Hi. My name is Jennifer Tsuruda and I'm an
assistant
professor in entomology and plant pathology.
Today, I'll be talking to you about the importance
of pollinators for
agriculture and conservation biology.
Many people understand the value of pollinators
in terms of agriculture,
but these two pictures really show how important
pollinators are for our day-to-day diet.
These show what a breakfast looks like with
and without pollinators,
and the picture on the right is missing
many important things such as the fruits,
the fruit jelly,
fruit juice, fruits and nuts in that granola
mix,
as well as coffee creamer,
and that coffee creamer is an indirect benefit
of
pollinators through the pollination of livestock
feed.
It's been estimated that about one out of
every three bites of food
that we take has somehow benefited through
animal pollination.
Another interesting statistic is that the
value of United States crops that
result from insect pollination is $29 billion.
It's actually a little bit more than $29 billion.
That's huge.
Of that, honey bees,
which are my specialty,
contribute over $19 billion of that amount.
While honey bees are an important pollinator,
we do want to mention and value all
of these other types of pollinators that exists
in the world.
There are many different types.
One of the less valued types but is so important
is the wind.
Wind-pollinated crops are very important for
many of our diets.
Such crops like corn and wheat are really
huge.
But at the animal pollinated crops,
we have many different types of animals that
do that pollination.
We have many types of birds, bats,
but especially insects that do pollination
for our crops.
This collage here show different types of
insect pollinators,
and you'll see that there are many types of
bees, and I'll talk about honey bees a little
bit later,
I'm not showing them in these pictures here
because I have
so many other types of bees to show.
But you also see that there are wasps
and there are flies
and there are beetles that all contribute
to pollination.
So they're really important in terms of getting
diverse crops pollinated.
We need to have diverse pollinators as well.
Specifically with bees, there's been a lot
of research that shows
how important different bee species are and
how they interact,
and how this interaction between these bees
can affect yields.
This was a nice study done in sunflowers that
showed that honey bees
alone were increasing the pollination of the
hybrid sunflower seed production.
But when you added wild bees into the landscape,
the pollination levels went up even more.
So really having the interaction between these
two types or
these many types of bees really helped increase
the yields here.
When we talk about wild bees,
we're talking about probably over 4,000 species
of bees in the United States;
and I say probably, because we haven't
described or even seen all of them yet.
It's estimated to be around 4,000 species
in the United States.
Another interesting study that came out of
North Carolina State University
shows how important different types of
bees are because of their different traits.
In this case, they're looking at a blueberry
system
and they showed how different types of bees
contribute to pollination in different ways
because of
different traits and behaviors of those bees.
They were looking at not only the abundance,
the number of the types of bees,
but also how efficient they were in terms
of pollinating those blueberries,
activity patterns, how often they visited,
and how those species interacted with one
another.
The important takeaway message from this study
is that
all of these different types of bees were
all
valuable in different ways, and so it's really
helpful to have
a diversity of bees out there and not just
any one given type.
When we talk about the value of pollinators,
we oftentimes think about fruits and vegetables;
that's the obvious one,
and this collage shows some of
the really great fruits and vegetables that
we have grown in the Southeast region.
But we really want to think about pollination
beyond the agro-ecosystem in terms of
fruit and vegetable production to other types
of production out in the field.
So one really great benefit of pollinators
is through their production of
seeds that can be used for propagation of
more plant,
but also for things like oil.
The picture on the left-hand side is of canola,
and you can see a honey bee working one of
those flowers there.
Canola is a really common oil that gets used
for cooking.
Bees and other types of pollinators also
are involved in the pollination of plants
that produce fibers for us.
Some of those fibers are used for raw materials
such as clothing, and some of
those fibers or plant vegetation are used
to feed livestock.
So the picture on the right here is of a bumblebee
working alfalfa,
and there's actually a really important alfalfa
leaf cutter bee,
so not a bumblebee but another type of bee,
that's responsible for most of
the alfalfa seed production in the United
States,
and then indirectly, alfalfa hay.
There are lots of different types of pollinators
out there.
Some of them specialize on certain types of
plants and some are generalists like honey
bees.
It's also important for farmers to understand
the value of some of
these cover crops that we plant out in the
field for pollinators.
Many of these cover crops,
here I'm showing buckwheat, the white flowers,
as well as crimson clover,
because they're really important sources of
nectar and pollen for pollinators.
Nectar provides carbohydrates and pollen provides
protein.
It's also really important to provide
diverse floral resources because different
plant species
provide different amino acids to the pollen
as well as different nutritional values.
We like to have a diverse floral landscape
to ensure that we are
covering all the nutritional needs of bees
and other pollinators out in the landscape.
Beyond nutrition, there's a lot of recent
research that's been
showing the importance of floral resources
on bees' ability
to deal with viral infections as well as
pathogen levels and how it also affects
their lifespan and their susceptibility to
pesticide later on in life.
So when you're thinking about planting cover
crops for soil health,
know that you're also helping and supporting
pollinators and pollinator health.
Here's just a close up of a honey bee working
some crimson clover
and you can see that pollen load on her hind
leg,
that really dark brown there.
Not to harp on this
but this is the Milan No-Till Field Day and
so it's really important to
think about those ground nesting bees because
they nest in the ground.
About 70 percent of native bees do nest in
the ground.
Oftentimes, you don't notice their nest
unless you're out there looking for them or
know what to look for.
In some ways, these nests are aerating the
soil and decreasing compaction.
But it's also something to keep in mind if
you're growing
crops that need ground nesting bees for pollination
such as squashes.
You really want to be careful about how you
manage and treat
your landscape and how you till or don't till,
and if you are going to till,
to avoid deep tilling because you can destroy
these nests that are in
the ground and therefore destroy
your pollinators that you're going to need
for crop production.
Here's just a short little video showing one
of these ground nesting bees
with pollen going in so she can start her
nest down there.
So really inconspicuous nest,
but next time you're out in the field,
try and take a look and see if you notice
some openings out there.
Sometimes, they're obvious and you'll have
large aggregations of this,
and other times, they'll just be individual
separated nests out there.
But take the time to look down at the ground
and see if you notice any bees coming in and
out.
Now, I'm going to switch gears and take a
couple of minutes to talk about
the importance of pollinators in natural landscapes.
While we do see different plants and animals
in natural areas,
here we have the tulip poplar on the left,
and on the right-hand side,
the swallow tails, and I took both of those
pictures
at Smoky Mountain National Park last year.
Pollination is just as important here as in
agricultural landscapes.
Pollinators help in propagating plants in
these areas
as well as producing food for wildlife
through the fruits and the plant propagation,
but also because those pollinators can serve
as direct prey for some of the wildlife.
The pollinators themselves will also,
and through propagating plants,
maintain the wildlife habitat.
So we really want to think about the role
of pollinators in agriculture and food security,
but also in terms of securing wildlife and
wild land areas.
Many of us enjoy the natural landscapes for
recreation,
and part of that comes from the enjoyment
of the surrounding flora and fauna that we
see out there.
So it's really important for these areas to
have pollinators that help conserve these
diverse plants,
some of which are threatened.
Even plants that can be spread through
vegetative propagation can benefit through
pollination by animals because of the spread
of seeds.
So the seed production as well as spread through
things like birds that
will drop the seeds in one way or another
can help increase the numbers of these plants
but also the distribution and spread of
these plants throughout the environment.
So we really want to think about how these
diverse plant communities can
conserve diverse insect communities
as well as larger animal communities in the
landscape.
Here's just a short little video showing how
my pollinator habitat that I've put out can
also support wildlife.
Even though I planted this with the intention
of feeding my bees,
I'm also feeding a lot of birds that are out
in the environment.
Some of this comes through the production
of berries
and fruits and seed from insect-pollinated
plants,
but also the larvae and adults of many pollinator
species
can serve as important dietary staples for
birds out in the environment.
So pollinator habitat serves many functions
also when promoting soil health,
preventing soil erosion and runoff,
but also in terms of conserving beneficial
insects
and natural enemies that can feed on pest
insects.
So there are many different ways that
pollinator habitat can serve in other ecosystem
services.
Pollinators are really important for home
life too.
Whether you have a home garden or not,
home gardens are fantastic and hopefully we've
all been taking
advantage of spending more time at home
and producing some of our own food,
but also thinking about how pollinators impact
us beyond
just the production of fruits and
vegetables and fibers that you may be wearing
right now.
I'm going to take a moment to highlight honey
bee products.
Again, honey bees are my specialty,
and they are an interesting animal for not
only the pollination services
but the other products we can gather from
their hives.
Obviously, the number one product here we
can talk about is honey.
Oftentimes, we're using honey is a sweetener
in cooking,
but we can also use it for medicinal purposes,
which I'll talk about in just a moment.
Pollen is also a readily available source
in healthy honey bee colonies
and we can also harvest some of the pollen
from those colonies as well.
Some people consume a small dose of pollen
to help with their allergies.
Honey bees also produce wax,
so they actually have glands on their abdomens
that produce little pellets of wax,
and that's how they make their honeycomb.
We can also collect and process that wax to
use for the production of candles
as well as use in soaps, lotions, and cosmetics.
We can also use honey in a different way;
we can ferment honey to make a sweet wine.
Mead is what it's called
and it's been growing in popularity also because
it does
not have the same reaction in folks
who have allergies to grains, because this
is a non-grain alcohol.
So there are lots of different types of products
that we can get from the hive,
but I want to touch again on that medicinal
purpose for just a second,
because many of us don't think about honey
in that way,
but it can be therapeutic.
There are antimicrobial qualities to honey.
Honeys contain hydrogen peroxide as well as
antioxidants.
These chemical properties can be useful in
other realms.
So honey is not just a food product,
but it can also be used as a wound and burn
treatment,
and even for non-humans.
Here is the sea turtle that's getting a wound
dressing of a honey ointment.
I'm not sure the best way to call that,
but a dressing of honey on its shell to help
with healing its wounds there.
I want to just lastly touch on the importance
of pollinators in terms
of the future and inspiring new farmers and
naturalists.
Honey bees are a really hot topic and there's
a lot of interest from diverse audiences right
now, including youth.
This is a really great way to introduce
opportunities to the young and older audiences,
but especially the young who may not
otherwise be considering futures in the field,
and futures meaning careers,
but also just hobbies,
getting out and growing pollinator plots or
growing
your own vegetables and going out and
enjoying pollinators out in the natural landscape.
I'm oftentimes in my extension appointment
working with kids and trying to give them
the opportunity to get up close and personal
with bees in a safe and contained way,
so here through an observation hive where
they can
see the bees behaving somewhat normally.
They can't fly out,
but they can watch the bees feeding the young.
They can watch the queen laying eggs.
They can watch a lot of bee biology
happening right in front of their eyes in
a really safe way.
We can talk about bees in a really fun way
to make learning exciting
and not just as we are now giving a presentation.
I also try to give them an opportunity to
taste different types of honey.
Different honey varieties from different types
of plants taste differently.
It's also a really great way to explain to
them how honey goes
from nectar from plants through the bees and
through the colony into the jar,
and how that entire process requires a lot
of work on the side of the bees,
but also on the side of the beekeeper.
So it gives a little more perspective to what
honey
is and the amount of work it takes to produce
that one jar of honey.
Lastly, I'd like to give them the opportunity
to play the part of a beekeeper.
If they feel like they're a part of it and
they're engaged,
it also makes learning about bees
I think a little more personal.
It also provides a way for them to learn about
bees and understand that they aren't just
scary,
stinging insects, but that they really do
contribute a lot to human society.
Lastly, I think it really makes beekeeping
and
the idea of pollination and agriculture really
fun.
That's why I really like seeing the kids take
away from it, is that agriculture can be fun.
A lot of kids don't even think about going
into
agriculture unless their family's already
been involved in agriculture.
But I think there's a lot of opportunity here
for us to reach
out and get some new folks into agriculture,
and that also brings new ideas into the field
as well.
So pollinators are invaluable for a number
of reasons,
not only in agriculture and natural landscapes,
but also for shaping and supporting the
future of our lands as well as our youth.
I'm going to end with just a few slides of
some resources.
I want to advertise my program
with the University of Tennessee's Department
of Entomology and Plant Pathology.
I coordinate the master beekeeping program,
although we don't have classes planned for
this
season because of the COVID-19 situation.
But when we do have updates or we do have
classes,
they will be posted on my website.
There are also other educational offerings
listed on my website as well.
I am involved in a stay-at-home
beekeeping webinar series that's been ongoing
since April.
Information about that is on my website.
I also have some nice Zoom backgrounds related
to pollinators
if you're interested and want to spice up
your latest virtual meeting with colleagues.
I also want to point out who to contact for
different issues involving bees or pollinators.
UT extension handles education and ag research,
which is also part of the UT Institute of
Agriculture, handles research.
We are focused on education and research,
and we also have county offices across the
state where you can
find your local extension agent who's a great
resource for you in
answering questions about pollinators and
beekeeping and anything related to agriculture.
So I recommend that you check out the website,
utextension.tennessee.edu to find your county
office and your local ag agent.
Then I also want to point out that the Tennessee
Department of Ag
has programs related to pollinators and bees.
So if you are a beekeeper,
hopefully you're familiar with
the Tennessee Department of Ag and their APR
inspection services
as well as permanent services in the need
to
get certification before you move your bees
within the state or outside of the state,
so getting those permits are really important.
We also have this phone number here at the
bottom for pesticide use.
I really want to encourage everyone to write
this phone number down
because this is the number that you call for
anything regarding pesticides.
But especially if you're a beekeeper who
suspects a possible bee kill due to pesticides,
this is the phone number you need to call.
These investigations are really time-sensitive,
so this is who you need to contact immediately.
I just want to make sure that everybody has
that resource available to them
as well as just knowing that we have a lot
of
support for pollinators and bees across the
state,
but we also need your support.
We want to encourage that everybody plant
some pollinator habitat
out there and manage it in a pollinator-friendly
way.
The other two talks in this session,
we'll talk about pollinator habitat and how
you manage it in
a way and using pesticides safely and
practicing integrated pest management.
I think my take-away message from all of this
is
to think about pollinators and how they impact
your day-to-day life,
and think about how you can feed and support
pollinators
so they can help feed and support us as
well as other animals out in the environment.
I just want to thank you guys all for your
time and your support.
I'm going to leave you with the buzzing page
and I hope that I can meet you guys in the
future soon in-person.
Thank you so much. Bye bye.
