[lofo List] Properly Managed Roadsides Support Native Bee Populations

[Daryl Hepting <hepting@cs.uregina.ca>]

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/?p=614

Properly Managed Roadsides Support Native Bee Populations
(Beyond Pesticides, September 18, 2008) New research in the  
forthcoming issue of Biological Conservationreveals that roadsides  
maintained “conventionally” with the use of herbicides, non-native  
fast-growing grasses and frequent mowing support less native bee  
diversity and abundance than roadsides restored with native plants.  
Focus on the importance of native bees has increased in light of the  
recent honeybee crisis. Roadsides restored to native plants could  
serve as valuable protective corridors of native pollinators, which  
are threatened by pesticide use and habitat fragmentation.

Jennifer Hopwood, PhD, the author of “The contribution of roadside  
grassland restorations to native bee conservation,” performed the  
research in Kansas, where a very small amount of unplowed prairie  
remains. The intensification and spread of agriculture has reduced the  
availability of suitable nesting sites, particularly for ground- 
nesting bees, and has limited food sources as a result of reduced  
floral diversity. Dr. Hopwood found more than twice the bee abundance  
in roadsides with native plants and increased bee diversity. The  
restored roadsides have 79 species of bees, whereas the conventionally  
managed roadsides only have 53. Roadsides in Kansas account for more  
than 650,000 acres of continuous corridors, which, if restored to  
native plants, could add significantly to viable bee habitat.

In addition to struggling as a result of reduced floral resources/food  
sources due to herbicide use, the introduction of non-native grasses  
and agricultural intensification, bees are extremely sensitive to  
insecticides in numerous chemical classes. The use of insecticides and  
herbicides has been implicated in global pollinator decline.

Bees are the most significant taxon of pollinators, and there are over  
4,000 species of native bees in North America. Although honeybees are  
often given the bulk of the credit for pollination of agricultural  
crops, recent research has shown the significance of wild bees’  
contribution to pollinating the food we eat. A study in New Jersey and  
Pennsylvania reports that the majority of flower visitation in  
watermelon and tomato is from wild bees, despite the fact that 64% of  
farmers in the study rented honeybees.

The management of rights-of-way such as roadsides, railroad lines and  
power lines often involves herbicide use, even though alternatives  
exist. The restoration of roadsides with plants native to the region  
is one way to reduce herbicide use, save fossil fuels (less mowing  
required) and help support a diverse and abundant pollinator community.

In addition to encouraging departments of transportation to adopt  
roadside restoration of native plants, individuals can encourage  
native bee populations at home. For more information on creating  
suitable nesting grounds and planting appropriate plants, visit the  
Xerces Society’s website.

--

Daryl H. Hepting, Ph.D.
Associate Professor  * Computer Science Department * CW 308.22
University of Regina * Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada S4S 0A2
dhh@cs.uregina.ca    * http://www.cs.uregina.ca/~hepting
tel: (306) 585-5210  * fax: (306) 585-4745 * cell: (306) 596-6312


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