Dr. Dave Smitley is a professor and researcher at Michigan State University.

He works with the turf grass and nursery industries to deal with emerging pest problems, and the greenhouse industry to grow plants in ways that are safe around pollinators.

In this episode we talk about practical tips as well as national initiatives to protect pollinators in urban landscapes.

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“You want to avoid putting in certain plants that you almost are required to use an insecticide on to keep it healthy.” -Dave Smitley

Show Notes:

How Dave began to research the safety of plants at garden centers for pollinators
How pollinator health is different in horticultural industries than in agricultural industries
How butterfly species are also part of the research into nursery plant health
Strategies that people can take around their garden to protect pollinators
What the modern threats to bees are
Why people end up with pest problems in their gardens
The products you can use to get rid of pests that won’t bother bees
How the largest plant centers have been pressured to change how they get their plants
What to look for when you are buying plants at the garden center
How nurseries have developed pollinator friendly plant lines
About the GrowWise BeeSmart initiative
Why lawn care effects bees as well
Some of the most pest-prone plants to keep your eye out for
How invasive pests change the game

“We have a lot of education to do for protecting pollinators.” – Dave Smitley

Links Mentioned:

Mike Burgett is the Emeritus Professor of Entomology at OSU, where he has taught since 1974.

He has conducted a huge amount of work on apiculture research, including a survey of beekeepers and growers in the Pacific Northwest of the US, which is our main topic for today.

Today we’ll discuss pollination markets as they are today, the history of beekeepers in this region and the unique pollination scenarios in the Pacific Northwest.

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“I wanted to know how much of a beekeeper’s income is dependent on pollination rental.” – Mike Burgett

Show Notes:

Where bees are being used for pollination in the Pacific Northwest
The fruit industries that need controlled pollination
Why the almond industry in California has an effect on commercial beekeepers in Oregon and Washington
How many colonies are needed to pollinate certain crops in the Pacific Northwest
Why Mike started the survey of local pollination markets in the Western US
The trends that he has seen in the last 30 years, and how commercial beekeepers stay profitable
How the price of pollination fees has changed
What has happened to the almond industry and why prices have increased so much
Why it’s a profitable time to be a beekeeper
The work that he has done in Southeast Asia with bees

“Your renting bees not to guarantee a crop. You’re renting bees to guarantee against crop failure. Pollination is the cheapest crop insurance a grower can get.” – Mike Burgett

Links Mentioned:

Dr. David Lowenstein is a post-doc researcher at Oregon State University’s Department of Horticulture.

Today we talk about Dr. Lowenstein’s fascinating research on urban pollinators during his time in Chicago.

In this episode we discuss biodiversity in a city, what property owners can do to attract pollinators, and the unique challenges of urban bee research.

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“Think of each homeowner as a land manager. So you’re working with a number of different perspectives.” – Dr. David Lowenstein

Show Notes:

Why Dr. Lowenstein starting researching wild pollinators in cities
About the biodiversity within a city
How pollinator numbers can be enhanced in cities
What property owners can do to encourage pollinators
The unusual places where bees nest in cities
The bee habitat he encountered in Chicago for his research
How you take a sample of plant life in a city lot
The unique challenges related to urban ecology work
How different bee communities can visit different plants in the same location
Why many urban bees that are pollinating are not honey bees
How vacant lots in cities with population decline effects bees
What Dr. Lowenstein has heard from everyday people about bees when doing his highly-visible urban research

“Even if we are producing an environment that is just great for pollinators, there’s a lot of factors that are out of our control.” – Dr. David Lowenstein

Links Mentioned:

Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Utah, Dr. Joseph Wilson has coauthored a marvelous book called The Bees in Your Backyard.

We discuss the book in detail in the interview, including how to tell bees apart from other insects, common bee myths, and more.

Dr. Wilson has conducted research on evolution and ecology of bees and wasps, and frequently guests on radio and news media to discuss this increasingly hot topic.

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“Misconceptions can lead to misguided efforts to save bees.” – Dr. Joseph Wilson

Show Notes:

Why they decided to write the book The Bees in Your Backyard
Some of the fundamental characteristics that make a bee
How to identify common myths about bees
Why most people don’t know about bees that are not honey bees
How they wrote the book so that it appealed to scientists and people who had never read a book about bees
How they made a key to help people understand how to identify a bee
About the research that Joseph does that goes beyond bees
The positive movement in citizen science when it comes to bees
Why bee research is hard because many places don’t have baseline data on bee populations
How to develop a backyard bee habitat
Why Joseph is fascinated with a type of bee that is only 2mm long

“As people learn to identify the bees in their yard, we can use that as baseline data.” – Dr. Joseph Wilson

Links Mentioned:

Today’s episode is all about getting the public involved in surveying and identifying different species of bees. Dr Elaine Evans is our guest. She’s the new Extensions Educator working on bee conservation at University of Minnesota.

Dr. Evans has been working on education and advocacy for native pollinators for a long time, and is the lead on a fascinating project called the Minnesota Bumblebee Survey.

Listen in to this episode to understand how you can get involved in some important citizen science initiatives.

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“We have really good evidence of decline in bumble bees. There are some bee species that seem to be stable though.” – Dr. Elaine Evans

Show Notes:

Why the University of Minnesota’s Extension decided to focus on pollinators this year
Getting citizens involved in monitoring bees
How Dr. Evans became interested in bees
About the book she wrote on bumblebees
How she started the Bumblebee Watch program
What’s going on with the decline of bumblebees in North America
How Citizen Science works in Minnesota to track bees
Ways that the Bumblebee Watch program uses pictures to identify bees
How to teach people to tell different bee species apart
How the program uses volunteers to track cavity nesting bees

“The Bee Squad is looking at using honey bees as a gateway to other pollinators.” – Dr. Elaine Evans

Links Mentioned:

Francis Ratnieks on PolliNation with Andony Melathopoulos Welcome to the first episode of PolliNation Podcast.

“A hairy vegetarian wasp.”

That’s how professor Francis Ratnieks of the University of Sussex describes the bee.

Professor Ratnieks has done a lot of research on bees, from honeybee biology to practical solutions for beekeepers and homeowners interested in encouraging pollinators.

This wide-ranging interview is full of tips for how to select pollinator plants, reasons for becoming a beekeeper, and common myths that people have about bees.

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“If you a beginning beekeeper, I would greatly advise getting some assistance from an experienced beekeeper.” – Francis Ratnieks

Show Notes:

Where Francis got his interest in honeybees
Why the advice on honeybees given to the public is not often that good
What the benefits are to keeping bees in cities
The unique challenges to keeping bees in urban areas
Tips for keeping bees in a way that doesn’t bother your neighbors
How many bee colonies a city block can support
Why planting floral resources may be the best way to save the bees
Why foreign species of plants may be just as good for honeybees as local varieties
How honeybees can fly up to 12km to find pollinators
Dispelling the myths that the public has about bees
How to recognize different species of bees
Avoiding bee stings and telling the difference between a bee sting and yellow jacket sting
What you can do to help bees in urban areas

Links Mentioned:

“Bees only sting if you get close to the hive, not when they are foraging.” – Francis Ratnieks

PolliNation is a podcast from Oregon State University Extension Service that tells the stories of researchers, land managers and concerned citizens who are making bold strides to improve the health of pollinators.

You can Subscribe to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts.

If you are a non iOS user then You can Follow us on SoundCloud.

And please leave us an honest rating and review on iTunes as it helps others find the show.

More Episodes Coming Soon!

PolliNation Podcast

For people making bold strides to improve the health of pollinators

Category Archives: Podcast

06 Dr. Dave Smitley – Protecting Pollinators in Urban Landscapes

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Show Notes:

Links Mentioned:

05 Mike Burgett – Honeybee Pollination Markets

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Show Notes:

Links Mentioned:

04 Dr. David Lowenstein – Wild Pollinators in Urban Areas

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Show Notes:

Links Mentioned:

03 Dr. Joseph Wilson – The Bees in Your Backyard

You can Subscribe and Listen to PolliNation on Apple Podcasts.

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Show Notes:

Links Mentioned:

02 Dr. Elaine Evans – Citizen Science and Surveying Bumblebees

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And be sure to leave us a Rating and Review!

Show Notes:

Links Mentioned:

01 Francis Ratnieks – The Benefits of Bees in Urban Areas

You can Subscribe and Listen to PolliNation on Apple Podcasts.

And be sure to leave us a Rating and Review!

Show Notes:

Links Mentioned:

Welcome to PolliNation Podcast

PolliNation is a podcast from Oregon State University Extension Service that tells the stories of researchers, land managers and concerned citizens who are making bold strides to improve the health of pollinators.

You can Subscribe to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts.

If you are a non iOS user then You can Follow us on SoundCloud.

And please leave us an honest rating and review on iTunes as it helps others find the show.

More Episodes Coming Soon!

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