VOA慢速英语--通过种植多样性的植物以保护蜜蜂

In Hard Times, Feed the Bees with a Mix of Flowers

Lack of food throughout the year is a leading cause of the world’s decreasing bee populations.

This is what they sound like when they are buzzing, or flying, around, looking for food.

During some seasons, there just is not enough nutrition in the natural environment to feed all of the bees.

Also decreasing are the diversity and numbers of flowering plant species. Reasons include use of pesticide¹ products and development of what once were rural areas.

Bees, other insects and even some animals act as pollinators. They cause plants to make fruit or seeds. They do this by moving pollen², the yellow substance produced by plants, from one part of the flower of a plant to another.

However, pollen is the only protein that bees eat. They cannot survive without it. Bees also collect nectar from flowers when they bloom. They use it to build their energy while storing it in their stomachs. Later the nectar becomes honey.

How can you help the bees?

What do bees need?

“Plant flowering plants,” says Rebecca Finneran, a horticulture educator with Michigan State University Extension.

She adds, “People often only think of annual flowers as pollinator plants, but trees, shrubs³, perennials⁵, vines and herbs can provide a tasty diet for all types of pollinators.”

The overall pollinator collapse⁶ is worrisome because bees, wasps⁷, flies and butterflies are an important part of growing more than a third of the food we eat.

How to help

Here are some ways you can help.

First, find out what time of year the food supply is low in your area, and decide which pollinators are affected⁸. Next, see which plant species would help them.

You want biodiversity — a nice mix of different plants and animals. Different bees do different things, so it is a good idea to have wild bees as well as honeybees.

North America, for example, is home to over 4,000 species of wild bees. The color, shape and size of flowers each have different ways of appealing to pollinators, Finneran said.

It is important to have “a wide variety to ensure blooms will be available to pollinators throughout the season,” she said. “There is no ‘one size fits all,’ so I like to tell people to be thinking about mixing things up.”

When it comes to dealing⁹ with natural surroundings, less may be more. Let wild, unwanted plants bloom, she says. Use only the smallest amount of chemicals that can weaken or kill bees.

Once pollinator-friendly plants have bloomed, take off the dead flower so they can bloom again. Finneran suggests waiting to cut plants like hostas until they have fully¹⁰ finished blooming.

Pollinators need open ground and untouched areas, where some leave eggs or others raise their young. Do not work over the ground where they are, or clean that area in the fall.

Early spring can be when pollinators have the least amount of food, especially bees, Finneran said. The cold and windy weather makes longer flights difficult for some, she said.

“Later in fall, we see a decline in resources, especially for bumblebees,” Finneran said.

Beautiful flower garden designs may be satisfying, but pollinators do not care how your land looks, she added. Just offer them nutritious¹¹ plants that bloom successively through the seasons.

I’m Anne Ball.

Words in This Story

nectar – n. a sweet liquid produced by plants and used by bees in making honey

diversity – n. the quality or state of having many different forms, types or ideas

horticulture – n. the science of growing fruits, vegetables, and flowers

perennial⁴ – adj. of a plant : living for several years or for many years : having a life cycle that is more than two years long

vine – n. a plant that has very long stems and that grows along the ground or up and around something (such as a wall or tree)

one size fits all – phrase. one style or product would fit different shapes and sizes, usually of people. Not limited to one size.

1 pesticide   

n.杀虫剂，农药

参考例句：

• The pesticide was spread over the vegetable plot.菜田里撒上了农药。
• This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields.这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。

2 pollen   

n.[植]花粉

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。

3 shrubs   

灌木( shrub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gardener spent a complete morning in trimming those two shrubs. 园丁花了整个上午的时间修剪那两处灌木林。
• These shrubs will need more light to produce flowering shoots. 这些灌木需要更多的光照才能抽出开花的新枝。

4 perennial   

adj.终年的；长久的

参考例句：

• I wonder at her perennial youthfulness.我对她青春常驻感到惊讶。
• There's a perennial shortage of teachers with science qualifications.有理科教学资格的老师一直都很短缺。

5 perennials   

n.多年生植物( perennial的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Name six perennials and six annuals suitable for indoor flower arrangement. 列出多年生及一年生花朵各六种，它们必须是适合插花的。 来自互联网
• Herbage can be divided into three categories: annuals, biennials, and perennials. 草本植物可分成一年生、二年生和多年生。 来自互联网

6 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

7 wasps   

黄蜂( wasp的名词复数 )； 胡蜂； 易动怒的人； 刻毒的人

参考例句：

• There's a wasps' nest in that old tree. 那棵老树上有一个黄蜂巢。
• We live in dread not only of unpleasant insects like spiders or wasps, but of quite harmless ones like moths. 我们不仅生活在对象蜘蛛或黄蜂这样的小虫的惧怕中，而且生活在对诸如飞蛾这样无害昆虫的惧怕中

8 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

9 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

10 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

11 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。