Pollinator decline is significant problem we are currently facing. Many studies have shown a drastic decrease of insects, including pollinators (Hallmann et al., 2017). Not only is this the loss of unique species and detrimental to ecosystem functioning, but pollination is also an ecosystem service important for production of many crops (Vanbergen et al., 2013).... Continue Reading →
New Lit Alert: There must bee a better way: A review of published urban bee literature and suggested topics for future study
There must bee a better way: A review of published urban bee literature and suggested topics for future study Rachel A. Brant, Michael Arduser, Aimee S. Dunlap Abstract Numerous animal species can survive in human-modified habitats, but often display behavioral, morphological, physiological or genetic plasticity compared to non-urban conspecifics. One group of organisms with a... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Queen Bee on a Car
Typically, researchers have found that many different species of bee populations decline in urban areas. But not all bees do poorly in the city. Here is a swarm that piled onto a car while someone was shopping at their local pharmacy! Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual?... Continue Reading →
IUWC 2019: Attractiveness of Native Plants to Bees and to Gardeners
Aaron Anderson is a Ph.D. student in Horticulture at Oregon State University, where he works in the Garden Ecology Lab. Aaron’s project was inspired by the Garbuzov and Ratnieks paper entitled ‘Listmania: the strengths and weaknesses of lists of garden plants to help pollinators’. In this paper, the authors note that many pollinator plant lists... Continue Reading →