by Mary Bammer, Extension Coordinator, Ellis Lab (University of Florida) This was the first male southern carpenter bee I had ever seen. When it first flitted past, I thought it might be a dragonfly with its loud wings and flashy colors.…
New video: An Inside Look at Pollination Research
More than 150 food crops in the US and Canada need insect pollination to produce quality, marketable yields; it’s estimated that one out of every three bites of food we eat comes from an insect-pollinated crop. Supporting pollinators and the…
Agriculture’s Wild Ways: Feature article on the Integrated Crop Pollination Project
A new article in Earth Island Journal highlights the work of researchers and growers on the Integrated Crop Pollination Project to support pollinating insects and improve crop pollination and yield. The piece features interviews with project director Rufus Isaacs (Michigan State), researcher Neal…
New video introduces the concept of Integrated Crop Pollination
For release Feb. 2016 — Pollination is essential to the production of many fruit, nut, and vegetable crops. Most crops are primarily pollinated by a combination of managed and wild bees. Growers need pollination strategies that can reliably deliver pollination and ensure quality,…
The 2016 Project ICP Annual Newsletter
Check out the newly released 2016 Project ICP newsletter for updates on our research project from the past year, snapshots from the field, grower and advisor spotlights, NASS survey updates, and more! If you’d like to receive this annual newsletter with news and updates…
Undergraduate REU Opportunity: Pollination services provided by native bees (Burlington, VT)
Posted January 2016 (Feb. 5th deadline): The Ricketts lab at the University of Vermont is seeking undergraduate applicants for summer research assistant positions in the lab. Motivated undergraduate students are encouraged to apply for the NSF-funded 10-week Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)…
Graduate Assistantships Available at USDA-ARS Pollinating Insect Research Unit (Logan, UT)
Posted January 2016: The USDA-ARS Pollinating Insect Research Unit in Logan, Utah, is currently recruiting graduate students for both M.Sc. and Ph.D. programs at Utah State University. The PIRU is a national leader in pollinator research focused on native and…
Bee prepared: F&M professor, local farmer contribute to efforts to restore pollinator habitats
A scientific paper published by several Project ICP researchers two weeks ago showed that large parts of the US are at risk for a “pollinator mismatch” due to wild bee declines; bees are being lost in the farming regions where…
Wild bee declines threaten US crop pollination
A new national assessment of the status and trends of U.S. wild bees estimates that wild bees declined in 23% of the contiguous U.S. between 2008 and 2013. The team of Project ICP researchers, led by Insu Koh at the University of…
Importance of pollinators for global nutrition
Taylor Ricketts (UVM, Project ICP research partner) and colleagues found that pollinators are essential for human health; pollinator dependent crops provide important micronutrients. Read a news article on this study and other studies linking pollinators to human health here: http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/123-a210/