liz.robertson

Roughly 70% of wild, native bees nest below-ground – in North America, that’s about 2,500 species of bees! On farms, ground-nesters can be found nesting in active crop fields, fallow fields, orchard floors, dirt roads, irrigation canals, wildflower plantings, below hedgerows, and in nearby natural areas. Because bees nest in the ground in and around … Read more

Wild bees make their homes in a variety of surprising places, from snail shells to embankments to inside plant stems.  They also use an impressive array of building materials, including mud, flower petals and resin.  Despite this incredible diversity of nesting preferences, we can group bee nesting habits into three primary groups: below-ground nesters, above-ground … Read more

What does it take to create lasting pollinator habitat in agriculture? A new article in the Journal of Ecology published the same day Bee Better Certified was launched highlights incentive programs as a way to reward farmers for their pollinator conservation efforts and help them re-invest in those efforts over time.  Incentive programs, like Bee … Read more

Flowering insectary strips are an excellent strategy for supporting pollinators and other beneficial insects on farms.  Planted along field edges or directly within fields, these strips help ensure that flowering habitat is in close proximity to the crop fields where pollination and pest control services are most needed.  Insectary strips can be temporary (annual) or … Read more