Conservation officials plead with Missourians to admire pollinators, don’t touch

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The Missouri Department of Conservation has a plea for residents as spring turns to summer and pollinators begin to dance between flowers.

The Department has asked those in and around Missouri to leave pollinators alone and admire them from afar, however, they should do what they can to help them.

Missouri pollinators, which include bugs like bees and butterflies, and even some birds like hummingbirds, pick up pollen when they feed on plants. They then spread pollen to other plants to continue the cycle of life.

If Missourians see pollinators out this season, MDC has asked them to keep their distance as getting too close could have negative impacts.

“A number of pollinating species are in decline,” said Francis Skalicky, media specialist for MDC. “Part of the problem is the use of insecticides. Part of that is just declining habitat, they don’t have the flowers, the native plants they once had, that they need for their lifecycles.”

The MDC has also asked those in the Show-Me State to plant whatever native plants they can to help solve the problem.

Conservation officials noted that pollinators also have an impact on the nation’s economy. A study done by Cornell University found they provide an agricultural value of about $29 billion.