Webinar: Pollinators, People, and Pesticides
May 29, 2014
Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders
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Bring Back the Pollinators
How Conservation and Sustainable Agriculture Will Save Bees
Summary
For more than forty years, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation has partnered with
farmers, government agencies, land managers, and the public to protect pollinators. Our work,
currently seizing on unprecedented public interest in protecting bees, represents a new model
for conservation—one that blurs the lines between agriculture and ecology, creates a new role
for beneficial wildlife on working farms, and makes pollinator conservation an increasingly
mainstream practice across the U.S.
Presentation Overview
Part 1. Importance of Pollinators
 Pollinators are responsible for one of every three mouthfuls of food and beverages we
consume.
 $20 billion to the U.S. economy – over $100 billion worldwide.
 Both honey bees and native pollinators are vital for agricultural production.
 Not just agriculture: Bees and other pollinators responsible for pollination of almost 90%
of the world’s flowering plants, providing food for everything from songbirds to grizzly
bears.
Part 2. The Status of Pollinators
 Current losses of honey bee hives are 29%–34% per year.
 Native bees also in decline. One third of bumble bee species in North America at risk of
extinction.
 Monarch butterflies populations have declined by 90%.
 Even while pollinators decline, the amount of cropland requiring bee pollination
continues to grow.
 Major causes of pollinator decline include pesticide use, habitat loss, and disease.
Part 3. Threats to Pollinators
 Urban and suburban development destroys pollinator habitat.
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9+ million acres of grassland/prairie converted to cropland since 2008
Systemic Insecticides: Neonicotinoids—Systemic mode of action results in residues in
pollen and nectar; can be persistent for long periods in plants (up to six years in a woody
plant after a single application) and soil (over two years).
Part 4. Reversing Pollinator Declines
 Pesticide-free habitat is the key ingredient for maintaining honey bee numbers and wild
bee populations.
 Many farms lack habitat. It is vital that we work to restore, enhance, and create longterm, perennial habitat areas on and around farms.
 Also important to develop whole-farm strategies that address issues such as pesticide
use and tillage to improve overall health of pollinator populations on farms.
Part 5. Xerces Pollinator Program
 The 2008 and 2014 Farm Bills include specific provisions that make pollinators a
conservation priority. This allows farmers to get cost-share funding for habitat
improvements.
 Pollinator conservation training (including workshops, short courses, farm walks, and
conference presentations) by Xerces staff have reached 26,000 people in the past 5
years.
 Xerces works with leading scientists to translate research findings into easy-to-use
conservation guidelines.
 We also summarize important science regarding insecticide impacts on pollinators and
other beneficial insects, publishing this is a series of science reports. This information is
used to promote change at the national, state, and local level in how these chemicals
are used.
 Xerces is working with the seed industry to make high-value wildflower seed for habitat
restoration more available and less expensive.
 Xerces staff work with farmers and agricultural agency personnel to restore high-quality
habitat and expand pesticide risk reduction training.
 Since 2008, Xerces has helped restore more than 120,000 acres of native plant habitat
on U.S. farms for pollinators. We have the largest pollinator conservation team in the
world, which includes expertise in entomology, conservation biology, restoration
ecology, and education.
 Not just farms: There are over 10 million acres of roadside land in the U.S., a great
opportunity for conservation.
 The plight of pollinators resonates with the public at large and can be used to educate
the public about pesticides and the restoration of urban habitats and wild areas alike.
Share the Buzz.
 Working with retailers to incentivize pollinator protection. For example, the Whole
Foods Market Produce Sustainability Index metrics for “bee-safe” farm products include
pesticide restrictions and protecting and restoring habitat for bees.