Your future flies on the wings of pollinators: Things you should know about pollinators and pollination

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1 Your future flies on the wings of pollinators: Things you should know about pollinators and pollination O. R. Chip Taylor Director Monarch Watch Department Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Kansas

2 Abstract The diversity of plant and animal life that exists on the planet today is largely the product of the interactions of pollinators and plants. The rise of the Angiosperms over 250 million years ago and their relationships with an increasingly diverse group of organisms that facilitated pollen transfer and therefore successful reproduction by the plants has given rise to at least 250,000 plant species. These plants in turn produce the fruits, nuts, berries, seeds and foliage that support over a million insect species, and the majority of our non-marine birds and mammals. Ask yourself would humans be here without pollinators and how will we manage if pollinators decline?

3 Pollinators are essential Nearly 80% of our world's crop plants require pollination.

4 Pollen Vectors Animals Wind Water

5 Animal Pollinators Birds, Bats, Bees, Beetles, Flies, Butterflies and Moths

6 Timing of Pollination Morning Afternoon Night

7 Broad-tailed Hummingbird DAVID INOUYE

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10 Soldier beetle

11 Syrphid fly bumble bee mimic DAVID INOUYE

12 Eristalis tenax DERRICK DITCHBURN

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14 Scaeva pyrastri DERRICK DITCHBURN

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17 White-lined sphinx JIM LOVETT

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21 Carpenter bee - Xylocopa virginica

22 Bombus pennsylvanicus Bumble bees are declining in many areas JOHN FRISCH

23 Leaf cutter bee DAVID INOUYE

24 Green metalic bee - Augochlora DAVID INOUYE

25 Little bee - Stelis perpulchra DAVID INOUYE

26 Digger bee Anthophora abrupta Lenora Larso

27 Carlin s bee - Andrena carlini DAVID

28 Co-evolution of Plants and Pollinators Mutual benefits Exploitation Cheating

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34 Value of Pollination Crops - 15 Billion All Vegetation Billion

35 Crops 90 Fruit, Nut and Vegetable Crops Apples, plums, peaches, pears, Cranberries, blue berries, almonds. Pollination is directly or indirectly associated with 1/3 of the food we eat.

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40 What do Bees Need? Resources Nectar sources - provides carbohydrates = energy Pollen - provides nutrients needed for brood rearing

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42 Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) Symptoms: Sudden disappearance of bees, usually in fall Brood (developing larval bees) present Resources (honey and pollen) present Queens and a small number of young bees may be present

43 Possible Causes of CCD Stress/18 wheel bee biology Loss of bees/stress on social structure Inadequate nutrition Pesticides - internal and external Miticides - legal and not Imidicloprids Pathogens and parasites Varroa mites/viruses Tracheal mites Nosema ceranae Bacteria and Fungi Australian bees Lack herd immunity

44 Management of Honey Bees for Pollination Trucking to monocultures Holding yards Control of diseases and parasites Feeding Requeening

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50 Loss of Pollinators:Consequences Less efficient crop production Increased cost of production Loss of some crops Loss of biodiversity England/Netherlands

51 Pollinator declines can result in loss of pollination services which have important negative ecological and economic impacts that could significantly affect the maintenance of wild plant diversity, wider ecosystem stability, crop production, food security and human welfare. Potts, S. G., J. C. Biesmeijer, et al. (2010).

52 Solutions Reduce dependency on chemical control of parasites/pathogens. Select for disease and pathogen resistant bees - let nature do it. Feed Fumigilin during fall and spring. Improve management to maximize nutrition/maximize pollen input and diversity. Increase domestic bee production.

53 Solutions Increase funding for research on the use of native pollinators. Protect and restore habitats for native pollinators. Increase education efforts concerning the value of pollinators Eliminate importation of bees from Australia done!.

54 Acknowledgements Thanks to David Inouye for the use of some of his slides and my apologies and thanks to all others whose images I ve purloined from the internet.

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56 2 Sept

57 POLLINATOR GARDENS Birds, bees, butterflies, monarchs Garden size, landscape design, plants Water Native grasses and forbs No-mow fescue or buffalo grass Walkways, kiosks Parking, access

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59 23 Sept 2012 CHIP TAYLOR

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61 Chip Taylor introduction to the

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64 115 volunteers planted 1100 plants in 55 minutes CHIP TAYLOR

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66 BEE PLANTS MINTS LAVENDER, SALVIA LEGUMES PEA, BEAN RELATIVES COMPOSITS SUNFLOWER RELATIVES

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68 BUTTERFLY PLANTS NECTAR ASTERS GOLDENRODS ZINNIAS AGERATUM MEXICAN SUNFLOWER BRAZILIAN VERBENA CALAMINT JOE-PYE WEED HOST PLANTS MILKWEEDS monarch FENNEL swallowtail PIPEVINE swallowtail PASSIFLORA fritillaries MALVA painted lady WILLOWS viceroy

69 Buckeye CHIP TAYLOR

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71 MONARCH PLANTS NECTAR MILKWEEDS ASTERS ZINNIAS SUNFLOWERS SPANISH NEEDLE IRONWEED BONESET HOST COMMON MILKWEED SWAMP MILKWEED BUTTERFLY WEED SHOWY MILKWEED ANTELOPE HORN MANY OTHERS BY REGION

72 Milkweed Plugs CHIP TAYLOR

73 Swamp CHIP TAYLOR

74 Butterfly Weed CHIP TAYLOR

75 Sullivant s Milkweed CHIP TAYLOR

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77 BIRD PLANTS HUMMINGBIRDS SEED EATERS BERRY EATERS RED FLOWERS SALVIA, AGASTACHE, MONARDA SUNFLOWERS, ASTERS, CONEFLOWERS SERVICEBERRY, COTONEASTER, BEAUTYBERRY

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79 SUMMARY Determine what you want to attract Chose a site, design the layout, amend the soil Consider sun vs shade, water source, drainage Select plants according to pollinators Clump the plants by species Add mulch Develop a maintenance plan List visitors to your habitat or just enjoy