Two researchers from MSU’s Department of Entomology, David Smitley and Zachary Huang, are joining a team of scientists led by Rutgers University in a $2.8 million grant that will work with the ornamental horticulture industry to provide safer plants for pollinators.
The project will improve home landscapes for pollinators by studying:
- The attractiveness of specific ornamental horticulture plants for honey bees, bumble bees and other native pollinators.
- The concentration of systemic pesticides in pollen and nectar to determine whether residues exceed safe levels with current ornamental horticulture production practices.
- Current and alternative insect management strategies for economics, efficacy and toxicology (impact on mammals, birds, fish and the environment).
- People's perceptions and purchasing habits for pollinator-attractive plants.
With the information from these studies, the team will design best management practices for growers and landscape professionals to deal with pest problems while protecting pollinators.
In Michigan, Smitley and Huang will focus on evaluating attractiveness of the most popular annual and perennial flowers to pollinators, and determining if systemic insecticides used during production move into the pollen and nectar.
Smitley says 30 of the most popular types of annuals and perennials will be grown in replicated plots where pollinator activity will be observed and recorded. The most attractive plant types will be further evaluated at the species and cultivar levels in future years.
For the second objective, systemic insecticides, which are sometimes used by growers to prevent infestations of aphids, whiteflies and other pests, will be evaluated by treating plants at different periods of time before shipping to determine how much of the insecticide appears in pollen and nectar at the time of sale at garden centers. This information will be used to develop guidelines for growers on how to produce plants that will be safe for pollinators.
Overall, the project studies will improve pollinator health by identifying pollinator-attractive plants currently available in the marketplace and the pollinators that visit them, documenting the actual risk to pollinators from current and alternative ornamental horticulture production practices, crafting guidelines for pollinator education displays at garden centers and public gardens, and developing recommendations for growers and landscape professionals for effective pest management while protecting pollinators.