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Heirloom Tomatoes and Native Bees

Watercolor, ink, and digital media, 2024

Heirloom_Tomatoes_And_Native_Bees_Claire_Loon_Baldwin.jpg

Did you know that native bees are essential for pollinating tomatoes?

Unlike European honey bees, native bees use “buzz pollination”, vibrating at a special frequency to release the pollen in tomato flowers.

The Rusty Patched Bumble Bee is one such native pollinator, but it’s endangered, and hasn’t been spotted in Maine since 2009. You can help protection efforts by keeping an eye out and documenting sightings on iNaturalist, planting a pollinator-friendly garden, and saying no to pesticides.

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