University of Minnesota...Mason bee Syrphid fly Bees at the University of Minnesota • Bee lab is...
Transcript of University of Minnesota...Mason bee Syrphid fly Bees at the University of Minnesota • Bee lab is...
University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC)
Morris, MN
Who are Pollinators
• Bees have been slowly dying over the last 50 years
• Since World War II, managed bee hives in the US
have dropped from 4.5 to 2 million
• Bee keepers are currently losing 30% of their
colonies each year
• Over 90% of all flowering plants and over 75% of the
staple crop plants that feed humankind rely on animal
pollinators
Multiple and Interacting Causes of Bee Death
• Flowerless landscape
• Diseases/parasites
• Monoculture-landscape dominated by
corn and soybeans
• Pesticides-residue collected on bees
they then bring home to their hives
Pesticide Concern
• A new class of
insecticides called
neonicotinoids was
recently introduced
• This a systemic
insecticide-absorbed
through the plants
vascular system, which
makes the entire plant
toxic to insects
• Works well for
unwanted pests but the
chemicals go into the
nectar and pollen that
pollinators need
• Chemical may persist
for years
What can we do:
• Plant bee friendly
flowers without using
pesticides
Pollinators Touch our Lives
Every Day • Role in flowering plant
reproduction and production
of most fruits and vegetables
• When bees have good
access to nutrition, humans
have better access to good
nutrition through their
pollination services
• Every third mouthful of food
we eat, directly or indirectly,
depends on honeybee
pollination
Attracting Beneficial Insects Just who are we talking about here?
Bumble Bee Honey Bee
Attracting Beneficial Insects Just who are we talking about here?
Carpenter bee
Leafcutter bee
Sweat bee
Mason bee
Syrphid fly
Bees at the University of Minnesota
• Bee lab is the only research
program in MN, WI, IA and
the Dakotas
• These states are the top
honey-producing regions in
the US
Marla Spivak and her group are
focusing on:
• Promoting health of bee
pollinators
• Breeding bees for resistance
to disease and parasites
• Discovering the benefits of
propolis (bee-collected plant
resins) to bee and human
health
Monarch Butterflies
• November 1st, Mexicans
celebrate the “Day of the Dead”,
and is also traditionally the day
that millions of monarch
butterflies fly into Mexico
• This year, for the first time in
memory, the monarch butterflies
didn’t come on this day
• Last year’s low of 60 million now
seems great compared with the
fewer than three million that
have shown up so far this year
What can we do to Help
• Managing roadsides for bees
and butterflies will create
important habitat for wildlife
• With 4 acres of open space lost
to development every minute,
roadsides are too important to
be neglected
• Roadsides in the U.S. cover
more than 10 million acres of
land and support valuable
habitat
Finding Solutions
Restore Habitat • Make choices around your
home to restore habitat for
endangered pollinators while
beautifying our own lives and
surroundings
• Eliminate a certain percent
of turf grass to some kind of
pollinator habitat
• Create bee nesting blocks
Garden Nest sites
• Create a stone pile for
overwintering pollinator insects
• Leave some patches of bare
ground for ground-nesting bees
• Wood-nesting bees are
attracted to stumps, dead
standing trees, or other plants
with hollow stems
• Bumble bees may nest in old
rodent burrows, under thick
grasses, in brush piles or in
stone walls
Diversify Your Landscape
• Bees rely on different types of
flowers to supply them with food
• Certain flowers provide only
pollen which is a main source of
protein while other flowers
provide both nectar and pollen,
providing both protein and
carbohydrates
• If allowed to bolt (go to flower),
unharvested garden vegetables
such as radishes, broccoli, basil
and carrots can support
numerous bees
Bee balm
Monarda fistulosa
Plants for Minnesota Bees
• Native plants are 4
times more attractive to
native bees than exotic
flowers
• Colors that particularly
attract native bees are
blue, purple, violet,
white and yellow
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea spp.
Plants for Minnesota Bees
• Plant flowers in clumps.
Where space allows, make
the clumps 4’ or more in
diameter
• Bees are all different sizes,
have different tongue
lengths, and will feed on
different shaped flowers.
Providing a range of flower
shapes means more bees
can benefit
Plants for Minnesota Bees
Sunflower
Helianthus spp.
Joe-pye weed
Eupatorium maculatum
Plants for Minnesota Bees
Pussy Willow
Salix discolor
Autumn Joy Sedum
Hylotelephium telephium
Diversity of Plants Flowering
all Season
• Providing a diverse
array of plants will help
ensure that you support
a diverse array of bee
species
• Do your best to provide
blooming flowers from
April to September
Blazing Star
Liatris spp.
Attracting Hummingbirds to the
Landscape
• Include clumps of bright red,
orange or pink flowers, such as:
columbine, bleeding heart, coral
bells, and bee balm or sweet
william, nicotiana and lavender
• Plants with red, tubular flowers
are particularly attractive to
hummingbirds. Try trumpet vine,
scarlet runner bean, cardinal
vine or dropmore scarlet
honeysuckle
• Preferred trees and shrubs
include: crabapple, birch,
Siberian pea shrub and currant
Attracting Native Pollinators
• Comprehensive guidebook on
how to protect and encourage
the activity of North American
native pollinators
• Written by the Xerces Society,
an international nonprofit
organization that is leading the
way in pollinator conservation
• This book presents a thorough
overview of the problem along
with positive solutions to
maintain healthy plant
communities, provide food for
wildlife, and beautify the
landscape with flowers
University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center
Morris, MN
Steve Poppe
Horticulture Scientist
The Horticulture Display Garden is
located to the east of the University of
Minnesota Morris campus. Look for the
wind turbines to guide you.
For more information, please visit
http://wcroc.cfans.umn.edu