Honey Bees and Native Pollinators

Pollinators deliver many ecosystem services, including provisioning biodiversity, supporting ecosystem functions and pollinating agricultural crops. Recent declines in pollinator abundance over past decades are concerning and there has been considerable discussion among congressional, federal, state, university, nonprofit, and private sectors on causal factors and potential solutions. While many factors are likely involved, the focus of the pollinator research at the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center is habitat. Our work is designed to improve the effectiveness of conservation restoration programs and projects by identifying specific plant species, based on their demonstrated importance to honey bees and native pollinators, [...]