pollinators

Organic Honey Bee Hives Can Be as Productive and Healthy as Conventional Hives, Study Finds

Organic Honey Bee Hives Can Be as Productive and Healthy as Conventional Hives, Study Finds

Organic farming methods mean less pesticides in our soil and food. They ensure agricultural runoff won’t contain toxic chemicals that can make their way into our waterways, polluting the water supply and potentially harming wildlife and ecosystems. They also consider animal welfare. So why do farmers continue to use synthetic pesticides? The answer is simple: […]

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    Pollinators 101: Everything You Need to Know

    Pollinators 101: Everything You Need to Know

    Quick Key Facts What Are ‘Pollinators’? A pollinator transports pollen from the stamen (male part) of the flower of a plant to the stigma (female part) of the original or another flower. Moving the pollen is necessary to fertilize the plant so that it can produce fruit, seeds and new plants. While the pollen of […]

    Pesticides 101: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

    Pesticides 101: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

    Pesticides have been used, in one way or another, for thousands of years to protect crops against invasive species, fungi and other “pests.”   While there are organic options, chemical pesticides are commonly used, with industrial agriculture relying heavily on it for their crops. However, as many studies and literature over the decades have shown, […]

    New California Project Uses Solar Panels to Restore Native Prairie, Pollinator Habitat

    New California Project Uses Solar Panels to Restore Native Prairie, Pollinator Habitat

    An innovative solar project at a decommissioned nuclear power plant in California has found a way to tackle both the climate and biodiversity crises.  Non-profit the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) announced Thursday that they would restore native prairie and habitat for pollinators beneath and around 160 megawatts […]

    Pollinator Gardens on Bus Stop Roofs Grow Across Europe

    Pollinator Gardens on Bus Stop Roofs Grow Across Europe

    Across Europe, more and more bus stops are sporting a new look — with lush green roofs designed to support pollinators. The number of bus stops topped with pollinator gardens is expected to increase another 50% in the UK alone by the end of this year. The “bee bus stops” began popping up in Utrecht, […]

    Bumblebees Increasingly Stressed by Climate Change Over Past 100 Years, Study Finds

    Bumblebees Increasingly Stressed by Climate Change Over Past 100 Years, Study Finds

    Bumblebees are larger than honeybees and, while they collect and store nectar from flowers to consume themselves, they do not convert nectar into honey like honeybees. Bumblebees are essential pollinators for many wildflowers and agricultural crops like sunflowers, cranberries, blueberries and tomatoes. Two contemporaneous papers examining bumblebee populations in the UK were recently published by […]

    New Online Database Helps Gardeners Plant to Attract Pollinators

    New Online Database Helps Gardeners Plant to Attract Pollinators

    Despite the importance of pollinators to the world’s food supply and ecosystem health, surprisingly little is known about which flowers many pollinator species prefer, which flowers are pollinated by which insects and how these interactions fluctuate over time. To help address this issue, University of Sussex researchers have developed a new online database that documents […]