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Ohio Bee Survey could help guide conservation strategies for farmers

Researchers at Ohio State University say a new pollinator survey could help the state’s ag industry increase its conservation efforts.

Karen Goodell says the survey provides key insights into how pollinators support crop production and what measures are needed to help protect them.

“Those are things we won’t be able to grow and produce commercially without adequate pollinators,” she says. “If something happens to our honeybees, we need to have a backup. We need to have some assurance.”

She tells Brownfield, in collaboration with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, her team collected more than 300 different bees.

“We were able to look at some species-specific patterns,” she says. “We found where certain types of bees are with particular traits that might make them more vulnerable and may lead them to need a more specialized diet.”

Goodell says future survey findings could help the industry develop methods best suited to support pollinator habitats.

AUDIO: Karen Goodell, Ohio State University