Bring Back the Pollinators: Strategies to Promote Pollinators in Your Yard
Online/Virtual
Bring Back the Pollinators: Strategies to Promote Pollinators in Your Yard
Presented by Dr. Rufus Isaacs, Professor of Entomology and Extension Specialist at MSU
Dr. Isaacs will update the group on our ongoing research at MSU to understand the identity, status, and trends of wild bees in Michigan. This will be partnered with a discussion of the benefit of small local actions that can magnify to support pollinators at the county and state levels.
BIO: Rufus Isaacs is a professor and extension specialist in the Department of Entomology at Michigan State University, where he directs the Berry Crops Entomology program. Dr. Isaacs received his BS and Ph.D. from Imperial College at the University of London. He has worked as an agricultural entomologist for twenty years conducting research in vegetable, field crop, and fruit agriculture, studying various aspects of insect behavior, ecology, and management. Pollinator conservation and pollination of fruit crops is the current focus of his lab, where he works with students and postdoctoral researchers to develop strategies for sustainable pollination. Their recent studies have identified the native bee community in blueberry farms, examined bee-pesticide interactions, and quantified the contribution of native bees to crop pollination. Current research projects are exploring the role of farmland conservation practices in supporting beneficial insects, including bees, at fruit farms. Dr. Isaacs is the director of the SCRI Integrated Crop Pollination Project.
