Bee habitat in agricultural landscapes is key element in any good strategy for pollinator health. But farmers have a lot going on and may not have clear answers to some important pollination questions.
Our guest is here to help us with these issues. Jessa Kay Cruz is the Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist for California with the Xerces Society.
Based in Sacramento, Jessa works closely with landowners and farmers, developing strategies for overcoming misconceptions when it comes to pollinators and their habitats.
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“One thing that has happened with modern agriculture is that we really lost biodiversity in our agricultural systems..” – Jessa Kay Cruz
Show Notes:
- How diverse agricultural landscapes are today compared to past decades
- Why food deserts are being created for bees
- How farmers can be stewards of the land
- Some of the misconceptions about bees that growers have
- How the Xerces Society provides support for farmers and growers
- As a farmer, what are key considerations when you want to put in a pollinator habitat?
- Why even some organic pesticides are harmful to bees and how to separate spray areas from habitat areas
- How to select the plants to put in when making a habitat area
- Why it’s important to plant a diversity of different types of plants
- Why planting un-flowering plants can help create nesting areas for bees
- How to prepare the habitat area before you plant
- Why you might not want to till up the soil
“Bees are just like people that way, they have different preferences, and they eat a good diversity of different sources of pollen. And different pollen provides certain nutrients for bees.” – Jessa Kay Cruz
Links Mentioned:
- Xerces Society
- NRCS – Natural Resources Conservation Service
- 10 Aimee Code – Using Pesticides around Bee Habitat
- Guidance to Protect Habit from Pesticide Contamination
- Hedgerow planting, Pollinators: Xerces publication
- 100 Plants to Feed the Bees: Provide a Healthy Habitat to Help Pollinators Thrive
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar
- Calflora website
- Bee precaution pesticide ratings