GREAT LAKES, GREAT BEES

This post was originally published on the pollinators.msu.edu website: https://pollinators.msu.edu/resources/beekeepers/shouldyoukeepbees/ In Michigan, we have a lovely rare bird called the Kirtland Warbler. It used to be endangered, but with decades of habitat restoration programs and breeding efforts the population is now in better health. If you wanted to help the Kirtland Warbler, you would help put in habitat (Jack pine forests), or you would donate to a conservation fu

How you can help researchers understand where bumble bees spend the cold months Bumble bees are an important group of pollinating insects for Michigan agriculture. Bumble bees’ quintessential large, fluffy bodies help them tolerate the chill of Michigan’s spring season, verifying their MVP status in pollinating many spring-blooming crops like blueberries and cherries. But populations of bumble bees face serious threats across the globe, and in our own backyard. Habitat degrad

Why protect wild bees in Michigan? Michigan has an extraordinary 465 known species of bees. All of these bees play different roles in our ecosystem, including pollination of wildflowers and crops! We can thank Michigan’s bees for pollinating crops such as apples, blueberries, squash, cherries, and many others. Unfortunately, habitat loss is making life hard for many bees, with some bee populations declining over the past few decades. What can you do to help bees? Build a bee

Dr. Rufus Isaacs (Dept. of Entomology, Michigan State University) and collaborators are currently working on a USDA-NIFA funded project investigating pollinator health in Michigan. This project came about because of increasing concern over documented declines in honey bees, wild bees, and other pollinators. Declines in pollinator populations have been reported around the world, but the Great Lakes region has been of specific concern due to loss of natural habitat. Below, Koh