Getting Along with Wild Pollinators

Alex SmithManager, Rise Up Farms

Indiana Small Farms Conference, March 6 2015

Humans and bees are

interdependent • Bees pollinate ~75% of

food crops worldwide (Klein et al. 2007)

• Farmers can provide

bees with

– Nesting sites

– Forage

– A non-toxic environment(Kremen 2008)

• Many species of wild crop-

visiting bees (Tuell et al. 2009)

• Can provide ample

pollination in bee-friendly

environments (Winfree et al. 2007)

• Wild bees can be more

efficient pollinators than

honeybees (Canto-Aguilar and

Parra-Tabla, 2000)

Wild bees are good

crop pollinators

• Bumblebees (Bombus spp.)

– Great pollinators of many crops

– Can buzz-pollinate

– Used commercially for greenhouse tomato

– Social (with a queen and workers)

– Nest in the ground or in existing cavities

• Leafcutter bees (Megachile spp.)

– Excellent pollinators, particularly of fruit trees

– Solitary (females care for their broods alone)

– Cut semicircular pieces out of leaves to line their nests

– Nest in existing cavities

• Mason bees / Orchard bees (Osmia spp.)

– Known as great pollinators of fruit trees

– One species (the Blue Orchard Mason Bee) available commercially for orchard pollination

– Otherwise similar to their cousins the leafcutters

• Squash bees (Peponapis pruinosa)

– A principal pollinator of the squash family

– Solitary

– Females nest in the ground; males often sleep in squash flowers!

• Mud bees (Anthophora and Melissodes spp.)

– Noted pollinators of apples and blueberries

– Can buzz-pollinate like bumblebees

– Nest in bare ground

• And many more!

– Giant carpenters

– Tiny carpenters

– Sweat bees

– And others

Wild bees are important for

pollination security

• Colony collapse disorder threatens honeybees (National

Research Council 2007)

• Pollination demand growing while US honeybees numbers decline (Aizen and Harder 2009)

• Pollinator diversity is great insurance

– Decline of one species does not mean loss of pollination (Fontaine et al. 2006)

redcloverblossom.com

Intensive agriculture threatens wild bees (Kremen et

al. 2007)

– Tillage of marginal lands

– Large-scale monoculture

– Use of broad-spectrum insecticides

Wild bees need…

Nesting Sites

Forage resources throughout

their active period

Wild bees need…

Natural areas can help!

• Perennial areas near the field benefit wild bees and boost crop pollination (Steffan-Dewenter

et al. 2002, Kremen et al. 2004, Winfree et al. 2008, Smith et al. 2013)

• Bee-friendly habitat can

include

• Perennial flower

plantings

• Woodland or

windbreaks

• Mowed grassland

• Old Fields

• Wetland areas

Taking the bees’ eye view

• Managing for wild bees means

understanding how bees see your farm

?

My research

Study Sites

• 10 farms in Southern

and Central Indiana

• Situated in a range of

landscapes

• No chemical pesticides

• Diverse vegetable crops

Study Sites

Monitored visitation of bees to cucumber

– Measured diversity of visitors

Measured amount of perennial habitat around the cucumber patch

– At varying distances from the field – from 250 m to 2000 m.

Conclusions

- Fields surrounded by more perennial habitat saw

more visits of wild bees to cucumber

- Perennial habitat within 500 m (1/3 mile) of the

cucumber patch had the biggest impact (Smith et al.

2013)

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0 500 1000 1500 2000

Imp

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hab

ita

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Abundance of wild bees

Proximity of habitat to the field(m)

Take home messages• Wild bees visiting cucumber experience

benefits from perennial areas

• Perennial areas near the field increase

pollinator visits to cucumber

– Likely to increase pollination in many crops

• Setting aside perennial areas on your farm

can increase pollination security

Rise Up Farms

• Xerces Society for

Invertebrate

Conservation

– www.xerces.org

– Practical resources on

pollinator conservation

for farmers

Learn More!