[Pollinator] Improving pollinator habitat nationwide

[Eric Mader]

**



http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/24164



Date: 2010-09-24
Contact: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Phone: (530) 754-6894 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (530)
754-6894      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Email: kegarvey at ucdavis.edu

[image: Neal Williams and Kimiora Ward]

*Native pollinator specialist Neal Williams and research associate Kimiora
Ward *



DAVIS — Native pollinator specialist Neal
Williams<http://beebiology.ucdavis.edu/PEOPLE/nealwilliams.html>,
assistant professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis,
has received a three-year federally funded research grant aimed at improving
pollinator habitat plantings in nationwide agricultural settings.

The $343,884 grant, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, target projects
in three states where crops dependent on insect pollination are
concentrated: California, Michigan and New Jersey. The fourth site component
is inter-regional research coordinated by the Xerces Society for Insect
Conservation <http://www.xerces.org/>, based in Portland, Ore.

“Recent declines in honey bee populations and the threat of losses in
pollination service to economically important crops has raised awareness of
the importance of restoring and conserving native bee diversity and
abundance,” Williams said. The economic value of insect-pollinated crops in
the United States was estimated at $18.9 billion in 2000.

“We will be developing simplified assessment tools that will allow land
stewards to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of future habitat restorations,”
Williams said.

The grant, "Development and Validation of Protocols for Assessing
Functioning of Pollinator Habitat Plantings for Agricultural Settings,” is
closely linked with the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation
Services<http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/>(NRCS) commitment to enroll acreage
in its pollinator restoration programs.
A key priority of NRCS is to enhance pollinator habitat in agricultural
landscapes to promote both managed and wild bees.

The success of NRCS investment in these programs “will depend on the
effectiveness of pollinator habitat restorations in supporting native
pollination populations and enhancing other beneficial insects, while
avoiding the augmentation of pest insects,” Williams said.

The team directed by Williams will evaluate shifts in insect populations
resulting from restoration practices and establish protocols for insect
monitoring data that other practitioners can easily employ.

This may encourage farmers to enroll in pollinator planting programs,
especially if the sites don’t attract insect pests.

The specific goals:

   1. To quantify the effects of pollinator habitat enhancements on
   populations of pollinators, other beneficial insects and pests
   2. To identify the value of individual plant species and overall level of
   floral resources required to support pollinators and other desirable insects
   3. To develop streamlined monitoring protocols that will enable
   practitioners to assess success in future pollinator habitat restorations
   4. To provide technical notes, trainings and websites that foster
   implementation of these simplified technical guidelines.

The three-year grant, effective Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, 2013, follows the
passage of the 2008 Farm Bill, which identifies pollinators as a priority
resource of concern. Honey bees are beset by parasitic mites, diseases, the
mysterious colony collapse disorder and other problems. Habitat loss,
disease, parasites, pesticide use and agricultural intensification threaten
native bees.

Williams said native bees can provide insurance in the face of honey bee
declines. Already native bees provide significant pollination services to
crops such as watermelon. Research by entomologist Rachael Winfree of
Rutgers shows that native bees are capable of “fully pollinating 90 percent
of watermelon on farms in central New Jersey and east-central Pennsylvania,”
Williams said.

The project coordinators include:

*California:* Kimiora Ward, research associate, UC Davis Department of
Entomology, who helped prepare the grant; Rachael Long, pest management
specialist, UC Cooperative Extension; and the NRCS Plant Materials Center,
Lockeford

*Michigan:* Rufus Isaacs, berry crops entomologist, Michigan State
University (MSU), East Lansing; Julianna Tuell, postdoctoral researcher at
MSU; Michigan State NRCS; Michigan Farm Service Agency; and Michigan
Wildflower Farm

*New Jersey:* Rachael Winfree, assistant professor, Department of
Entomology, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey; Dan Cariveau,
postdoctoral research associate, Rutgers; and George Hamilton, professor,
Rutgers

*Inter-regional:* Mace Vaughan, Xerces Society for Insect
Conservation<http://www.xerces.org/>,
Portland, Ore.
-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Eric Mader
Assistant Pollinator Program Director
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Tel: 503-232-6639 Fax: 503-233-6794
Email: eric at xerces.org
Skype: eric_mader_xerces_society

Assistant Professor of Extension
University of Minnesota - Department of Entomology
Email: made0002 at umn.edu

The Xerces Society is an international nonprofit organization that protects
wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. Our
Pollinator Conservation Program works to support the sustainability and
profitability of farms while protecting pollinator insects. To join the
Society, make a contribution, or read about our work, please visit
www.xerces.org.

Find all the information you need to conserve pollinator habitat at:
http://www.xerces.org/pollinator-resource-center/
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