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Invertebrates: animals that do not have backbones or spinal columns. The name comes from the name of the bones that make up the backbone or vertebral column, the vertebrae. If an animal is described as an invertebrate, then it is 'without vertebrae'.

Entomophily: pollination by insects.

Entomophilous: plants that are pollinated by insects.

Invertebrate Pollinators are Invaluable

A hummingbird clearwing moth (Hemaris thysbe).  Photo by Bruce Marlin, www.cirrusimage.com
A hummingbird clearwing moth (Hemaris thysbe). Photo by
Bruce Marlin, www.cirrusimage.com.

Invertebrates, such as ants, bees, wasps, beetles, butterflies, moths, flies, mosquitoes, and midges all act as pollinators. In the United States alone, pollination by insects contributes to $40 billion worth of products annually (Reference: The Importance of Pollinators, The Xerces Society).

There are over 3,500 native bee species in the United States. They pollinate many crops including almonds, apples, avocados, blueberries, cantaloupes, cherries, cranberries, cucumbers, sunflowers, and watermelon. Examples of native pollinating bees are sweat bees (Family: Halictidae) which take their name from their habit of landing on people and licking their skin, squash bees (Peponapis pruinosa) which collect pollen only from cucurbits like squash, pumpkins, and gourds, and leafcutter bees (Megachile spp.) which are reported to prefer legume blossoms (Pollinator Profile: Leafcutter Bee, Pollination Canada), are important pollinators of North American wildflowers, and are used commercially as pollinators of crops like alfalfa, carrot, and blueberry.

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