www.sare.org publications managing-alternative-pollinators appendix-a-managing-parasites-and-disease-in-solitary-bee-operations Appendix A: Managing Parasites and Disease in Solitary Bee Operations Eric Mader, Pollinator Outreach Coordinator, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation Leafcutter and mason bees share many of the same enemies. Their parasites and diseases appear with regularity in many operations and can significantly reduce bee numbers unless controlled. The severity of these problems depends upon individual management practices, region, and contamination levels of initial bee […]
www.sare.org publications managing-alternative-pollinators chapter-ten-habitat-conservation-for-native-pollinators pollinator-conservation-in-natural-and-restored-areas Pollinator Conservation in Natural and Restored Areas As with farm settings, pollinator protection in natural areas should begin with macro-level land planning. Old meadows and overgrown pastures tend to have higher pollinator diversity than shaded areas like coniferous woodlands. Conservation efforts for pollinators should focus on areas of present and potential diversity. Because habitat of this type is now highly fragmented, emphasis […]
www.sare.org publications managing-alternative-pollinators chapter-ten-habitat-conservation-for-native-pollinators pollinator-conservation-in-farm-settings Pollinator Conservation in Farm Settings Protecting pollinators in agricultural settings begins with whole-farm planning. The layout of fields, woodlots, and waterways all influence the density and diversity of beneficial pollinating insects. Most wild bees for instance only forage a short distance from their nest—often less than 200 yards (~180 meters). If the distances between nest habitat and the crops that […]
www.sare.org publications managing-alternative-pollinators chapter-ten-habitat-conservation-for-native-pollinators Chapter Ten: Habitat Conservation for Native Pollinators Eric Mader, Pollinator Outreach Coordinator, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation North America has around 4,000 native bee species. And while bees are arguably the most important group of animal pollinators, they are not the only ones. Countless wasps, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, hummingbirds, and even bats contribute to the pollination of various plants. Around […]
www.sare.org publications managing-alternative-pollinators chapter-nine-the-search-for-new-managed-pollinators beyond-beekeeping Beyond Beekeeping While most of this book has focused on bees, good rearing information exists for many other insect species. For example, vast numbers of fly species— currently assaulted with aerosol cans, bug zappers, and fly swatters—may, in the future, be harnessed as dual-purpose pollinators and biocontrol agents, preying upon crop pests like aphids, and doing our […]
www.sare.org publications managing-alternative-pollinators chapter-nine-the-search-for-new-managed-pollinators ground-nesting-bees Ground-Nesting Bees Perhaps the most underdeveloped aspect of bee culture is the management and conservation of our short-tongued bees—most of which are solitary subterranean nesters. Vast numbers of Halictid, Andrenid, and Colletid bees range the Earth—leading hidden lives played out in small dark tunnels excavated in cliff faces, barren desert ground, or beneath rock surfaces. Few people […]
www.sare.org publications managing-alternative-pollinators chapter-nine-the-search-for-new-managed-pollinators cavity-nesting-bees Cavity-Nesting Bees While the alfalfa leafcutter and blue orchard bees have been the focus of much attention, numerous other cavity-nesting bees have management potential. Most of these bees lack common names and are not well studied, but their nesting requirements are largely understood. A simple way to isolate these wild bees and select new species for future […]
www.sare.org publications managing-alternative-pollinators chapter-nine-the-search-for-new-managed-pollinators Chapter Nine: The Search for New Managed Pollinators Eric Mader, Pollinator Outreach Coordinator, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation Despite the variety of choices currently available, the search for new managed pollinators goes on. Specialty crops often require specialty pollinators, and local conditions often require locally sourced pollinator species. While wild pollinator conservation is a key component to sustainability, managed pollinators will remain necessary […]
www.sare.org publications managing-alternative-pollinators chapter-eight-other-managed-pollinators the-blue-bottle-fly The Blue Bottle Fly (Calliphora vomitoria) With the unsettling scientific name of Calliphora vomitoria, the common blue bottle fly is perhaps our most unusual managed pollinator (Figure 8.6). Even to describe the blue bottle fly as a “managed pollinator” is to stretch the definition of the term since the fly is only an incidental pollinator, and its management practices […]
www.sare.org publications managing-alternative-pollinators chapter-eight-other-managed-pollinators the-shaggy-fuzzyfoot-bee The Shaggy Fuzzyfoot Bee (Anthophora pilipes villosula) Among the least common managed bees in the US is the shaggy fuzzyfoot. This solitary bee is native to Europe and Asia, and is a relatively recent introduction in the US—imported from Japan in the early 1990s by the USDA Bee Research Lab in Beltsville, Maryland. The fuzzyfoot is a fairly large […]