assessing and establishing native bee habitat in …...assessing and establishing native bee habitat...
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Assessing and Establishing Native Bee Habitat in
Agricultural Field Edges Mae Elsinger
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Science and Technology Branch
February 8, 2016
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The Bee Team Project Lead: Melanie Dubois (Brandon) Co-Lead: Dr. Steve Javorek (Kentville) Participants: Mark Wonneck (Calgary) Bev Dunlop, Mae Elsinger, Patsy Michiels & Rhonda Thiessen (Brandon) Laura Poppy (Indian Head) Ute Holweger (Winnipeg) Matt Grant & Stephanie Bishop (Kentville) External Participants: Cary Hamel (Nature Conservancy of Canada), Diana Bizecki-Robson (The Manitoba Museum), Clint Otto (United States Geological Survey)
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Outline
• Importance of pollinators and native bees • Needs of bees • Habitat assessment • Habitat installation
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Importance of Bees
Animals that feed on fruit and seeds of the plants >> foundation of the food web Plant diversity and productivity >> numerous ecosystem services
1/3 of our food supply depends on insect pollination Vitamin C, lycopene, antioxidants, Vitamin A, folic acid, etc.
Photo courtesy S. Javorek
Bees are the most important insect pollinator
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Importance of Native Bees
Native bees generally more efficient pollinators than honey bees
• Forage earlier in the day • Forage in wetter conditions • Forage in colder conditions • Buzz pollinate • Harass honey bees
No hive rental fees Pollination service insurance!
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Blueberry Pollination Statistics
S. Javorek, pers. comm. 2016
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Bees need 3 things… 1. Suitable nesting substrate
2. Access to forage
3. Protection from threats
– e.g. toxins, disease
7
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Habitat Assessment (2016 - 2018)
Met
rogr
aphi
cs D
esig
n &
Adv
ertis
ing,
Cal
gary
, AB
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• Based on: – Xerces Society Guide
used as a basis for our habitat assessment
• Verified by: – Seasonal bee trapping
• Study locations: – 36 sites – 12 per year
in western Manitoba – Adjacent to canola
fields
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Assessment Procedure • A 1 km radius is drawn from edge-of-field
trapping site • 4 major components are assessed:
1. Landscape-scale vegetation zones 2. Availability and quality of bee forage (all seasons) 3. Availability and quality of nesting habitat (well drained, untilled, cavities, wood, pithy/hollow stems) 4. Farm management practices
• Trapping will link habitat assessment results to ACTUAL presence and diversity of bees
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Pollinator Traps • Set up:
– food grade propylene glycol – Blue Dawn liquid dish soap – Vegetation trimmed (1-m
radius)
• Collection (1/week): – Edge-of-field: May – Sept – Canola: prior to flowering, until
end of flowering
• Processing: – Rinsing, drying, sorting, pinning,
labelling, identification
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Habitat Assessment: First year’s lessons
• Farm practice information is challenging to get – Multiple land owners/users in the 1 km radius – Trust, comfort and buy-in – Start early and use networks vs “cold calls”
• Flowering plant surveys - at least 4 periods – Time consuming – 12 sites x multiple vegetation zones – Significant plant ID skill required without frequent visits
• Limited data on bee species distribution – HR limitations: Two teams required; Two sets of specialized
skill (habitat assessment vs bee data collection)
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Habitat Installation (2017 - 2018)
Met
rogr
aphi
cs D
esig
n &
Adv
ertis
ing,
Cal
gary
, AB
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Considerations • Must be compatible with crop producers
– Equipment & Techniques – Cost and Labour – Large areas – Not a source of weeds, pests, or disease (Alternate Hosts) – Beneficial to and not competing with crops
• Must benefit bees – Flowers available from April to September – Protection from spray drift, tillage – Size and continuity
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Expected Challenges
• Availability of desired plants • Fluffy or small seeds • Surface planting • Limited weed control options • Accessibility to farmers • Balancing cost with needs of bees
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• Xerces Pollinator Meadow Installation Guide: Upper Midwest – Large installations – Principles – Some methods
– No species guide for
the Great Plains or Prairies!
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Species Selection
Dr. Diana B. Robson (The Manitoba Museum) – Tallgrass, Mixedgrass, Fescue Prairies – Flower-insect visitation rates and preferences – Compatibility with rare/endangered plants – Compatibility with canola
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Robson, DB. 2014.
Canola
Purple Pr. Clover >
Am. Vetch
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Robson, DB. 2014. Identification of plant species for crop pollinator habitat enhancement in the Northern Prairies. Journal of Pollination Ecology 14(21): 218-234
• Tallgrass Prairie Data (Robson 2004-2011; Hilty 2002; Colla and Dumesh 2010). • Plants ranked for suitability with Canola pollinators according to:
• observed # insect taxa (bee species and 1 syrphid fly) shared with canola • low to absent competition with canola • preference of pollinators (PI) for that plant versus others in flower
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Plant Selected according to…
• Robson’s studies • Xerces Installation Guide for the Midwest • Holm H. 2014. Pollinators of Native Plants • Availability of seed or plant material
– Amounts & Cost
• Personal experience
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Planting patterns
Balance planting cost with bee requirements
20m x 20m400m2
4m x 40m160m2
2m x 5m10m2
80m2
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Locations
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Site Preparation • Seedbank
– Weeds and volunteers – Disturbance releases them – Less weed pressure in well-farmed annual crop land
• 2016 – 3 sites: Annual crops, pre-/mid-/post- season herbicide
(non-residual); stubble mowed to ~7” – 1 site: 2 to 3 years alfalfa, late 1st-cut harvest, killed with
glyphosate in September; no mowing needed
• 2017 – 1 or 2 applications of glyphosate
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Seeding
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Seeding • Flow
– Use lots of carrier (rice, phosphate granular fertilizer) – Use smooth hoses where possible – Clean seed preferred – Box with agitator
• Seed deep ones (1/2” to 3/4”) – Articulated (flexible) hoses connected to discs
• Then seed surface ones – Change to smooth hoses – Then drop seed on surface
• Harrow and pack, or just pack?
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Ongoing Management • Weeds and volunteers - Which ones to be
concerned about? – Value as cover from sun and drying – Erosion prevention – Water infiltration – Value as pollinator forage and nesting material – Competition – Shading – Perennials – Noxious weeds
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Ongoing Management
• Mow high, leave some or all of residue – Reduce seed load – Conserve moisture – Reduce competition and shading – Stooling – more stems
• Spot spray or hand-pick perennial weeds or volunteers
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Ongoing Management • Moisture deficit
– Tow-behind quad sprayer
• Wind/Water erosion – Oats as cover crop – Leave residue on site
• Ground squirrel, pocket gopher – Monitor use and severity of damage (June, July, August) – Trap problematic populations
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Monitoring • Undesirable weeds or perennials 2017, 2018
– May choose to control
• Quality of establishment 2017, 2018 – May choose to supplement with seed or plugs
• Available forage for bees 2018 – Timelines of flowering – weekly or biweekly – Abundance of flowering stems
• Usage 2018 – Trapping cups – Visual surveys (wait and watch) – Sweep nets
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Summary
Bees are important Bees need 3 things
Nest Food Safety
Habitat Assessment Habitat Installation
More Information: Melanie Dubois [email protected] Mae Elsinger [email protected]