Bee Pollinator Habitat Enhancement
Bees play a key role in ecosystem function and in agriculture, including more than one hundred U.S. crops either need or benefit from pollinators. However, bee pollinators are in dramatic decline in Minnesota and throughout the country. One of the potential causes appears to be a scarcity of bee-friendly flowers, particularly in urban areas, which is leading to nutritional deficiencies, chronic exposure to pesticides, and debilitating diseases and parasites. Scientists at the University of Minnesota are using this appropriation to assess options that can be broadly implemented in urban areas to enhance bee pollinator habitat and counteract declining populations and bee health. The effort will examine ways to supplement traditional turfgrass landscapes, particularly in areas that primarily serve an aesthetic purpose, with flowering plants that can provide increased nutrition and less potential exposure to pesticides.
$200,000 the first year is from the trust fund to the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota to assess the potential to supplement traditional turf grass by providing critical floral plant resources to enhance bee pollinator habitat. This appropriation is available until June 30, 2016, by which time the project must be completed and final products delivered.
Click on Work Plan under Project Details.
Click on Work Plan under Project Details.