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From: California Farm Bureau Federation Ag Alert<br><br>
<a href="http://www.cfbf.com/agalert/AgAlertStory.cfm?ID=1147&ck=A1D50185E7426CBB0ACAD1E6CA74B9AA">
http://www.cfbf.com/agalert/AgAlertStory.cfm?ID=1147&ck=</a>
A1D50185E7426CBB0ACAD1E6CA74B9AA<br><br>
<h1><b>Farmers work to encourage native bee habitat</b></h1>Issue Date:
October 8, 2008 <br><br>
By Christine Souza<br>
Assistant Editor<br><br>
With honeybee populations weakened by disease and the mysterious malady
known as Colony Collapse Disorder, farmers place new focus on work to
benefit native pollinators. Decisions by farmers and ranchers to replace
bare ground along irrigation ditches and roadways with native plants,
trees and grasses, in order to encourage beneficial insects and eliminate
weeds, have evolved into a movement to bring native bees back to the
farming landscape. <br><br>
Farmers in Yolo County--the epicenter of this work--have partnered with
various organizations to lead the way in protecting populations of native
bees and restoring native bee habitat. <br><br>
"The overall goal is to increase the capacity of these farms to
support native bees for crop pollination," Mace Vaughan said. He
directs the Pollinator Program for the Xerces Society, a non-profit group
dedicated to conserving invertebrate species.<br><br>
"All of these growers recognize that they need the proven
consistency of honeybees, but with honeybees under threat, people are
starting to look for an insurance policy and part of that insurance
policy is increasing the capacity around the farm to support native bees
that provide that pollination service," Vaughan said.<br><br>
Gio Ferrendelli, farm manager for Muller Brothers Farm and Yolo
Vineyards, acknowledges that when he planted native plants and grasses at
the farm several years ago, creating habitat for native bees was not part
of his master plan. <br><br>
"I really had no intention of trying to develop a wonderful
pollinator habitat," said Ferrendelli, speaking to a diverse group
of people during a Yolo County Field Tour of Native Bee Habitat on
Working Lands. "My whole goal was to create a pollen source for
beneficial predacious insects for the vineyards. Somewhere along the
line, the Xerces Society came along and said, 'Hey, there's a lot of bees
flying around out here.' Then it became a dual-purpose
insectary."<br><br>
Muller Brothers also planted a hedgerow and riparian filter/buffer strip
between the road and a nearby slough that includes a diversity of shrubs
and perennials with bloom periods from early spring until fall to support
strong populations of bumblebees. <br><br>
"What is unique about this site is this nearby pond that was planted
with cottonwoods and willows probably 15 years ago. It is one of the
undisturbed stable areas within the farm landscape and it is big enough
that there is wild habitat there," Vaughan said. "This site has
really been an important nesting area for bumblebees and part of the
reason why bumblebees have been so successful here." <br><br>
Muller Farm provides habitat that incorporates wooden bee blocks, a place
where solitary female bees can lay eggs. Ferrendelli said he expects to
continue planting natives to improve the source of pollen in the vineyard
and increase the number of beneficial insects like lacewings that are
natural predators for vineyard pests. <br><br>
"This shows how much potential there is in all of our unused areas
on our ranches," he added. "I had no idea, until the
researchers came out and started cataloging everything, how many
different bees there would be flying around out here." <br><br>
Yolo County walnut farmer Craig McNamara, owner of Sierra Farms, has
opened his farm to research and to serve as the headquarters for the
Center for Land-Based Learning, the Audubon California Landowner
Stewardship Program and the Xerces Society California Pollinator Program
office. For about five years, McNamara has partnered with these groups to
restore native bee habitat on his property as well as serve as a primary
location for outreach programs for growers and students. <br><br>
"We've carved out a 40-acre piece of land dedicated to the work that
Audubon, Center for Land-Based Learning, Xerces Society and others are
focused on. What we're really trying to do is have something that is
flowering all year long," McNamara said. "The proximity of
having a hedgerow is very important for our active plantation of organic
walnuts." <br><br>
Mary Kimball, director for the Center for Land-Based Learning, said she
began the project at Sierra Farms by planting hedgerows predominantly for
insectary and wildlife value.<br><br>
"Back in the late 1990s and in early 2000, we really weren't
thinking so much about pollinators, we were thinking more about
beneficial insects," Kimball said. "So the majority of the
plants that were put in, it just so happened to be good for pollinators
as well." <br><br>
The hedgerow offers a variety of shrubs and perennials that provide an
extensive bloom period and a tailwater pond area planted with a mix of
grasses and forbs for plenty of bumblebee nesting sites. Over the years,
high school students from throughout the state planted much of the native
bee habitat at Sierra Farms, Kimball said, through programs with the goal
of introducing them to sustainable agriculture and wildlife-friendly
farming.<br><br>
At the nearby Butler Farm, on property leased by Bruce Rominger for crops
such as tomatoes, wheat and sunflowers, he and the property owner
partnered with the research groups to enhance native bee populations by
adding to existing riparian habitat. <br><br>
"Over 15 years ago, we started planting hedgerows and native plants
around fields that we have, trying to attract beneficial insects and
control weeds. We are very interested in not just the native pollinator
part of it, but the beneficial insect part of this project,"
Rominger said. "In five years, this is going to be a spectacular
riparian zone. We are happy to be a part of this project." <br><br>
Rominger planted a hedgerow between the road and a stabilized ditch
featuring a wide variety of shrubs and perennials, resulting in a long
bloom period to support a variety of bee species. Native grasses that
serve as bumblebee nesting sites are also part of the project. <br><br>
"We are balancing the goals and objectives of the landowner, farmer
or rancher, with what we'd like to see in habitat restoration. It needs
to make sense from the farmer's point of view and that means making sense
from the economic bottom line," said Vance Russell, program director
of the Audubon California Landowner Stewardship Program. <br><br>
Claire Kremen, University of California, Berkeley, assistant professor of
environmental science, policy and management, has been sampling bee
species in Yolo County for more than 10 years and has found that about
300 native bee species exist within the county. <br><br>
According to researchers associated with these projects, there are about
1,500 native bee species found throughout California. Having studied
newly planted native bee habitat along the edges of farmland, near
roadsides and adjacent to sloughs, Vaughan said, researchers are
currently recording the types of native bees that have been found.
<br><br>
One farmer who has been described as a pioneer in creating native bee
habitat on farmland is John Anderson of Hedgerow Farms, who first became
interested in habitat restoration in the late 1970s. Over the years, he
built a native seed and plant propagation business to help farmers bring
natural habitat to their own operations. <br><br>
"I got interested in native grasses and grasslands, realizing that
once grasses are in place it will keep out weeds," he said.
<br><br>
Years ago, Anderson said, he realized that he had to make some changes
after he became aware that he was losing nine tons of sediment per acre.
<br><br>
"That alone was worth doing it (planting native habitat), but then
the wildlife value is unbelievable," Anderson said. "This area
was planted in 1990 and now we have a riparian oasis." <br><br>
To learn more about programs offered to enhance native bee habitat, go to
<a href="http://www.xerces.org/Pollinator_Insect_Conservation/California_ag_pollinator_project.html">
www.xerces.org</a>. To learn about conservation cost-share programs
through the 2008 Farm Bill, go to the U.S. Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service Web site at
<a href="http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/farmbill/2008/index.html">
www.nrcs.usda.gov</a>. <br><br>
<img src="http://www.cfbf.com/agalert/images/2008_oct_8.jpg" width=200 height=300 alt="[]">
<br>
<i>Yolo County diversified farmer Bruce Rominger has planted a wide
variety of shrubs and perennials, resulting in a long bloom period to
support a variety of bee species. Native grasses that serve as bumblebee
nesting sites are also part of the project. <br><br>
<br>
(Christine Souza is a reporter for Ag Alert. She may be contacted at
<a href="mailto:csouza@cfbf.com">csouza@cfbf.com</a>.)<br><br>
Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the
California Farm Bureau Federation when reprinting this item.</i>
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*************************<br>
Scott Hoffman Black<br>
Ecologist/Entomologist<br>
Executive Director<br>
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation<br>
4828 SE Hawthorne <br>
Portland, OR 97215 <br>
Direct line (503) 449-3792<br>
sblack@xerces.org<br><br>
<i>The Xerces Society is an international, nonprofit organization that
protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their
habitat. <br>
</i> <br>
To join the Society, make a contribution, or read about our work, <br>
please visit
<a href="http://www.xerces.org/">www.xerces.org</a>.<br><br>
<br>
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