ENVIRONMENT
By Yanira Pineda
E
very day, thousands of winged workers, nursers, drones — even the most regal of queens — enhance Miami Beach’s natural beauty through the wonder of pollination.
This occurs in backyards, public parks and along the city’s iconic coastline — wherever there are nectar-rich flowers. Many residents never notice what are essentially tiny honey factories inside hollowed out gumbo limbo trees or hidden among the creeping railroad vines that kiss Miami Beach sand dunes with their delicate purple flowers. But that may soon change as city officials have teamed up with the Miami Beach Botanical Garden to show some love for the under-appreciated honeybee and the role it plays in making Miami Beach a more beautiful place. “The botanical garden provided a unique opportunity to use a rescued hive that was relocated from their gazebo back in 2019,” according to Daniel Calzadilla, a member of the South Florida Beekeeping Association and founder of Bee Wranglers. With Calzadilla’s expertise and funding from a Miami Beach Rising Above Grant, the Miami Beach Botanical Garden now hosts its very own apiary, a place where bees can produce their honey while the public gets a better understanding of the important roles that honeybees play. The facility holds educational workshops and features a pollinator garden amid the flowering trees, orchids, philodendrons and more than 100 palm species on the 3-acre site. “This past year, the same hive was brought back along with another nucleus colony to start the apiary,” Calzadilla explained. “We now have a total of four thriving hives. Each colony can host up to 20,000 bees.” The South Florida Beekeeping Association created a mentorship program and has hosted multiple workshops at the botanical garden to promote urban apiary science. Facilitators offer tips to visitors on how to plant and attract beneficial pollinators at home. Anyone who visits the Miami Beach Botanical Garden during the April 22 Earth Day celebration can take home a free pollinator plant while supplies last.
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MB magazine | Spring 2021
Also known by their scientific name of Apis mellifera, honeybees search for nectar in flowers. The nectar is taken back to beehives and converted into honey. The process plays a major part in helping flowering plants and trees reproduce throughout Miami Beach. Since plants cannot move around on their own, they rely on the wind and pollinators, such as bees, to spread their pollen grains through pollination, which is the transference of pollen grains from male flowers called anthers to female flowers called stigmas. Bees pick up the pollen and transfer it from plant to plant as they fly about their daily routines. Other pollinators include butterflies such as the monarch (Danaus plexippus) and birds like the hummingbird (Archilochus colubris). Pollinators are responsible for assisting more than 90% of flowering plants reproduce. They are essential in contributing to the biodiversity of ecosystems and maintaining the global food supply. Without pollinators, we would be in big trouble. Shouldering such an important role in the environment, pollinators must be protected as much as possible. Here are some things everyone can do at home to show some love for pollinators: • Eliminate chemicals and pesticides from gardens. • Create a pollinator garden with native plants and trees. This can even be done on a balcony. • Attend workshops at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden to learn more about native plants and pollinators. • Spread the word. Tell your friends and family about the importance of honeybees. For more information on the amazing pollinators, visit: www.mbrisingabove.com/pollinators www.mbgarden.org
