As described in a previous post, growers were surveyed about their production costs, their current and projected uses of pesticides, and their perception on neonicotinoids. We have some preliminary results to report, with more forthcoming in future publications. Plants identified as having high profit margins for growers through our survey. When it comes to growers’ [...]
In the fall of 2018, our team completed another field season tracking the environmental horticulture plants that are visited by pollinators. Some preliminary patterns are now starting to emerge, with a few plant species appearing to be highly attractive to pollinators, but many other plant species are not-at-all attractive to pollinators. In California, for instance, [...]
The journal Environmental Entomology has published a series of papers exploring pesticide exposure in non-honey bees. Honey bees are widely known and receive a lot of attention and research, but there are thousands of additional species of bees (such as bumble bees, leafcutter bees, sweat bees, stingless bees) that are less well known or researched. [...]
In December of 2014, the IR-4 Project's Environmental Horticulture Program hosted a workshop to bring together growers, scientists, and industry professionals to identify priority research areas on neonicotinoids and pollinators in environmental horticulture. Many participants presented on their area of expertise, and summaries of their presentations and workshop discussions are included in the document below. [...]
Authors Fiona Gierer, Robbie D. Girling School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, UK Sarah Vaughan, Mark Slater, Helen M. Thompson Syngenta Ltd., Jealott's Hill International Research Centre, Bracknell, Berkshire, UK J. Stephen Elmore Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK Overview This review summarizes past studies that [...]
Authors Louisa Hooven, Ramesh R. Sagili Department of Horticulture, Oregon State University Erik Johansen Overview Oregon State University has released a smartphone app designed to help farmers and beekeepers protect bees from pesticides while in the field. Growers might also find this app useful if they search for products by the chemical name (the active [...]
University of California's Integrated Pest Management Program has put together a searchable database that lists numerous pesticides and their known level of risks for bees. Simply search for pesticides by their common name, add them to the list, and view their ratings of toxicity for bees. Ratings range from I to III, with I being [...]
Happy World Bee Day! Today marks World Bee Day. May 20 is marked as world bee day because it coincides with the birthday of Anton Janša, a pioneer beekeeper from Slovenia born in 1734. To celebrate World Bee Day, check out the 25 facts about American bees produced by the USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring [...]
The University of California Statewide IPM Program has developed a list of best management practices to protect bees from pesticides. Their list also provides various links to additional resources. Excerpts from BMP List Identify what species of bees are present at the site and learn the specific ways to protect them. Alkali bees, bumble bees, [...]
Authors Mark Shour Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Adam Thoms Department of Agriculture, Iowa State University Lina Rodriguez-Salamanca Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic, Iowa State University Overview This Iowa Extension and Outreach team has pulled together information on various common pesticides, covering insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides. Within each table, they rate products on their [...]
