The American Beekeeping Federation will host a webinar on Thursday, March 26 beginning at 8 pm Eastern Time with Dr. Jonathan Lundren, Insect Ecologist and Research Entomologist, USDA-ARS Lab, speaking on Balancing Pesticide Risk and Forage Production to Conserve Bees In and Near Cropland.
The simplification of agroecosystems resulting has had numerous unintended consequences, including reduced bee forage for honeybees and other pollinators. Pesticide exposures, with particular reference to neonicotinoids, are a main concern and our group is researching the need and consequences of the widespread adoption of these insecticides on non-target species and communities in general. There are numerous ways that producers can reverse this simplification in their own operations. Within cropland, diversifying crop rotations by planting fields with bee-friendly crops, using flowering cover crops during fallow periods, planting smaller fields of more crop species are all agronomically sound and economically viable solutions to diversify farmland. Outside of crop fields, field margins can be planted to bee-friendly conservation strips, and practices such as mowing, haying, or spraying field margins should be avoided. Within a landscape, the amount of cropland is positively correlated with honeybee nutritional stress, and efforts that coordinate regional set asides across a landscape will be necessary for maximum benefits of forage enhancement to be realized. It is also important to realize that diversifying agroecosystems will have important, positive effects on other ecosystem services that should be considered when evaluating the benefits of these conservation efforts.
Dr. Lundgren is an insect ecologist and Research Entomologist at the USDA-ARS laboratory in Brookings, South Dakota. He received his PhD in Entomology from the University of Illinois in 2004. Lundgren received the Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering (the highest honor given to young scientists by the Office of the President), the Rothbart Early Career Scientist for USDA-ARS, and received the Early Career Innovation Award from the Entomological Society of America. Lundgren has written 95 peer-review journal articles, and authored the book Relationships of Natural Enemies and Non-prey Foods (Springer Publishers). One of his priorities is to make science applicable to end-users, and he regularly interacts with the public and farmers regarding pest management and insect biology. Lundgren’s research program focuses on assessing the ecological risk of pest management strategies and developing sustainable, long-term solutions for managing pests in cropland. His ecological research focuses heavily on conserving healthy biological communities within agroecosystems by reducing disturbance and increasing biodiversity within cropland.
The session will be conducted via the GoToWebinar online meetings platform, which means the presenter will have a visual presentation, as well as an audio presentation. Upon entering the session online, you may choose whether to listen to the presentation through your computer’s speakers or through your phone. Reserve your spot by visiting www.abfnet.org. Questions – contact Valerie Lake at valerielake@abfnet.org.
