Supporting Pollinators on Laura Johnson

Supporting Pollinators on

Diversified Farms

Laura JohnsonUVM Extension Pollinator Support Specialist

November 3rd, 2021MOFGA Farmer to Farmer Conference

Thank You

Goals, partners, and engagement

Gund Institute for EnvironmentPollinator Field work in Vermont

• Studying the effects of pollinator plantings at solar installations, on dairy farms, and in other agricultural settings.

• Long-term monitoring of Native Bees in the Intervale

• Working with Audubon Vermont to develop and pilot a “Bird and Bee-Friendly” Certification Program.

Session Topics • Intro to pollinators and those likely found on diversified farms in the Northeast

• Squash and pumpkins, pollination and pollinators

• Habitat options

Can’t talk about pollinators without talking about the “fruits” of their labor!

Crop pollination

• Yield• Quality

• Size• Weight• ShapeImages, credit:

Delaplane et al. https://doi.org/10.3896/IBRA.1.52.4.12

Let’s meet the pollinators that make successful fruit and seed development happen.

7 Groups of Pollinators

Bees

Moths

Butterflies

Flies

Beetles

Wasps

https://www.pxfuel.com/es/search?q=Alimentador

Birds

Endangered, threatened, or of special concern in New England:

• Numerous beetles

• 58 moths and butterflies

• 6 bumble bees

• Loss of habitat and resource diversity

• Pests and pathogens

• Pesticides

• Climate change

Threats

The VT Wild Bee Survey, a project of the Vermont Atlas of Life. • Document the past and present wild bee fauna of the state. • Building a comprehensive list of all ~330 species • Assessing the conservation status of most species. • Disseminating our findings through an online atlas, which now

includes a page of bees most associated with farms and gardens!

Spencer Hardy VT Center for EcoStudies

Bees

• 20,000 wild worldwide• 4,000 in US• 330+/- wild bee species in

Vermont.

Value of all pollination services in US by bees estimated to be $18 billion. Wild bees $3 billion.

*Bees contribute 80% of all pollination services, while other groups contribute 20%.

What about bees makes them such good pollinators?

Bee?Bee?

Managed Bees vs. Wild Bees

Honey Bees

Livestock

6 value added hive products sold commercially:

honey, pollen, royal jelly, beeswax, propolis, and venom

• A colony will have roughly 15,000 –20,000 pollinating bees.

• Hives stocked at a rate of 1-3 hives for Cucurbita crops every 1 acre.

• $185-200/colony

Honey bee pollination

90% (of 20,000 worldwide) are solitary.

70% of 20,000 live underground.

1. Cool, rainy, and windy, can lead to poor pollination. Many tolerant of temperatures 5-10°F lower and active in variable conditions.

2. More efficient, 3 flower visits by HB vs 1 bumble bees (2). Higher yield and quality

3. A good inve$tment. Consistent pollination from the beginning to the end of bloom. (3)

Wild bee pollination

Blitzer et al. 2015

Wind pollinatedRequire animal

mediated pollinationBenefit from animal mediated pollination

• Corn• Wheat• Tomato• Pepper• Eggplant• Grapes

• Tomato• Pepper• Eggplant• Grapes

Pollination for marketable harvest

• Pumpkin• Squash• Melon• Cucumber• Apples• Peaches• Plums• Cherries• Blueberries• Brambles• Strawberries

*List not all inclusive, excludes harvest for seed, and does not explicitly consider parthenocarpic crops.

Do not require pollination

• Lettuce• Spinach• Cabbage• Carrots• Beans• Potatoes

Bee pollination in squash and pumpkin

Single plant is self-fertile and produces single sex flowers

Image source: https://gardenprofessors.com

Squash and pumpkin pollination

Squash and pumpkin pollination

Multiple bee visits per female flower during a single morning.

• Un-pollinated, flowers abort• Poorly pollinated flowers yield small,

misshapen fruits (e.g. above, pinched tips, curved fruits).

Photo: Jim Cane, USDA, ARS

In the Northeast US, squash and pumpkin flowers are visited by at least 38 species of bees. Just a few species account for most flower visits.

Brochu KK, Fleischer SJ, López-Uribe MM (2021). Biology and pollination services of the squash bee, Eucera (Peponapis) pruinosa. Penn State Extension (Booklet) https://lopezuribelab.com/squash-bee-biology.

Five common bees to be discussed:Honey beesBumble beesSquash beesSquash cuckoo beesGreen sweat bees

Who are the bees?

Nesting site as way to classify:

• ground nesters

• cavity nesters

• tunnel nesters

Specialists vs generalists

Solitary vs social

Uncommon vs common

Short vs long distance fliers

Graphic credit: Penn State University, Biology & Pollination Services of the Squash Bee, 2021.

Honey bee Cavity nester

Common squash pollinators-Bee profiles

Graphic credit: Penn State University, Biology & Pollination Services of the Squash Bee, 2021.

Bumble bee

Common squash pollinators-Bee profiles

Graphic credit: Penn State University, Biology & Pollination Services of the Squash Bee, 2021.

Graphic credit: Book, Bumble Bees of North America

Cavity nester

Bumble bee

Common squash pollinators-Bee profiles

Graphic credit: Penn State University, Biology & Pollination Services of the Squash Bee, 2021.

Graphic credit: Book, Bumble bees of North America

Cavity nester

Squash bee

Image credit: Lopez-Uribe Lab at Penn State, https://lopezuribelab.com/squash-bee-nest-location/

Common squash pollinators-Bee profiles

Image credit: Salvador Vitanza, PhD. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.

6”-9” in depth

Graphics credit: Penn State University, Biology & Pollination Services of the Squash Bee, 2021.

Ground nester (along with 70% of ALL bee spp!)

Squash Cuckoo bee Nest type-ground

Common squash pollinators-Bee profiles

Graphic credit: Penn State University, Biology & Pollination Services of the Squash Bee, 2021. Photo credit: Lopez-Uribe Lab at Penn State,

https://lopezuribelab.com/squash-bee-nest-location/

Image courtesy of Margarita Miklasevskaja at PCYU with funding from NSERC-CANPOLIN

Ground nester (along with 70% of ALL bee spp!)

Parasitic bee to the squash bee, so you’ll find these bees in the same place! Many of these means a healthy squash bee population.

Common squash pollinators-Bee profiles

Sweat bees (some)Ground nester

(sometimes rotted wood)

Graphic credit: Penn State University, Biology & Pollination Services of the Squash Bee, 2021.

Photo credit: Pascal Gaudette. https://www.flickr.com/people/doundounba/

Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/12998263693

2021 Observations

Habitat for well-bee-ing

Safe nesting sites.

Adequate food (flowers all season!) with access to clean water.

Cavity nesting sites for bumble bees

Ground nesting sites for squash, squash cuckoo, and sweat bees

Tunnel nesting sites for species like mason bees – maybe not squash, but important in berry an tree fruit production!

Habitat for well-bee-ing

Safe nesting sites.

Adequate food (flowers all season!) with access to clean water.

Flowers will support generalist bees when the crop is not in flower, making pollen and nectar available before and after squash or pumpkin bloom.

Annual Flowering Cover Crop Strips

Mustard

Image source: https://cfgrower.com/floral-strips-in-cucumber-fields/

Image credit: SARE Cove Cropping for Pollinators and Beneficial InsectsBuckwheat

Buckwheat and phacelia mix

Sweet alyssum

Attract generalist bees, like honey, bumble, and sweat bees

Sunflower, sorghum, oat mix

Annual Flowering Cover Crop Strips

Attract generalist bees, like honey, bumble, and sweat bees (and long horned bees, pictured here)

3-yr rotation cover to cash

White clover-all season flowerRye - nurseAustrian peas - spring flower

Short-term Perennial Flowering Cover Crop

Strips

Attract generalist bees, like honey, bumble, and sweat bees

Perennial inter-seeded alleyways with flowering forageClovers

Frost seed (non-sandy soil)No-till drill (all soils)

Attract generalist bees, like honey, bumble, and sweat bees

Dual purpose flowering crop strips

Attract generalist bees, like honey, bumble, and sweat bees

Perennial strips between high tunnels

Haskap-early flower, catch cropWild flower planting prep with perennial fruit tree or shrub strip.

Attract generalist bees, like honey, bumble,

and sweat bees

Perennial meadows and field edgesManagement options, where possible:• “No Mow May” initiative for pollinator conservation• Leave wildflowers standing until hard frost• Rotationally mow meadows each fall, leaving 2/3rds standing

Attract generalist bees, like honey, bumble, sweat bees, and many others that have co-

evolved with wildflowers!

Distance to crops Common flight distances…Honey bees: 3 milesBumble bees: 2 milesSquash bees: ¼-1 mileSweat bees: +/-300ft(no more than 500)

A football field length of 360 feet is a good rule of thumb for pollinator habitat distance from crops needing pollination.

THANK YOU

[email protected] Extension Pollinator Support Specialist

PH. 1-802-476-2003 ext. 222