It’s All Connected

We love birds, bugs, and bees!

On any given day at the WVC you will run into a variety of things with wings, feathered friends, and creepy crawlies covering the farm. Don’t worry- we invited them to stay!  In fact, the Sisters of Providence love our pollinators so much that we have designated several pollinator habitats across our properties! At the WVC farm, we intentionally forgo harvesting entire flower crops so that we may “feed” our helpful bee, bird, and bug friends. 

Our beekeeping partner is Wabash Valley Bee Club. They provide bees which help pollinate our crops. We provide a safe place for their bees to thrive without the threat of chemical pesticides and herbicides that can cause harm. For some of our crops, it’s essential to have bees. Food like: cucumbers, summer & winter squash, and melons depend on them!

WVC flower production acts as a great conduit for pollinators. It serves as “food” for them, which attracts more to our fields, and our other crops. The flowers also provide habitat, especially for native bees, which often aren’t colony based, but rather solitary. They will literally sleep in flowers overnight, then get up the next morning to do great work.

Also, some pollinators, most notably wasps, are also beneficial in that they prey and parasitize bugs that are harmful to our crops.

As ever, it’s all connected. We can, and should, live in harmony and symbiosis with pollinators. That’s how agriculture can succeed, long term. That’s part of true “sustainability.”