This program was prepared by Nancy Lee Adamson (Xerces Society), many other Xerces Society staff, & Carol Heiser (VA Department of Game & Inland Fisheries), for Virginia Master Naturalists promoting meadow establishment for pollinator & upland game conservation, with input & support from Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries biologists & the USDA-NRCS East National Technology Support Center. Notes to accompany the slides are available in a separate Word file.

1. Integrating Native Pollinators
into Wildlife Conservation Practices
This program was prepared by Nancy Lee Adamson (Xerces Society), many other
Xerces Society staff, & Carol Heiser (VA Department of Game & Inland Fisheries), for
Virginia Master Naturalists promoting meadow establishment for pollinator & upland
game conservation, with input & support from Virginia Department of Game & Inland
Fisheries biologists & the USDA-NRCS East National Technology Support Center.
Photo: Nancy Adamson

2. Presentation Outline
• Importance of pollinators
& other insects
• Nesting habits affecting
habitat needs
• Quail habitat needs
• Protection from pesticides
• Native meadow habitat
establishment
• Additional resources American bumble bee,
Bombus pensylvanicus,
on black locust
Photo: Nancy Adamson

3. The Importance of Pollinators
and Other Insects
Photo: Nancy Adamson

4. Economic Value of Insects
Contribute $22 billion to Wild natural enemies protect
recreation industry as more than $4.5 billion in crop
food for wildlife production in the U.S.
Native pollinators Clean up grazing lands, saving
contribute at least $3 ranchers more than $380
billion in pollination million & help retain nutrients
Losey & Vaughan. 2006. The Economic Value of Ecological Services Provided by
Insects. Bioscience 56 (4). Photos: VADGIF, Piotr Naskrecki, Edward Ross, USDA-NRCS

5. Pollination and Human Nutrition
Food that depends on insect pollination
• 35% of crop production, worldwide
• Over $18 to $27 billion value of crops in U.S. ($217
billion worldwide)
• One in three mouthfuls of food and drink we consume
Morse RA, Calderone NW. 2000. The value of honey bees as pollinators of U.S. crops in 2000. Bee Culture 128: 1–15.
Klein et al. 2007. Importance of pollinators in changing landscapes for world crops. Proc. R. Soc. B 274: 303-313. Photo: USDA-ARS/Peggy Greb

6. Insect Pollinators Are Ecological Keystones
More than 85% of flowering plants
require an animal, mostly insects,
to move pollen.
Ollerton, J., R. Winfree, and S. Tarrant. 2011. How many flowering plants are pollinated by animals?
Oikos 120: 321-326. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2010.18644.x.
Potts, S.G., J.C. Biesmeijer, C. Kremen, P. Neumann, O. Schweiger, and W. E. Kunin. 2010. Global
pollinator delines: trends, impacts and drivers. Trends in Ecology and Evoluntion. 25(6): 345-353. Photo: Eric Mader

7. Bugs Drive the System
Benefits to Other
Wildlife:
• Pollinator-produced
fruits and seeds
• Pollinators are food for
other wildlife
• Pollinator habitat
Photo: Nancy Adamson
supports other insects
that are food for Photo: Nancy Adamson
songbirds & other
wildlife Mace Vaughan
© Sierra Vision Stock Photo: Nancy Adamson

8. Multiple Benefits of Pollinator Habitat
Fruits and seeds are a major
part of the diet of many insects,
about 25% of birds, and many
mammals
Photos: Marie Reed, USDA ARS

9. Multiple Benefits of Pollinator Habitat
Pollinators and other insects are food for wildlife, including 89% of birds

10. Multiple Benefits of Pollinator Habitat
Conservation Biological Control
Flowering plants that support pollinators
also support predatory and parasitic insects
Soldier beetle
Syrphid fly drinking
raspberry nectar
Parasitoid wasp
Ladybird beetle
Photos: Mace Vaughan, Paul Jepson, Mario Ambrosino

11. Main Groups of Pollinators
Photos: James Cane; Jeff Adams; Dana Ross; Bruce Newhouse
Photos: Mace Vaughan, Bob Hammond, David Inouye, Bruce Newhouse

12. Bees: The Most Important Pollinators
Bees are the most agriculturally important pollinators
• Bees actively collect and transport pollen
• Bees exhibit flower constancy
• Bees regularly forage in area around nest
mining bee, Andrena sp.,
on apple
Photo: Nancy Adamson

13. Honey Bees (Non-Native): Colony Collapse Disorder
Annual losses…
Pre-CCD (1995-2006):
15% - 22% per year
Post-CCD (2006-today):
29% - 36% per year
honey bee to peach Photo: Nancy Adamson

14. Some Bumble Bees in Decline
Franklin’s Yellowbanded
Likely due to
introduced disease:
Four sister species of
bumble bees in
decline
© Peter Schroeder © Leif Richardson
Western Rusty patched
Evans, E.,R. Thorp, S. Jepsen, and S.
Hoffman Black, 2009. Status Review of Three
Formerly Common Species of Bumble Bee in
the Subgenus Bombus. Xerces Society.
Cameron et al. 2011. Patterns of widespread
decline in North American bumble bees.
PNAS.
Colla and Packer. 2008. Evidence for decline
in Eastern North American bumble bees
(Hymenoptera: Apidae), with special focus on
Bombus affinis Cresson. Biodivers Conserv. © Pat Michaels © Jen Knutson

15. Bumble Bee Citizen Monitoring Project
© Jen Knutson
The rusty-patched bumble bee has declined dramatically from its historic range
Xerces citizen monitors contributed 12 confirmed records of this species, including
records at the edges of its range in Minnesota and Massachusetts

16. Bumble Bee Citizen Monitoring Project
© Leif Richardson
The yellow banded bumble bee has declined from many parts of its historic range in
the past decade
Xerces citizen monitors have contributed 7 confirmed records of this species

17. Pollination and Crop Security
As bees decline, crop acreage requiring bee pollination grows
From 1961 to 2006, the percent of global cropland requiring bee pollination
rose 300% in total acreage (world population grew from 3 to 7 billion)
Providing habitat grows ever more important!
Aizen, M. A. and L. D. Harder. 2009. The global stock of domesticated honey bees is
growing slower than agricultural demand for pollination. Current Biology 19(11):915-918. Photo: Nancy Adamson

18. The Economic Value of Native Bees
Hundreds of species of native
bees contribute significantly to
crop pollination.
• $3 billion/year (conservatively)
Losey, J. and M. Vaughan. 2006. The Economic Value of Ecological
Services Provided by Insects. Bioscience 56 (4). Photos: USDA-ARS/Scott Bauer & Edward McCain

19. Native Bee Diversity in Agriculture
bumble bee on blueberry
Diverse native bees pollinating crops:
• 100+ species visit apples in GA, NY and PA
• 100+ species visit blueberry in Michigan
• 100+ species visit WI cranberries
• 80+ species visit berry crops in New England
• 60+ species visit CA tomato, sunflower, or watermelon
Photo: Nancy Adamson

20. Benefits of Native Bees in Crops
Native bees are very efficient:
• Active earlier & later in the day
• Collect both pollen & nectar
• Buzz pollinate
mining bee
on blueberry
Photo: Nancy Adamson

21. Native Bee Crop Specialists
Squash Bees
• Ground-nesting directly at
the base of squash plants
• Active in early morning
hours (before sunrise)
• Pollinate flowers before
honey bees begin
foraging1
• 67% of 87 sites studied
across the U.S. had all
pollination needs met by
squash bees2
1. Tepedino, V. J. 1981. The pollination efficiency of the squash bee
(Peponapis pruinosa) and the honey bee (Apis mellifera) on summer
squash (Cucurbita pepo). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society
54:359-377. Photo: Eric Mader
2. Jim Cane (USDA ARS Logan Bee Lab). 2011. Personal communication Photo: Nancy Adamson

22. Buzz Pollination by Native Bees
Example: Cherry tomatoes
When native bees were present, Sungold
cherry tomato production almost tripled.
Buzz pollination video online at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMvQSx242
9U&feature=plcp
Photos: Nancy Adamson
Greenleaf, S. S.,and C. Kremen. 2006. Wild bee species increase tomato production and respond
differently to surrounding land use in Northern California. Biological Conservation 133:81-87.
Photo: Anne Berblinger

23. Native Bee Diversity in North America
4,000 species of native bees;
~700 in the east in 66 genera.
sweat bee on blue vervain,
Verbena hastata Photo: Nancy Adamson

24. Lepidoptera Diversity in North America
About 700 species of butterflies & 13,000 species of moths
long-tailed skipper
Epargyreus clarus Photo: Jolie Goldenetz Dollar

25. Best Way to Support Pollinators
Provide habitat
• Native plants for pollen, nectar, and nesting
• Shelter for nests & protection from pesticides
southeastern blueberry bee
Habropoda laboriosa
on redbud Photo: Nancy Adamson

26. 3 Broad Groups (Different Nesting Habits)
ground-nesting bees (solitary) bumble bees (social)
polyester bee,
Colletes inaequlis
orchard mason bee,
Osmia lignaria
wood-nesting bees (solitary) Bombus impatiens
Photos: Elaine Evans, Steve Javorek, Eric Mader

27. Life Cycle of a Bumble Bee Colony
Winter: Hibernating queen
Fall: Mated queens
seek overwintering
sites
Spring: Nest
establishment
and egg laying
Fall: New
queens
leave the
nest and
mate
Fall: Old queen dies Summer: Colony peak
Illustration: David Wysotski

28. Bumble Bees, Bombus spp.
• Social colonies founded by single queen
• Annual colonies--last only one season
• Nests have ~100-400 workers
• Nest in abandoned rodent burrows or
under lodged grasses
Conserve brush piles,
unmown areas
Bombus impatiens
Bombus vagans on clover
on scarlet runner bean Photos: Elaine Evans, Nancy Adamson, Eric Mader

29. Ground-Nesting Solitary Bees
Roughly 70% of bee spp.
nest underground
• Resemble ant & ground
beetle nests from above
• May aggregate nests
(some nest communally, but
forage alone)
• Nest chambers lined with
waxy glandular secretions
that resist flooding
Scout for nests,
conserve sandy soil
& bare ground mining bee
Andrena barbara
Photos: Jim Cane, Dennis Briggs, Nancy Adamson

30. Lifecycle of Solitary Bees
Mining bee (Andrena sp.); a year
in its underground nest as egg,
larva, and pupa before emerging to
spend a few weeks as an adult.
Photos: Dennis Briggs

31. Cavity or Tunnel Nesting Solitary Bees
Roughly 30% of native species
nest in hollow plant stems, or
old beetle borer holes
• Nest tunnel partitions
constructed of mud, leaf pieces,
or sawdust
• Artificially managed for some
crops © Edward Ross
Conserve snags,
brush piles & pithy-
stemmed plants.
Leave dead
plant material
over winter.
Photo: Matthew Shepherd Photo: Nancy Adamson

32. Tunnel Nesting Bees
Hollow stem example:
Cross-section of silk cocoons
Pollen mass Egg Mud wall
Larva Pupa Adult
Silk cocoons with dormant bees inside Mud cap closure

33. Lepidoptera Food Needs
Host Plants Nectar Plants
Monarch caterpillar and adult
© Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society)
milkweed,
Asclepias tuberosa Jolie Goldenetz Dollar

34. Lepidoptera Overwintering Strategies
Each species has its own strategy to
overwinter as an egg, caterpillar,
chrysalis, or adult (migrant).
Examples: caterpillars hibernate in rolled
leaves on ground, in soil at base of host
plant, under loose tree bark…
common buckeye butterfly caterpillar, Junonia coenia Jolie Goldenetz Dollar

35. Upland Bird Habitat Needs
Warm season native bunch grasses and
wildflowers provide food and shelter directly
and by supporting diverse insects (great
sources of protein)
Avoid disturbance during nesting season!
Photo: Nancy Adamson

36. Virginia’s Quail Initiative
Photo: VADGIF

37. Meadows are beneficial to quail and other “early
successional” species
Photo: VADGIF

38. Meadows are beneficial to quail and other “early
successional” species
Photo: VADGIF

39. Quail Need 3 Main Habitat Types
NESTING COVER
Native grasses, forbs and legumes—30% of the
landscape
WOODY COVER (“covey headquarters”)
Woody thickets of low-growing trees and shrubs—15%
to 25% of the landscape
BROOD HABITAT
Native grasses, forbs and legumes—40% to 60% of
the landscape
Photos: VADGIF

40. All 3 habitat components as close as possible
Woody
Grain,
Forbs,
Grasses
Forbs, Legumes &
Grasses
Photo: VADGIF

41. Nesting Cover
• Ideal Nesting Cover – Herbaceous cover consisting of bunch grasses with forbs
and low growing shrubby cover with the last year’s grass growth available (at
least 12” tall)
• Little blue, side oats, broomsedge, timothy with alfalfa, lespedeza, ragweed,
native forbs
• About 30% of the area
• Near brood cover!
Photo: VADGIF

42. A clump of grass per 100 ft2 is adequate nesting cover
Photo: VADGIF

43. • Nest site in previous
year’s disked fire line
Photo: VADGIF

44. Woody Cover
“Covey Headquarters”
• Consists of woody shrubs, low-growing
trees, down tree structures, feathered
edge. Ground cover within headquarters
must be sparse.
• 50 ft. X 30 ft. at a minimum – 1,500 sq. ft.
Photos: VADGIF

45. “Feathered Edge”
Photo: VADGIF

46. “Feathered Edge”
Photo: VADGIF

47. REST
BURNED
Photo: VADGIF

48. Shrubby Cover
REST
BURNED
Photo: VADGIF

49. Shrubby Cover
Photo: VADGIF

50. Good shrubby cover can be rendered almost useless
if sod-forming grasses are abundant underneath.
Photo: VADGIF

51. Brood Habitat
Ideal Brood Habitat – Plant community (at least 40% of the area) made up of forbs,
legumes, and weeds. Must contain bare ground (25-50% exposed soil) underneath a
foliage canopy.
Brood habitat will contain insects which are the most important food item for nesting
hens and chicks.
Photo: VADGIF

52. Native grasses and forbs provide space between the plants
for young quail to seek insects
Photos: VADGIF

53. Fescue field border
between woody cover
Fescue is
“The Great Quail Barrier”
Photo: VADGIF

54. Native grass/forbs/legumes:
Nesting & Brood Cover
Photo: VADGIF

55. Native grass/forbs/legumes:
Nesting & Brood Cover
Woody
Headquarters
Photo: VADGIF

56. All components as close as possible
Native grass/forbs/legumes:
Nesting & Brood Cover
Woody
Headquarters
Photo: VADGIF

57. For All Wildlife, Diverse Habitat is Best
Crop pollination by wild bees and natural enemy activity is greater in
landscapes with diverse habitats (Forehand et al. 2006, Winfree et al. 2008,
Bianchi et al. 2011)
Bianchi, F. J. J. A., C. J. H. Booij, and T. Tscharntke. 2011. Sustainable pest regulation in agricultural landscapes: a review
on landscape composition, biodiversity and natural pest control. Proc. R. Soc. B 273: 1715-1727.
Forehand, L. M., D. B. Orr, and H. M. Linker. 2006. Insect communities associated with beneficial inset habitat plants in
North Carolina. Environmental Entomology 35 (6): 1541-1549.
Winfree, R., N. M. Williams, H. Gaines, J. S. Ascher, C. Kremen. 2008. Wild bee pollinators provide the majority of crop
visitation across land-use gradients in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, USA. J. Applied Ecology 45(3): 793-802.
Photo: Jennifer Hopwood

58. Pollen and Nectar Through the Growing Season
Assess what already blooms on site through the season
Photos: Elaine Haug NRCS, Matthew Shepherd; Mace Vaughan, Eric Mader, Jeff McMillan NRCS, Berry Botanic Garden

59. Bloom Time Succession
• Include at least 3 species in bloom for each
season (spring, summer, & fall)
• Supplement times that have fewer blooms
Photo: Eric Mader

60. Distance Matters
• Small bees may fly less than 500 ft., bumble bees up to 1 mile
• Birds stay as close to the nest as possible when rearing young
Photo: Toby Alexander (VT NRCS)

61. Floral Diversity
Insect diversity increases with plant diversity
Carvell, C., W. R. Meek, R. F. Pywell, D. Goulson and M. Nowakowski. 2007. Comparing the efficacy of agri-environment
schemes to enhance bumble bee abundance and diversity on arable field margins. J of Applied Ecology 44: 29-40.
Potts, S. G., B. Vulliamy, A. Dafni, G. Ne’eman, and P. G. Willmer. 2003. Linking bees and flowers: how do floral
communities structure pollinator communities? Ecology 84:2628-2642.
Tscharntke, T. A., A. Gathmann, and I. Steffan-Dewenter. 1998. Bioindication using trap-nesting bees and wasps and their
natural enemies and interactions. J of Applied Ecology 35:708-719.
Photo: Eric Mader

62. Native Plants Support Greater Diversity
Locally native plants support more abundant
and species-rich insect communities
Native plants benefit diverse wildlife
bumble bee
Bombus sp.
Tallamy, D. 2007. Bringing Nature Home. Timber Press: Portland, OR. sweat bee
Williams et al. 2011. Bees in disturbed habitats use, but do not prefer, alien
plants. Basic and Applied Ecology. doi:10.1016/j.baae.2010.11.008 Agapostemon sp. Photo: Nancy Adamson

63. Shelter for Bumble Bees
Conserve undisturbed or unmowed areas;
protect possible overwintering sites for queens
• Cavities such as old rodent holes
• Under brush piles & overgrown areas
• Under bunch grasses
Excellent habitat for groundnesting birds!
Artificial nests ineffective little bluestem
(but mouse pee helps!) Photos: Mace Vaughan, Matthew Shepherd, Bonnie Carruthers, Nancy Adamson

64. Shelter for Cavity-Nesting Bees
Stumps, brush piles, plants with pithy stems
(elderberry, blackberry, sumac…)
Excellent bird habitat (for nesting & food)!
Another ecology story: Many bees depend
on wood-boring beetles for habitat!
blackberry
Photos: Don Keirstead, Nancy Adamson

65. Shelter for Ground-Nesting Solitary Bees
Retain or create bare soil:
Access to bare, sandy soil
• Keep areas of bare ground
Areas without deep mulch,
landscape fabric, or plastic
• Maximize untilled areas
• Clear away some plants
from well drained slopes
• Experiment with no-till
farming techniques
• Plant native bunch grasses
Photos: Mace Vaughan
Photo: Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society)

66. Protect Ground-Nesting Bees: Avoid DeepTilling
Reduce tillage
No-till farms hosted three times
more native squash bees than
did conventional farms
Shuler, et al. 2005. Farming Practices Influence Wild Pollinator Populations
on Squash and Pumpkin. Journal of Economic Entomology. 98(3):790-795 Photos: USDA-NRCS, Bob Hammond, CO Coop Ext

67. Protection from Pesticides
Benefits All Wildlife
Photo: Regina Hirsch

68. Avoid Pesticide Poisoning
Pesticides cause significant
damage to beneficial insect
populations
• Use active ingredients with least
impact on bees
• Consider formulation
• Label guidelines only apply to
honey bees
• Don’t spray on plants in bloom
• Spray at night and when dry

69. Organic-Approved ≠ Safe
Organic-approved pesticides not safe:
• Rotenone = Dangerous for bees!
• Pyrethrins = Dangerous for bees!
• Spinosad = Dangerous for bees!
• Beauveria bassiana = Dangerous!
Okay when not directly applied to bees
(i.e. non-blooming crops or at night):
• Insecticidal soap
• Horticultural oil
• Neem
Photo: NRCS/Toby Alexander

70. Establishing
Native Meadow
Habitat
male sweat bees, Halictus ligatus,
on wingstem, Verbesina
Photo: Nancy Adamson

71. Establishing New Habitat: Keys to Success
The 6 Critical Elements:
1. Remove ALL perennial weeds prior to planting
2. Do not disturb dormant weed seed
3. Make a clean seed bed/planting area
4. Use appropriate planting technology for the site
5. Plant perennial seed in the fall
6. Manage annual and biennial weeds for two years after planting
Photo: Paul Jepson, OSU IPPC

72. Seeding: Remove ALL Perennial Weeds
Conventional Farms: Organic Farms:
• Mow site and follow with • Shallow cultivation followed
glyphosate (Roundup) fallow with a smother crop (at least
for a full growing season 1 year)
• Buckwheat
• Use “Roundup Ready” • Sudan grass
soybeans
‒ Combo cover and herbicide • Solarization (clear plastic):
• At least 1 year
• Horticultural vinegar
(expensive)
• Flame weeding
Photo: Matthew Shepherd

73. Solarization (A Full Year is Best!)
• UV stabilized plastic
• Mow closely pre-install
• Install following rain or
water just prior to install
• Dig in edges
• Stabilize as needed
• Care in keeping tear free
and/or repairing quickly
Photo: Nancy Adamson

74. Create a Clean Seed Bed
Seed Bed Preparation:
• Burn or rake off debris, or very light
disk or harrow to smooth surface
(should be firm, not fluffy)
• Do not to bring more weed seeds to
the surface!
Photos: Jessa Guisse
Not ready for planting!
Ready for planting!
Photos: Don Keirstead Photos: Don Keirstead

75. Appropriate Planting Technology
Native Seed Drills:
• Multiple seed sizes
• Plant directly in stubble (no till)
• Tye, Truax, Great Plains
(common manufacturers)
Brillion Drop Seeders:
• Made for sowing turf and
pasture grasses, also alfalfa and
clover
• Works with native seed (change
seed box agitators)
• Requires smooth, cultivated
seed bed (not like this photo!)
Photos: Jessa Guisse

76. Seeding: Appropriate Technology
Hand Seeding/Broadcasters
• Mix seed with sand for even
distribution
• Requires clean, exposed
seed bed
• Seed on soil surface – Do not
bury the seed
Photo: Nancy Adamson Photo: Don Keirstead
Photo: Nancy Adamson Photo: Jessa Guisse Photo: Matthew Shepherd

77. Appropriate Planting Technology
Transplants:
• Supplemental irrigation
• Animal guards
• Mechanical transplanters
• Tree planters
• Vegetable transplanters
Photos: Mace Vaughan, Matthew Shepherd

78. Seeding: Post Planting
Post Seeding:
• Roll with cultipacker, lawn roller
• Mow perennial seeded areas
during the first year (before
annual weeds produce seed)
Photos: Mace Vaughan, Jessa Guisse

79. Establishing New Habitat: Post-Planting
Post Seeding: Mow perennial seeded areas first and second year,
before annual and biennial weeds produce seed
When planting is ~10-12”, mow to 6-8” (as often as needed) to let
light reach new seedlings w/o smothering
Photos: Nancy Adamson

80. The Finished Product!
New Hampshire Blueberry Farm
Post-Planting: 2011
Photos: Don Keirstead, NH NRCS

81. Managing Established Pollinator Habitat
Post-planting Weed Control:
• Mowing and spot-weeding
Maintaining Early
Successional Habitat:
• Rotational mowing, burning*,
grazing, brush cutting (no
more than 1/3 per year)
Other:
• Mulching shrubs, deer
fencing, vole cages
*Burning is generally best
Photos: Nancy Adamson

82. Long-Term Habitat Management: Limit Disturbance
Mowing, grazing, burning, disking are best
at infrequent intervals
• Disturbance to no more than 1/3 of habitat
area each year
• Time management for when most effective
against target, or during dormant season
• Early successional habitat is ideal; too much
disturbance favors grasses over forbs
Photos: USDA-ARS, Audubon California

83. Manage warm season grasses
with prescribed burning
Photos: VADGIF

84. Benefits of Prescribed Fire
• Reduces THATCH between the grass clumps
• Increases nutritional value of vegetation
• Promotes the growth of beneficial forbs
• Controls woody competition
Photos: VADGIF

85. Forb + Grass vs
Grass Only
Plantings
Photo: Nancy Adamson

86. Forb vs Grass Plantings
• Forb seeds/pound vary tremendously
Butterfly millkweed: 70,000 seeds/lb
Rough goldenrod: 750,000 seeds/lb
Cardinal flower: 8,000,000 seeds/lb
• Target seeding rate should be in seeds per square foot
• Order pure live seed (PLS) whenever possible
• Avoid pre-emergent herbicides used for grassland plantings
Photo: Nancy Adamson

87. Seed Calculator Example
• Use an Excel spreadsheet to calculate seeds/sq ft;
To keep costs lower and ensure enough seeds for successful planting
• NRCS, Xerces Society, & seed companies can provide calculators
(spreadsheets) like the one shown here

88. Seeding Rates to Help Keep Costs Reasonable
For forb+grass, target seeding rate
• Drill seeding: 25-35 seeds/sq ft
• Broadcast: 40-60 seeds/sq ft
Photos: Don Keirstead (NH NRCS)

89. Riparian Restoration
Restored riparian habitats support
diverse communities of native bees
and other wildlife
Williams, N. 2011 Restoration Ecology 19:4, pg. 450–459. Photo: Jennifer Hopwood

90. Invasive Plant Removal
Invasive plant species can drastically alter pollinator communities
Removal of invasive plants can increase insect diversity
Fiedler, A., D. Landis, M. Arduser. 2011. Rapid Shift in Pollinator Communities Following Invasive Species Removal. Restoration Ecology online.
Hanula, J. and S.Horn. 2011. Removing an invasive shrub (Chinese privet) increases native bee diversity and abundance in riparian forests of the southeastern U.S.
Insect Conservation and Diversity 4: 275–283

91. Gardens & Parks
Gardens can be valuable habitat for bumble bees, birds, small mammals, & reptiles
In agricultural lands, gardens are the most important habitat for bumble bee nests
Hagen et al. 2011. PLoS One 6 (5) e19997.
Goulson et al. 2010. Journal of Applied Ecology 47: 1207–1215. Photo: Nancy Adamson

92. 2008 Farm Bill Pollinator Habitat Provisions
• Makes pollinators a priority for all USDA land managers & conservationists
• Encourages inclusion of pollinators in all USDA conservation programs (this
basically means adding diversity to plant mixes)
Photo: Nancy Adamson

93. Farms: Soil, Water, & Wildlife
Farm Bill support for
pollinator habitat benefits Pollinator Hedgerow
wildlife generally
VA NRCS:
http://www.va.nrcs.usda.gov/
Cost-Share practices for
pollinators & other wildlife
• Tree/Shrub Establishment Cover Crop
• Conservation Cover
• Hedgerow Planting
• Field Border
• Restoration and Management of
Conservation
Rare or Declining Habitats
• Range Planting Cover
• Upland Wildlife Habitat
Management
• Pest Management Field Border
• Early Successional Habitat
Development/ Management

94. Contact NRCS and SWCD
Your Local USDA Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) Office and
Soil and Water Conservation District:
• Information about Farm Bill programs
• New state pollinator technology notes
• Revised EQIP/WHIP standards for
habitat plantings
• Farming for Pollinators brochure
• Organic conversion assistance
Photo: USDA-ARS

95. USDA NRCS: Tree & Shrub Establishment/Hedgerow
Plant flowering shrubs that bloom in succession.
• Design for multiple benefits, such as wildlife, IPM, visual
screen, aesthetics, and erosion control.
Photo: Katharina Ullmann
(Xerces Society)

96. USDA NRCS: Conservation Cover
Cover for erodible slopes
Permanent vegetation on highly
erodible sites
Massachusetts Cranberry Farm
Photos: Plymouth County NRCS

97. USDA NRCS: Integrated Pest Management
• Protecting pollinators from
pesticides
• Establishing habitat for other
beneficial insects
Photos: David Biddinger (Penn State University),
Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society), and Elise Fog

98. USDA NRCS: Field Border
Can include a diverse mix of native and lower cost non-native plants or
native local ecotype materials
Photo: Eric Mader

99. Roadside Habitat
Multiple benefits of native
pollinator habitat on roadsides.
• Provides habitat for pollinators
and songbirds
• Helps to lower maintenance costs
• Vegetation can act as a snow
fence in winter
• Aesthetically pleasing, reduces
driver fatigue
Photo: Kirk Henderson (Iowa IRVM)

100. Additional Resources
bumble bee
on silverbell
Photo: Nancy Adamson

101. Further Information: Native Plant Database
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center:
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/ & http://wildflower.org/collections/

102. Further Information: Native Plant Database
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower
Center Recommended Species:
http://wildflower.org/collections/
Special Collections
• Butterflies and Moths
Value to Beneficial Insects
• Special Value to Native Bees
• Special Value to Bumble Bees
• Special Value to Honey Bees
• Provide Nesting Materials/Structure
for Native Bees
Click on those, then narrow
to state, habit, light & soil
conditions, etc.

103. Especially for Bumble Bees
In Conserving Bumble Bees: Guidelines for
Creating and Managing Habitat for America’s
Declining Pollinators (new Xerces Society
publication)

104. Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries
• http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/habitat/

105. Further Information: The Xerces Society
• Xerces Society publications
• www.xerces.org

106. Further Information: Resource Center
Pollinator Conservation
Resource Center
Region-specific Information from
Xerces, Cooperative Extension,
USDA-NRCS, NGO, and other
sources, including:
• Regional plant lists
• National plant lists
• Conservation guides
• Nest construction guides
• Links to identification guides
• Pesticide guidelines
• Native plant nursery directory
www.xerces.org/pollinator-
resource-center

107. Further Information: Publications
Published in February 2011
“Attracting Native Pollinators belongs
on the bookshelf of everyone who
values the future of the natural
world.”
- Douglas W. Tallamy, researcher and author of
Bringing Nature Home
“Precise, elegant and thoughtful, the
recommendations offered by the
Xerces Society will become essential
to advancing a healthy and diverse
food production system.”
- Gary Nabhan, author of The Forgotten Pollinators
and Renewing America’s Food Traditions
www.xerces.org/store

108. Take Home Message
Wildflower-rich habitats support
beneficial insects & other wildlife
Ensure
• Diverse forage & nesting sites
• Management for insect diversity
www.xerces.org bumble bee to blazing star
(follow links to pollinator program)
Photo: Nancy Adamson

109. Thank you!
www.xerces.org
(follow links to pollinator program)
mason bee
Photo: Nancy Adamson
on raspberry

110. The Xerces Society
With the support of its members, the Society has
worked to protect wildlife through the conservation
of invertebrates and their habitat since 1971 .
Xerces blue butterfly
(Glaucopsyche xerces),
the first U.S. butterfly to
go extinct due to human
activities.
Photos: California NRCS and Ed Ross

111. Questions? Comments?
large carpenter bee
on narrow-leaved mountain mint,
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium Photo: Nancy Adamson