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NJ Envirothon 2014 Current Issue:
Sustainable Local Agriculture/Locally Grown
Presented by Kelly Gill Pollinator Conservation Specialist, The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Partner Biologist, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Learning Objective 5:
Knowledge of the role pollinators
play in farming and ways to attract
them
Study Guides:
• Sustaining Native Bee Habitat For
Crop Pollination
• Native Bee Benefits
NJ Envirothon 2014 Current Issue
Photo: Nancy Lee Adamson
Why Care About Pollinators?
Photo: Matthew Shepherd
What is pollination?
Pollination is the transfer
of pollen grains from the
anther to stigma of the
same or another flower
Photo: Steve Javorek, Agriculture Canada
Pollination: A Quick Reivew
Insect Pollinators: Ecological Keystone
More than 80 percent of
flowering plants (~240,000 sp.)
require an insect to move pollen.
Photo: Eric Mader
Benefits to wildlife
• Pollinator-produced fruits
and seeds comprise 25%
of bird and mammal diets
• Pollinators are food for
wildlife (e.g. 89% of birds
feed on insects)
• Pollinator habitat is
compatible with the needs
of other wildlife, such as
songbirds
USDA-NRCS
© Sierra Vision Stock
© NRCS Jeff Vanuga
Photo: Kelly GiIl
Insect Pollinators: Ecological Keystone
Pollinators provide an ecosystem service that
enables plants to produce fruits and seeds.
• 35% of crop production, worldwide
• $18 to $27 billion worth of crops in U.S. ($217
billion worldwide)
• One in three mouthfuls of food and drink we
consume, and most of our nutrients
Pollination and Human Nutrition
Photo: USDA-ARS/Peggy Greb
Morse RA, Calderone NW. 2000. The value of honey bees as pollinators of U.S. crops in 2000. Bee Culture 128: 1–15.
Klein et al. 2007. Importance of pollinators in changing landscapes for world crops. Proc. R. Soc. B 274: 303-313.
Photo: USDA-ARS/Peggy Greb
Pollination and Human Nutrition
Photo: Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods With Bee-Pollinated Crops
Photo: Whole Foods Market
...and Without Bee-Pollinated Crops
Photos: James Cane; Jeff Adams; Dana Ross; Bruce Newhouse
Main Groups of Pollinators
Photos: Mace Vaughan, Bob Hammond, David Inouye, Bruce Newhouse
Photo: Nancy Adamson
Bees: The Most Important Pollinators
• Collect and transport pollen
• Forage in area around nest
• Flower constancy
Photo: Robert W. Matthews, University of Georgia; Bugwood.org
Honey Bees Are Not Typical Bees
Reliant on a single pollinator
experiencing many problems
• 50% decline in managed hives
since 1950
• Disease, pests, genetics
• HABITAT LOSS
Photo: USDA-ARS/Scott Bauer
Honey Bee Declines
Varroa mite
(Varroa destructor )
Native Bee Diversity
Photo: Rollin Coville
North America: 4,000 species
East: ~700 species
New Jersey: ~400 species
Photos: David Cappaert; Mace Vaughan; Rollin Coville; Edward S. Ross
Recognizing Bee Diversity
Photos: Bruce Newhouse; Edward S. Ross; Rollin Coville; USDA-ARS/Jack Dykinga
Recognizing Bee Diversity
Photo: Stephen L. Buchmann
Recognizing Bee Diversity
Photo: USDA-ARS
Contribution of Native Bees to Crop Pollination:
80+ species visit berry crops in New England
100+ species visit apples in NY and PA
100+ species visit blue berries in MI
100+ species visit cranberries in WI
60+ species visit tomato, sunflower, watermelon in CA
Bee Diversity = Sustainable Pollination
Bee Diversity = Sustainable Pollination
Photos: Nancy Adamson
• Once common bumble bees in
the Eastern U.S.
• Now gone from most of its
historic range
• The decline may be caused by
a pathogen introduced from
commercially reared bumble
bee colonies
Images: Johanna James-Heinz and The Xerces Society
Pocket identification guides
available
For more information, visit:
www.xerces.org/bumble-bee-
citizen-monitoring/
Rusty Patched Bumble Bee
Yellow Banded Bumble Bee
Bumble Bee Declines
Photo: Paramount Farms
Even as bees decline, crop acreage
requiring bee pollination grows
• 300% increase in global cropland
requiring bee pollination since 19601
1 Aizen MA, LA Garibaldi, SA Cunningham, AM Klein. 2008. Long-term global trends in crop yield
and production reveal no current pollination shortage but increasing pollinator dependency.
Current Biology 18:1572-1575.
Pollination and Crop Security
Three Broad Groups of Native Bees
Photos: Mace Vaughan, Rollin Coville, Elaine Evans
Bumble Bees (social)
Tunnel-
Nesting
Bees
(primarily
solitary)
Ground-Nesting Bees
(primarily solitary)
Photos: Dennis Briggs
Life Cycle of a Solitary Bee
Mining bee (Andrena sp.): a year
in its underground nest as egg,
larva, and pupa before emerging to
spend a few weeks as an adult.
70% of native bee species
• Resemble ant-nests from above
• Often on exposed ground
• Sandy to loam soils preferred
but some will nest in clay too
Ground Nesting Solitary Bees
Photos: Eric Mader, Jim Cane, Matthew Shepherd, and Jennifer Hopwood
Photos: Mace Vaughan
Reduce disturbance
• Tillage
• Traffic
Limit obstructions
• Landscape fabric
• Thick mulch layers
Provide and Protect Nest Sites
Photo: Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society)
Nest Sites: Ground Nesting Bees
Photos: Edward Ross, Darrin O’Brien, Matthew Shepherd
30% of native bee species
• Nest in hollow or pithy plant stems,
beetle borer holes, man-made
cavities
• Nest tunnel partitions constructed of
mud, leaf pieces, or sawdust
Nest Sites: Tunnel Nesting Bees
Hollow stem example:
Silk cocoons with dormant bees inside Mud cap closure
Larva Pupa Adult
Pollen mass Egg Mud wall
Cross-section of silk cocoons
Nest Sites: Tunnel Nesting Bees
Protect cavity nests
• Protect snags wherever
possible
• Plant / maintain woody shrubs
or plants with pithy stems
(boxelder, elderberry, cane
berries, etc.)
Provide and Protect Nest Sites
Bumble Bees (Social)
Photos: Elaine Evans, Nancy Adamson
45 species in U.S.
• Social colonies founded by single queen
• Annual, last only one season
• Nest may contain 25-400 workers
• Nests in abandoned rodent burrows or
under lodged grasses
Photos: Anne Berblinger; Mace Vaughan
Life Cycle of a Bumble Bee Colony
Winter: Hibernating queen
Spring: Queen
establishes
nest and lays
eggs
Summer: Colony peak
Early Fall:
Males
leave nest,
then new
queens
leave to
find a mate
Fall: Mated queens
seek overwintering
sites, founding
queen dies
Illustration: David Wysotski
Early
Summer:
Worker
females help
grow the
colony
Photos: Mace Vaughan, Matthew Shepherd, Bonnie Carruthers
Protect bumble bee nests
• Maintain field borders
• Un-mown areas
• Establish bunch grasses
• Conserve brush piles
Provide and Protect Nest Sites
Photo: Kelly Gill
Plant selection criteria
• Bloom throughout the year
• Abundant pollen and nectar
• Preferred by bees
• Native vs. non-native
• Create large blocks of flowers
Plant and Protect Forage Patches
Photos: Elaine Haug NRCS, Matthew Shepherd; Mace Vaughan, Eric Mader, Jeff McMillan NRCS, Berry Botanic Garden, Nancy Adamson
maple
(Acer)
false indigo
(Baptisia)
goldenrod
(Solidago)
willow
(Salix)
mountain mint
(Pycnanthemum)
aster
(various genera) blazing star
(Liatris)
Pollinators need a succession of bloom: spring, summer, and fall
Forage Patches: Bloom Period
Photos: Derek Ramsey, Julie Anne Workman, Valerie Chansiquad, C T Johansson, Scott Seigfreid
Forage Patches: Spring Bee Plants
Photos: Sarah Foltz Jordan, Kelly Gill, Nancy Adamson
Forage Patches: Summer Bee Plants
Photos: Scott Seigfreid, Nancy Adamson, Kelly Gill, Jose Luis Galvez
Forage Patches: Fall Bee Plants
Native trees / shrubs
• Pussy willow
• Red maple
• Hawthorn
• Blueberry
• Basswood
• Raspberry
• Viburnum
• Elderberry
• New Jersey Tea
Photo: Mace Vaughan
Forage Patches: Woody Plants
Non-native plants
• Red clover
• White clover
• Alfalfa
• Buckwheat
• Basil
• Borage
• Hairy vetch
• Catmint
• Cosmos
• Annual sunflower
• Oregano
• Russian sage
• Siberian squill
Photos: Mace Vaughan, Eric Mader, Nancy Non-native bee plants clover
Forage Patches: Garden Plants
Photos: Adam Varenhorst
Forage Patches: Butterfly Host Plants
Photos: Mace Vaughan, Paul Jepson, Mario Ambrosino
Conservation Biological Control
• Many of the same flowering
plants that support pollinators
also support predatory and
parasitic insects.
Syrphid fly drinking
raspberry nectar
Soldier beetle
Parasitoid wasp
Ladybird beetle
Forage Patches: Many Beneficial Insects
Forage Patches: Native Plants Are Best
Garden varieties can look pretty but
may offer little or no nectar or pollen.
Photo: Matthew Shepherd
Pesticides cause significant
damage to pollinator insect
populations
• Avoid use
• Use active ingredients with least
impact on bees
• Consider formulation
• Label guidelines only apply to
honey bees
• Don’t spray on plants in bloom
• Spray at night and when dry
Protecting Pollinators from Insecticides
*
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/
abstract.php?seriesno=PNW+591
• Also used on ornamental
plants, and lawns
• Level of application is much
greater than on crops (up to
120x), which increases the risk
to pollinators
• Avoid use on pollinator-visited
plants in yards, parks (e.g.
maple trees, linden trees,
roses, etc)
• Check with your nursery to
make sure perennial plants you
purchase have not been
treated with neonicotinoids
Photo: Matthew Shepherd
Protecting Pollinators from Insecticides
Organic-Approved Pesticides?
• Pyrethrins = Dangerous for Bees!
• Spinosad = Dangerous for Bees!
• Beauveria bassiana = Dangerous!
Okay when not directly applied to
bees (i.e. non-blooming crops or
at night):
• Insecticidal soap
• Horticultural oil
• Neem
Photo: NRCS/Toby Alexander
Protecting Pollinators from Insecticides
Photo: Gary Casabona
Forage Patches: Pollinator Meadows
Photos: Joe Fahey and Don Keirstead
Forage Patches: Wildflower Strips
Photo: Rachel Long (UC Davis, Coop Ext.)
Forage Patches: Pollinator Hedgerow
Forage Patches: Gardens
Forage Patches: Urban Meadows
More information: www.xerces.org
Photo: Nancy Lee Adamson
Take Action: Bring Back the Pollinators
www.xerces.org
Contact information:
Kelly Gill, [email protected]