How native pollinators are handling the drought, and how you can help

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — As the drought continues to affect hundreds of people throughout the state, it’s reasonable to wonder how it’s impacting our ecosystem—including pollinators.

12 News spoke with The Newbees , Xian Coby, Paxton Coby and Mike Lamp, to further investigate how the lack of rain is affecting the food chain through the tiniest lense.

“Honeybees are really important insects because we utilize them for their pollination services that allow us to produce the crops that we all enjoy at the table every day, at least one-third of our food product,” Xian said. “Apart from that, honeybees are our window into our natural ecosystem and our other native insect species. We can infer that if our honeybees aren’t doing so well, there’s a reason for that, and it’s likely affecting other insects in the area.”

Native pollinators include more than 2,000 bee species, as well as others that you may not expect like wasps, moths, beetles, and even bats.

With the current drought, native pollinators are struggling for food resources, which is why you may find a few species, like the wasp nest on your front porch, a little more aggressive than normal.

High temperatures and water stress can affect the quality and amount of pollen, and just like humans, pollinators can get frustrated when their meals aren’t fulfilling or nutrient dense.

“Pollinators are what we would consider a keystone species, they’re very small, and you would think that they are rather insignificant, but really, they’re what’s holding up all of life,” Mike Lamp said. “They affect our air quality, they affect our water quality, and they affect our plant quality. Pollinators are in touch with every aspect of human life, so without pollinator life, there is no human life.”

Through observation of the honeybee, it has been found that with the lack of proper nutrition and quality food sources, honeybees will starve despite the amount of helping hands within the colony. From that it is safe to assume that other pollinators may also do the same.

However, there are ways to assist pollinators in the heat, such as setting up water stations around your yard, or even creating a designated area in your yard as a pollinator area, leaving it untreated and untouched.

Though they’re small they are mighty, and Newbee Paxton Coby shared a piece of advice with 12 News that may have you thinking on a bigger scale.

“You have to think your personal actions as the same,” Paxton said. “Every time you spray pesticides, every time you spill the trash or dedicate a portion of your lawn to wildlife habitat and food, it makes a really big difference, especially if we all, you know, continue to share and, kind of, have an overall goal of keeping a healthy environment and making sure we’re doing what’s best for all of us.”

You can keep up with all the buzz behind The Newbees by visiting its website or through its social media platforms which can all be found here .

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