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Photo: Nancy Adamson
Native Pollinators Recognizing Their Amazing Diversity and Assessing Their Habitat Needs
Mace VaughanPollinator Conservation Program Co‐DirectorPartner Biologist, USDA NRCS
Photos: James Cane; Jeff Adams; Dana Ross; Bruce Newhouse
Main Groups of Pollinators
Photos: Mace Vaughan, Bob Hammond, David Inouye, Bruce Newhouse
Meet the Pollinators: Butterflies
Photos: MJ Hatfield, Doug Tallamy, Jennifer Hopwood
Photos: Jennifer Hopwood, MJ Hatfield, Jolie Goldenetz Dollar
Meet the Pollinators: Moths
Photo: Doug Tallamy, © Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society)
© Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society)
Butterflies and Moths: Habitat Needs
Food• Different needs as larva and adults• Caterpillars require host plants• Adults need nectar plants
Photo: Jolie Goldenetz Dollar
Shelter and overwintering • Strategy varies by species• Egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, or adult • Examples: caterpillars hibernate in rolled leaves on ground, in soil at base of host plant, under loose tree bark,…
Butterflies and Moths: Habitat Needs
Photo: Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society)
Meet the Pollinators: Flies
Food: Larvae eat other insects, detritus, dung, carrion; Some adults eat nectar or pollenShelter: Protection from harsh conditions; overwinter in leaf litter, soil layer, etc.
Photo: Alex Wild
Flies: Habitat Needs
Photo: © Alex Wild
Meet the Pollinators: Beetles
Food: Larvae eat other insects, detritus, dung, carrion; many adults feed on nectar or pollenShelter: Overwinter in leaf litter, soil, bunch grass, rotting wood
Photo: © Betsy Betros
Meet the Pollinators: Wasps
© Bruce Newhouse
Meet the Pollinators: Wasps
Food: Many adult predatory wasps feed on nectar; adult females hunt prey to feed their carnivorous larvaeShelter: Nests in ground, structures, or in cavities
Bees are the only pollinators to consume pollen or nectar as larvae and adults.
Photo: Nancy Adamson
Bees: The Most Important Pollinators
Bees: The Most Important Pollinators
Photo: Edward S. Ross
• Bees actively collect and transport pollen• Bees exhibit flower constancy• Bees regularly forage in area around nest
Photo: Robert W. Matthews, University of Georgia; Bugwood.org
Honey Bees…Not the Typical Bee
Photos: Eric Mader, Rollin Coville,, Marlin Rice
The European Honey Bee • Introduced to the U.S.• Domesticated• Social, large colonies• Queen and workers• Perennial colony
Honey Bees…Not the Typical Bee
Wild Native Bees: Amazing Diversity
Photos: Doug Walsh, Bob Hammond, Mace Vaughan, Eric Lee‐Mader, Nancy Lee Adamson
Source: Ascher and Pickering. 2015. Discover Life bee species guide and world checklist (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila).
There is a tremendous diversity of native bees • Nearly 3,600 species of native bees in the U.S.• Over 5,000 species of native bees in North America
Wide range of colors, shapes, and sizes (e.g. tiny mining bee vs. giant carpenter bee)
Photo: Stephen L. Buchmann
Wild Native Bees: Amazing Diversity
Photo: Rollin Coville
Native Bee Diversity: Leaf-cutter Bees
Photo: Mace Vaughan
Native Bee Diversity: Leaf-cutter Bees
Photo: Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society)
Native Bee Diversity: Mason Bees
Native Bee Diversity: Carpenter Bees (Large)
Photo: Rollin Coville
Native Bee Diversity: Carpenter Bees (Small)
Photo: Rollin Coville
Native Bee Diversity: Striped Sweat Bees
Photo: Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society)
Native Bee Diversity: Green Sweat Bees
Photo: Rollin Coville
Native Bee Diversity: Green Striped Sweat Bees
Photo: Rollin Coville
Native Bee Diversity: Miner Bees (Tickle Bees)
Photo: Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society)
Native Bee Diversity: Long-Horned Bees
Photo: Rollin Coville
Native Bee Diversity: Sunflower Bees
Photo: Rollin Coville
Bumble Bees (social)Ground‐Nesting Bees (solitary)
Tunnel‐Nesting Bees (solitary)
Photos: Rollin Coville (top); Nancy Lee Adamson, The Xerces Society (bottom); Elaine Evans (right)
Three Broad Groups of Native Bees
Photos: Dennis Briggs
Life Cycle of a Solitary Bee
Mining bee (Andrena sp.): a year in its underground nest as egg, larva, and pupa before emerging to spend a few weeks as an adult.
Photos: Eric Mader, Rollin Coville, Dennis Briggs
Ground‐Nesting Solitary Bees
~70% of native bee species nest underground• Very common bees• Resemble ant‐nests• Lined with waxy glandular secretions, resist flooding
© Dennis Briggs© Dennis Briggs
Tunnel‐Nesting Solitary Bees
Photos: Edward Ross, Darrin O’Brien, Matthew Shepherd
~30% of native bee species nest in tunnels• Hollow stems, beetle borer holes, snags, rotting wood, snail shells
• Nest tunnel partitions constructed of mud, leaf pieces, or sawdust
• Artificially managed for some crops
Tunnel‐Nesting Solitary Bees
Mud capPollen mass Egg Mud wall
Tunnel‐Nesting Bees
Photos: Eric Lee‐Mader (Xerces), Darrin O’Brien
Managed tunnel‐nesting bees:• Mason bees (Osmia lignaria, O. cornifrons)
Tunnel‐Nesting Bees
Photos: Mace Vaughan (Xerces), Eric Lee‐Mader (Xerces), Jennifer Hopwood (Xerces)
Managed tunnel‐nesting bees:• Leafcutter bees (Megachile spp.)
Bumble Bees (Social)
Photos: Elaine Evans, Nancy Adamson, Eric Mader
45 species in U.S.,~26 in East• Social colonies founded by single queen• Annual, last only one season• Nest may contain 100‐300 workers• Nests in abandoned rodent burrows, brush piles, tussocks, tree cavities
Winter: Hibernating queen
Spring: Queen establishes nest and lays eggs
Summer: Colony peakAfter mating, males die
Early Fall:Males leave nest, then new queens leave to find a mate
Fall: Mated queens seek overwintering sites, founding queen dies
Illustration: David Wysotski
Early Summer: Worker females help grow the colony
Bumble Bee Life Cycle
Photo: Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society)
Questions?
Assessing Pollinator Habitat
Photo: Mace Vaughan, Xerces Society
Assessing Pollinator Habitat
Photo: Mace Vaughan, Xerces Society
Photo: Jessa Guisse
The Value of Habitat
The amount of natural habitat on or close to a farm has a direct influence on pollinator diversity and abundance.
Assessing a site or landscape for value to pollinators • Recognize existing habitat• Identify habitat deficiencies• Prioritize habitat improvements
Assessing Habitat and Designing Improvements
Photo: Anna MacDonald
Assessing a Site or Landscape for Value to Pollinators
• Xerces’ Pollinator Habitat Assessment Form and Guide for Farms and Agricultural Landscapes
• An assessment form and guide is also available for natural areas and rangelands
• A subjective tool
• Quantify characteristics• Landscape‐level• Site‐level
The Habitat Assessment Process
Purpose: • Educate user (landowner and/or conservationist)
• Prioritize conservation actions
• Quantify habitat or management improvements on a single farm
Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide
Photo: Mace Vaughan, Xerces Society
Section 1: Landscape FeaturesPercent of Natural Habitat Around the Farm
Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide
Section 1: Landscape Features:Dominant Type of Vegetation
Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide
Photos: Eric Lee‐Mäder, Xerces Society; Kelly Gill, Xerces Society
Section 2: Farmscape Features:Amount of Habitat on the Farm
Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide
Photos: Jennifer Hopwood, Xerces Society; Matthew Shepherd, Xerces Society
Section 2: Farmscape Features:Additional Farm Features
Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide
Photos: Don Keirstead, NRCS; Jessa Kay Cruz, Xerces Society; Eric Lee‐Mäder, Xerces Society
Section 3: Foraging Habitat Overall vegetative cover
Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide
Section 3: Foraging HabitatSpring Blooming Plants
Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide
Section 3: Foraging Habitat:Summer Blooming Plants
Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide
Photos: Gary Casabona; Nancy Lee Adamson, Xerces Society
Section 3: Foraging Habitat:Fall Blooming Plants
Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide
Photos: Scott Seigfreid; Sarah Foltz Jordan, Xerces Society; Jennifer Hopwood, Xerces Society; Sarah Foltz Jordan, Xerces Society
Section 4: Nesting Habitat: Ground‐nesting bees
Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide
Section 4: Nesting Habitat: Wood‐ and Cavity‐nesting bees
Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide
Section 5: Farm Management Practices: Non‐chemical and pest management techniques used on the farm
Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide
Section 5: Farm Management Practices: Insecticide Use
Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide
Section 5: Farm Practices: Land management techniques used in habitat on farm
Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide
Photos: Jenn Vanuga, NRCS; Jennifer Hopwood, Xerces Society; Toby Alexander, NRCS
Sum it all up…
Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide
Habitat Assessment Guides
http://www.xerces.org/pollinator‐conservation/habitat‐assessment‐guides/
Additional Resources and Guidelineswww.xerces.org
Additional Resources and Guidelines
www.xerces.org/pollinator-
conservation/
Additional Resources and Guidelines
www.xerces.org/pollinator-
conservation/
Further Information: Resource Center
Pollinator Conservation Resource Center
Region-specific Information from Xerces, Cooperative Extension, USDA-NRCS, NGO, and other sources, including:
• Regional plant Lists• Conservation Guides• Nest construction guides• Links to identification guides• Pesticide Guidelines• Native Plant Nursery Directory
www.xerces.org/pollinator-resource-center
NRCS Technical and Financial Assistance Programs:• Conservation Technical Assistance• Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
• Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
• Agricultural Conservation Easement Programs (ACEP)
Farm Service Agency Financial Assistance Programs:• Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
• Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
Farm Bill Programs for Pollinators
https://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov/opennonwebcontent.aspx?content=38006.wba
Photo: Rollin Coville
Thank You!
Major support from the USDA NRCS Financial support from Xerces Society Members USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Service USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research
and Education program Turner Foundation CS Fund The Ceres Foundation Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund
Contact information:[email protected]