.

Most of the plantings around Genesis Farm are interspersed with small green flags. The flags, which contain no repellents, are simple markers used to encourage deer and other wild animals to refrain from feeding in designated areas. Dr. Jim Conroy, a plant pathologist and founder of Center for Cooperative Biobalance, has been working cooperatively with our farm’s non-human residents.