Location: Pollinator Health in Southern Crop Ecosystems Research
Project Number: 6066-21000-001-023-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2023
End Date: Dec 31, 2025
Objective:
To conduct research and outreach that improve native and honey bee health. A particular focus will center on managing stressors like poor habitat (e.g. forage, agro-chemicals) and parasites (e.g. Integrated Pest Management of varroa and tropilaelaps mites) to benefit beekeepers and agricultural producers operating in the Mid-South United States.
Approach:
Insect pollinators, especially bees, residing in the Mid-South region of the United State face pressures from multiple stressors, including loss of habitat, agro-chemicals, extreme weather, and parasites. Because of the agricultural importance of the region, there is a need to better understand and reduce the impact of these stressors to these important ecosystem-service providing insects by identifying and developing agricultural practices that are feasible to producers such as beekeepers and row crop farmers. To address these issues, work will focus on identifying and deploying knowledge, tools, and procedures that contribute to successful management approaches for insect pollinator forage (e.g. wildflower plantings, soil disturbance and amendments, role of invasive non-native plants) and major parasites (e.g. IPM for varroa and tropilaelaps mites). This work will contribute to improving the health of bees and other insect pollinators, which will in turn ensure food security via crop pollination
