N. Michigan Small Farms Conference 2007

Enhancing Farm Landscapes for Native Michigan Natural Landscapes and Improved Crop

Provide Rufus Isaacs - Biodiversity & - Pest suppression Julianna Tuell - Pollination

Department of Entomology Michigan State University

Michigan Small Farms Conference Grayling, MI Prairie Oak savanna January 27, 2007

Pollination Michigan Agricultural Landscapes • The transfer of from the to the stigma and subsequent fertilization of the ovary. Provide Self pollination - Biodiversity - Pest suppression - Pollination

Annual crops Orchards Cross pollination

Most fruits and vegetables are dependent on bees for pollination

87 of the leading global foods are pollinated by

35% of human food is pollinated Over 20,000 of bees in the world

This includes…. apple, sweet cherry, tart cherry, pear, peach, , , raspberry, strawberry, melon, squash, sunflower, , clover, cucumber, etc.

R. Isaacs, Dept. Entomology, MSU 1 N. Michigan Small Farms Conference 2007

Honey Digger () Bees

• emerge in early spring

• require pre-bloom floral resources (willow, wild cherry, elderberry, etc.)

•soil nesting

• Main commercial

• In US, annual value of pollination = $14.6 billion

Bumble bees Sweat Bees (Halictids)

2nd most important, • emerge in mid-spring globally • require post-bloom floral resources

•soil nesting

Why even consider Bumble Bees native bees?

• collect pollen by buzz-pollination

• Some native bees are efficient crop . • queens emerge in early spring • workers emerge later in the spring • Native bees are adapted to local spring weather. • require through the season • Some native bees emerge in synchrony with specific crops to pollinate them exclusively. • in insulated cavities in the ground • Long term sustainability of pollination. • colonies can be purchased to increase • May be considered ‘pollination insurance’. numbers during bloom

• Most of them are free!

R. Isaacs, Dept. Entomology, MSU 2 N. Michigan Small Farms Conference 2007

Mason (Osmia) Bees Native Bees on Blueberry Flowers

% bees No. of carrying % pollen • emerge in early spring bees Vaccinium load from • require early season flowers Species or Group sampled pollen Vaccinium 54 85% 95% • use mud to divide built in stem and -galleries Andrenidae 28 61% 47% • some are managed commercially Andrenidae other Andrena spp. 22 9% 39%

(apple and cherry production) Halictine spp. 13 69% 56% • ongoing NW Michigan tests of spp. 6 83% 67% Osmia cornifrons in Balaton cherry

www.kv.geo.uu.se/pollen/V/Vaccinium-type.html Andrena carolina Bees with pollen in Blueberry pollen a pan trap

How you manage your farm will affect Other Native Bees the ability of native bees to prosper

• Carpenter bees In a survey of 15 Michigan blueberry farms, the following management factors affected native bee abundance:

Increased by: unmown ditches around fields meadows near fields

Photo: Jeff Evans Decreased by: • Cellophane bee more frequent insecticide application

N intense field perimeter management Ô

Tuell & Isaacs, unpublished data

What Native Bees are Present What Do Native Bees Need? During Blueberry Bloom?

N Ô • Food resources – and pollen resources before and after crop bloom cellophane mason bees bees 1% bumble bees •Nesting resources 1% and carpenter bees – Patches of semi-bare ground 8% – Undisturbed vegetation/thatch – Nesting boxes or straws sweat bees – Access to mud or material 45% • Habitat free of bee-toxic pesticides andreniddigger beesbees 45%

Pan trapping 2x during bloom at 15 farms in 2004, 2005, 2006

R. Isaacs, Dept. Entomology, MSU 3 N. Michigan Small Farms Conference 2007

Why are extra food resources needed? Exotic Exotic plants

• Crop bloom period may be short, depending on the number of crops/cultivars on a particular farm. Benefits – Reliable seed or plant sources • Many native bee life cycles extend beyond crop bloom. – Large agronomic database = Spring fruit bloom – Prolific/sustained floral display Mason bees – Previous success in other locales Digger bees Sweat bees Disadvantages Bumble bee queens – Do not enhance native biodiversity Bumble bee workers – Potentially invasive

April May June July Aug Sept

Pre-bloom food resources Native Plants Native plants

• Woody plants found in adjacent Benefits habitat: – Enhance native biodiversity –field edges –ditches – Re-creation of imperiled habitats – treelines. – Less likely to be invasive – Adapted to local climate – Provide habitat permanency

Bloom Timing of Native Plants Attractive to Beneficial Insects Post-bloom food resources natural enemies and bees

Natural Bloom Period Native plant enemies Bees May Jun JulAug Sep Oct wild strawberry   •Herbaceous plants in golden Alexanders   – buffer strips Canada anemone   penstemon   –ditches angelica   cow parsnip   – other adjacent habitat. sand coreopsis   shrubby cinquefoil   Indian hemp   late figwort   swamp milkweed   Culver's root   yellow coneflower   nodding wild onion  meadowsweet   yellow giant hyssop   KEY horsemint    good Missouri ironweed    better   cup plant  best pale Indian plantain   boneset   blue lobelia   pale-leaved sunflower   Riddell's goldenrod   New England aster   smooth aster   East Lansing, MI. 2004-5

R. Isaacs, Dept. Entomology, MSU 4 N. Michigan Small Farms Conference 2007

Wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) Penstemon (Penstemon hirsutus)

• Natural enemies: • Natural enemies: Chalcid Chalcid wasps, minute pirate bug

• Bees: • Bees: sweat bees, small carpenter bees small and large carpenter bees, bumble bees • Bloom: mid-late May • Bloom: late May - mid June

Sunlight Sunlight sun Range shade sunRange shade

Moisture Moisture dry Range wet dry Range wet

Golden alexanders (Zizia aurea) Angelica (Angelica atropurpurea)

• Natural enemies: • Natural enemies: Chalcid wasps, dance flies Chalcid wasps, dance flies, minute pirate bug • Bees: • Bees: yellow-faced bees, Andrenid bees, sweat bees sweat bees, cuckoo bees • Bloom: late May - mid June • Bloom: early June

Sunlight Sunlight sun Range shade sunRange shade

Moisture Moisture dry Range wet dry Range wet

Canada anemone (Anemone canadensis) Common cowparsnip (Heracleum maximum)

• Natural enemies: • Natural enemies: minute pirate bug, dance flies, Chalcid wasps, minute pirate bug Chalcid wasps • Bees: • Bees: sweat bees yellow-faced bees, sweat bees

• Bloom: throughout June • Bloom: mid June

Sunlight Sunlight sunRange shade sunRange shade

Moisture Moisture dry Range wet dry Range wet

R. Isaacs, Dept. Entomology, MSU 5 N. Michigan Small Farms Conference 2007

Sand coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) Late figwort (Scrophularia marilandica)

• Natural enemies: minute pirate bug, predatory • Natural enemies: dance flies • Bees: • Bees: sweat bees yellow-faced bees, sweat bees, bumble bees • Bloom: June - August • Bloom: late July – early August

Sunlight Sunlight sunRange shade sunRange shade Moisture Moisture dry Range wet dry Range wet

Shrubby cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa) Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

• Natural enemies: minute pirate bug, Chalcid wasps, • Natural enemies: spiders, dance flies Chalcid wasps, dance flies

• Bees: • Bees: yellow-faced bees, sweat bees yellow-faced bees, sweat bees, large carpenter bees; also highly attractive • Bloom: July - September to honey bees • Bloom: mid July – mid August Sunlight Sunlight sunRange shade sunRange shade Moisture Moisture dry Range wet dry Range wet

Indian hemp (Apocynum cannabinum) Culver’s-Root (Veronicastrum virginicum)

• Natural enemies: • Natural enemies: dance flies, Chalcid wasps, crab minute pirate bug spiders, lady • Bees: • Bees: yellow-faced bees, sweat bees sweat bees, small carpenter bees, bumble bees; also highly attractive to • Bloom: late June - July honey bees • Bloom: late July – early August Sunlight Sunlight sun Range shade sunRange shade Moisture Moisture dry Range wet dry Range wet

R. Isaacs, Dept. Entomology, MSU 6 N. Michigan Small Farms Conference 2007

Yellow coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) Yellow giant hyssop (Agastache nepetoides)

• Natural enemies: • Natural enemies: minute pirate bug, predatory plant Chalcid wasps, minute pirate bug, spiders, dance flies, Chalcid bug, spiders wasps • Bees: • Bees: sweat bees, digger bees, yellow-faced bees, sweat bees, cuckoo bees, small and large bumble bees carpenter bees, bumble bees • Bloom: throughout August • Bloom: late July - mid August

Sunlight Sunlight sunRange shade sun Range shade

Moisture Moisture dry Range wet dry Range wet

Nodding wild onion (Allium cernuum) Horsemint (Monarda punctata)

• Natural enemies: • Natural enemies: minute pirate bug, crab spiders soldier beetle, predatory plant bug

• Bees: • Bees: sweat bees, bumble bees; also highly large carpenter bees, digger bees, attractive to honey bees bumble bees • Bloom: throughout August • Bloom: throughout August

Sunlight Sunlight sunRange shade sunRange shade Moisture Moisture dry Range wet dry Range wet

Meadowsweet (Spiraea alba) Ironweed ( missurica)

• Natural enemies: • Natural enemies: minute pirate bug, Chalcid wasps Chalcid wasps

•Bees: • Bees: yellow-faced bees, Andrenid bees, sweat bees, leafcutter bees, cuckoo sweat bees, bumble bees bees, small carpenter bees, bumble bees •Bloom: throughout August • Bloom: throughout August

Sunlight Sunlight sunRange shade sunRange shade

Moisture Moisture dry Range wet dry Range wet

R. Isaacs, Dept. Entomology, MSU 7 N. Michigan Small Farms Conference 2007

Cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) Blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)

• Natural enemies: • Natural enemies: Chalcid wasps, minute pirate bug, minute pirate bug, Chalcid wasps, soldier beetle, predatory plant bug soldier beetle, lady beetles, predatory plant bug • Bees: sweat bees, leafcutter bees, small • Bees: carpenter bees, digger bees, yellow-faced bees, sweat bees, bumble bees small carpenter bees, bumble bees • Bloom: throughout August • Bloom: August – early September

Sunlight Sunlight sunRange shade sunRange shade

Moisture Moisture dry Range wet dry Range wet

Pale Indian plantain (Cacalia atriplicifolia) Pale-leaved sunflower(Helianthus strumosus)

• Natural enemies: • Natural enemies: minute pirate bug, Chalcid wasps, Chalcid wasps, soldier beetle, soldier beetle minute pirate bug, crab spiders • Bees: • Bees: sweat bees, digger bees, bumble bees Andrenid bees, sweat bees, digger bees, bumble bees • Bloom: throughout August • Bloom: August – early September

Sunlight Sunlight sunRange shade sunRange shade Moisture Moisture dry Range wet dry Range wet

Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) Riddell’s goldenrod (Solidago riddellii)

• Natural enemies: • Natural enemies: minute pirate bug, Chalcid wasps, minute pirate bug, predatory plant paper wasps, lady beetles bug, Chalcid wasps, soldier beetle, spiders • Bees: yellow-faced bees, Andrenid bees, • Bees: sweat bees, small and large carpenter sweat bees, small carpenter bees, digger bees, bumble bees; also bees, digger bees, bumble bees highly attractive to honey bees • Bloom: August – early • Bloom: throughout September September

Sunlight Sunlight Range sun shade sunRange shade

Moisture Moisture NOTE: Showy goldenrod (S. speciosa) was dry Range wet dry Range wet also tested, and had a similar number of bees and fewer natural enemies.

R. Isaacs, Dept. Entomology, MSU 8 N. Michigan Small Farms Conference 2007

Integrating Native Flowering New England aster (Aster novae-angliae) Plants into Farm Landscapes

• Natural enemies: Chalcid wasps, dance flies •Ditches

• Bees: •Field margins Andrenid bees, sweat bees, small carpenter bees, bumble bees •Meadows • Bloom: late May - mid June • Row middles?

Sunlight sunRange shade

Moisture dry Range wet

Smooth aster (Aster laevis) What Do Native Bees Need?

• Natural enemies: •Food resources minute pirate bug, spiders, Chalcid – Nectar and pollen resources before and after blueberry wasps bloom • Bees: sweat bees, bumble bees • Nesting resources – Patches of semi-bare ground • Bloom: mid September – – Undisturbed vegetation/thatch early October – Nesting boxes or straws – Access to mud or plant material

Sunlight • Habitat free of bee-toxic pesticides sunRange shade

Moisture dry Range wet

Undisturbed semi-bare ground for Native grasses soil-nesting bees

Grow in native prairie habitat, where they

1. Provide structural support for wildflowers

2. Fill in gaps that wildflowers can’t in early establishment, decreasing weed pressure

3. Have root systems of different depths that complement wildflowers

Little bluestem Canada wild rye (Andropogon scoparius) (Elymus canadensis) Heidi Natura, Conservation Research Institute

R. Isaacs, Dept. Entomology, MSU 9 N. Michigan Small Farms Conference 2007

Undisturbed vegetation/thatch for bumble bees Bees and Pesticides

• Habitat free of bee-toxic pesticides – Provide a clean water source.

– Avoid spraying (or use bee-safe compounds) during bloom.

– Use insecticides that are less toxic to bees.

– Spray pesticides when bees are not active (after dark).

– Be aware of pesticide drift into adjacent habitat where flowers are in bloom.

Nesting boxes or straws Bees and Pesticides and access to mud for mason bees Native bee abundance during bloom in 2004 in relation to insecticide use during the previous growing season 140 Increasing toxicity score of insecticide 120 program correlates with decreasing native bee abundance during bloom 100

80

60

40

number of native bees of native number 20

0 0 20406080

toxicityinsecticide score of toxicityinsecticide score program (lbs A.I./acre/LD50 for bees)

What Do Native Bees Need? Summary

•Food resources • Native bees are present in all agricultural landscapes. – Nectar and pollen resources before and after blueberry bloom • Their abundance is dependent on habitat suitability. •Nesting resources – Patches of semi-bare ground • Providing additional food and nesting resources, and – Undisturbed vegetation/thatch reducing use of bee-toxic insecticides can help increase – Nesting boxes or straws native bee abundance during crop bloom. – Access to mud or plant material

• Habitat free of bee-toxic pesticides • Native Michigan plants can provide a resource bridge through the growing season when crops are not in bloom.

R. Isaacs, Dept. Entomology, MSU 10 N. Michigan Small Farms Conference 2007

Further Resources

• MSU’s Enhancing Beneficial Insects Website – www.ipm.msu.edu/plants/home.htm

• Pollinator Conservation Handbook – Shepherd et al., The Xerces Society

• How to Manage the Blue Orchard Bee – Bosch & Kemp, Sustainable Agriculture Network Series, Book # 5

• Crop Pollination by Bees –Delaplane& Mayer, CABI publishing

Acknowledgments

• Research assistance • Grower Cooperators John Wise Larry Bodtke Randy Bowerman Jack Langdon Bob Carini Matthew Tuell Joe DeGranchamp Casey McLean Beverly DeJonge Jessie Siemen Karlis Galens Anna Fiedler R.J. Rant Dave Stansby Nate Walton Terry Tiles Doug Wassink • Collaborators Jan Woods Anna Fiedler and Doug Landis

Funding

Questions?

Photo: David Cappaert

R. Isaacs, Dept. Entomology, MSU 11