Declining Pollinators: How the Shortage of Bees and Insects Affects Fruit Set in Squash, Cucumbers, and Tomatoes

You’ve nurtured your seedlings from day one, watched them climb, flower, and flourish and then nothing. Flowers drop, fruits barely form, and your dreams of homegrown abundance start to wilt. Sound familiar?

More and more growers are noticing this frustrating pattern, and a big part of the problem is happening just above the soil: a shortage of pollinators. The decline in bees and beneficial insects is no longer just an environmental issue, it’s hitting right at the heart of our veg gardens.

Let’s dig into why squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes are so dependent on insect pollinators, how a lack of them affects fruit set, and what we can do to turn things around.

Why Pollinators Matter in the Veg Patch

Pollinators, especially bees, play a vital role in transferring pollen between flowers. For many fruiting crops, this pollination is essential to trigger fruit development. Without it, flowers either drop off or produce tiny, misshapen fruits that never ripen properly.

While tomatoes are self-pollinating, they still benefit greatly from vibration (think: bee wings), and crops like squash and cucumbers rely on pollinators to move pollen from male to female flowers.

Without pollinators, fruiting grinds to a halt.

How Declining Pollinator Numbers Affect Fruit Set

Squash: Plenty of Flowers, No Fruit

Squash plants produce separate male and female flowers. Without bees to transfer pollen between them, female flowers simply drop or produce undeveloped fruits that rot at the base.

Cucumbers: Crooked or Hollow Fruits

Cucumbers need consistent pollination early in flower formation. Poor pollination leads to misshapen or bitter fruits, or worse, no fruit at all.

Tomatoes: Flowers Drop Before Fruiting

Tomatoes can self-pollinate, but they need movement either from wind or buzzing bees to effectively shake the pollen loose. Low insect activity means fewer fruit clusters set.

How to Support Pollinators and Boost Fruit Set

It’s not all doom and gloom. With a few simple steps, we can create a thriving pollinator haven, even in small spaces.

Plant Pollinator-Friendly Flowers

• Companion plants like calendula, nasturtium and viola are not just pretty, they’re pollinator magnets.
  
• Interplant them between veg rows, in containers, or along the edges of beds.

Go Chemical-Free

• Pesticides and herbicides, even organic ones, can harm bees and beneficial insects.
  
• Focus on healthy soil, crop rotation, and companion planting for pest control.

Provide Shelter and Water

• Leave a patch of garden wild for nesting.
  
• Add bee hotels, log piles, or untrimmed corners.
  
• Set out shallow water trays with stones for bees to land safely.

Hand-Pollinate When Needed

• Use a soft brush or cotton bud to transfer pollen between squash and cucumber flowers.
  
• For tomatoes, gently shake the flower trusses or tap the stems mid-morning when pollen is most active.

The shortage of bees and beneficial insects isn’t just a news headline, it’s something we’re seeing firsthand in our veg patches. But every garden, no matter how small, can become part of the solution. By making space for pollinators, reducing harmful sprays, and lending a hand when needed, you can still enjoy abundant, well-formed fruits in a buzzing, balanced ecosystem.