The presence of pollinating insects in crop fields is an essential factor for agricultural production and pollinator conservation. Agricultural intensification has been identified as a driver of pollinator decline over the last decades and challenges the efficiency of pollination. Several approaches are used to support pollinators and their ecosystem services, notably reward-based wildflower strips. ‘Farming with Alternative Pollinators’ (FAP) aims to attract and sustain pollinators using marketable habitat enhancement plants (MHEP) in the field borders instead of wildflowers. These MHEP are selected in conjunction with farmers. We tested here whether the FAP approach increases diversity and abundance of flower visitors in melon fields in a semi-arid landscape in Morocco. Moreover, we examined whether MHEP increase flower-visitor abundance in melon flowers. We recorded a total of 1330 insect specimens including 573 specimens of wild bees. Lasioglossum malachurum was the major flower visitor in melon and several MHEP. As flower-visitor abundance and diversity in FAP fields were higher than in control fields, we conclude that FAP can be a valuable approach for pollinator protection in agro-ecosystems; 16.5% of wild bees and wasps showed spillover from the field borders to the melon fields.

Pollinators are a crucial group of organisms due to their role in the maintenance of environmental biodiversity and crop production. Pollinators may be very diverse; however, in temperate areas they are mainly insects, and the most active and important are certainly the bees. Not only the well-known honeybee: there are almost 2000 species of wild bees in Europe, and about 1000 just in Italy. There is an increasing public worry related to their decline and to the impact that this decline may have on agricultural production. The way public perception of the pollinator issue arises is generally neglected, especially by important stakeholders such as the farmers. Moreover, direct actions were not indicated by the policy till recently. We surveyed the main steps that possibly drove the current political perspective at the European and national (Italian) level. We found an increased boost toward healthier environments through the release of various documents. To look for changes that may include pollinator protection, we need to address the Common Agricultural Policies (CAPs), the tool that shapes the European agro-environments. A new CAP document has been recently released, and the Member States are moving toward the definition of eco-schemes to be adopted by farmers after payments. Italy placed pollinators in pole position with a dedicated eco-scheme: will pollinators finally be acknowledged?

Honeybees (Apis mellifera) and native bee species have ecological, economic, social, and cultural importance to smallholder coffee farmers. While the ecological contributions of bees to the sustainability of coffee systems are well documented, particularly in relation to the coffee crop, fewer studies have examined socio-economic dimensions of beekeeping for honey as an agroecological diversification strategy for coffee producers. Yet, understanding the multiple values of different diversification strategies is important as many coffee farmers in different parts of the world are finding it increasingly difficult to make a living on coffee alone and are adopting alternative strategies, such as on-farm diversification. In this Participatory Action Research (PAR) study, we examined the opportunities, limitations, and trade-offs of beekeeping (with A. mellifera) as an agroecological diversification option for smallholder coffee farmers in Chiapas, Mexico. We applied a mixed-methods approach, which consisted of monthly surveys with 25 beekeepers of Campesinos Ecológicos de la Sierra Madre de Chiapas (CESMACH)/Apicultores Miel Real del Triunfo (ART) producer cooperatives for 12 months and five focus groups between 2018 and 2019. We found that beekeeping is less labor-intensive than coffee, and there are opportunities to integrate beekeeping into the annual farming cycle of coffee and maize production without causing competing labor demands or additional time pressures. We also found that beekeeping could generate economic gains for peasant families; however, profitability hinged on various factors, such as the price for honey, yield per hive, and the number of beehives. Our results further show that beekeeping yielded multiple non-monetary benefits by contributing to the nutrition and health of farmer families and their communities, serving as a vehicle for horizontal learning and relationship building, and contributing to the emotional well-being of beekeepers. Finally, producers who hoped to gain economically from beekeeping were generally interested in growing their apiaries but expressed concerns about limited technical knowledge and the impacts of climate change. Given the multiple social, economic, and ecological benefits of beekeeping, it has great promise as a part of agroecological food and farming systems. We argue that efforts to promote beekeeping as a diversification strategy should take a holistic approach, underscoring the potential of apiculture to enhance the well-being and resilience of beekeeping families and strengthen food sovereignty and local economies (including solidarity economies) in peasant communities. These findings can be useful in supporting beekeepers and their organizations in strategic planning for enhancing the long-term sustainability of beekeeping.

In New York, organic production of muskmelon (Cucumis melo) and other cucurbits is limited by pests, diseases, and weeds. Among the most important pests are striped (Acalymma vittatum) and spotted (Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi) cucumber beetles that cause damage through feeding. Cucumber beetles also transmit the bacterium, Erwinia tracheiphila, the causal agent of bacterial wilt. Mesotunnels are a modified row cover system consisting of nylon mesh netting supported by hoops approximately 1-m high, which have potential for incorporation into organic muskmelon production systems. The netting is an effective barrier for pests and insect-vectored diseases and also prevents insect-mediated pollination and in-season weed management in inter-bed areas. Two separate experiments were conducted in 2021 and 2022 to: (a) evaluate mesotunnels for organic muskmelon production and methods to control weeds in inter-bed areas (experiment 1), and (b) evaluate selected pollination treatments for integration into a mesotunnel production system (experiment 2). In experiment 1, there were four treatments: (i) landscape fabric in the inter-bed area with a mesotunnel, (ii) landscape fabric in the inter-bed area without a mesotunnel, and a (iii) ryegrass/white clover in the inter-bed area with a mesotunnel; or (iv) ryegrass cover crop in the inter-bed area with a mesotunnel. In experiment 1, mesotunnels significantly reduced cucumber beetle populations and bacterial wilt epidemic progress but did not affect the incidence of the foliar diseases, powdery mildew, or Alternaria leaf spot. In the mesotunnel and non-covered treatments, landscape fabric, applied for weed control between beds, resulted in greater fruit weight and more marketable fruit compared to mesotunnels with cover crops in the inter-bed area. In experiment 2, treatments were on/off/on (removal of netting during flowering followed by replacement), open ends (open ends during flowering), and a closed mesotunnel (with the insertion of a commercial bumblebee hive). Although the on/off/on treatment increased cucumber beetle populations and bacterial wilt epidemic progress compared to the open ends and closed treatments, it conferred significant yield benefits in both years. These findings emphasize the importance of systems-level analysis for evaluating the suitability of mesotunnels in organic muskmelon production.

Globally, honey bees are the most utilized animal pollinator in agriculture. However, fluctuations in honey bee colony availability have led to a demand for diversification among crop pollinators. Managed bumble bees are commercially available and highly efficient at pollinating many crops, including cranberries, yet utilization of these managed bees has remained relatively low in North America, with the cranberry industry remaining heavily reliant on honey bees. Here, we surveyed growers from Wisconsin (WI) and Quebec (QC), two of the world's largest cranberry producers, to assess their current crop pollination practices and attitudes regarding managed bumble bees as crop pollinators. To this end, we inquired about their farm demographics, usage of pollination practices, factors influencing those pollination practices, sources of information on crop pollination, and perceptions of managed bumble bees. QC respondents placed a greater importance on their relationships with beekeepers than WI respondents, while WI respondents were more concerned about fruit quality than QC respondents. QC respondents also stocked bumble bees and planted pollinator gardens at a higher percentage than WI respondents, believed that honey bees are more efficient pollinators of cranberry than bumble bees, and a greater proportion of QC respondents reported feeling well informed about bumble bees compared to WI respondents. Importantly, respondents in both regions rank bumble bees' ability to pollinate in inclement weather as their greatest benefit, and the costs of bumble bees as the greatest barrier to their use. We propose that trusted sources of pollination information in both regions, including university specialists, crop consultants, and beekeepers, are well suited to clarify misconceptions regarding bumble bee pollination.

Exclusion netting systems are effective in various contexts and are increasingly used to control crop pests. However, factors affecting pollination management under nets are poorly known. The pollination effectiveness of commercial bumble bee hives of Bombus impatiens Cresson (Hymenoptera: Apidae) was studied for apple production under exclusion netting systems in a research orchard located in Quebec, Canada during 2016–2017. Sixteen single-row plots of apple trees (plot length: 18.5 m, cultivar GingerGold) were subjected to one of the following four treatments during bloom: (1) introduction of a bumble bee hive placed at the end of the row, under nets; (2) introduction of a bumble bee hive placed in the middle of the row, under nets; (3) negative control with no pollinators, under nets and (4) agronomic control with nearby bee hives (<50 m), without nets. Resulting post-harvest fruit quality (e.g., fruit weight, size, number and distribution of seeds) was evaluated, as well as correlations between bumble bee visitation rates and fruit quality parameters were evaluated. Results suggest that bumble bees provided adequate pollination under exclusion netting systems and that resulting fruit quality was equivalent to that of apple fruit conventionally pollinated by honey bees and wild bees community (bumble bees and other bees) in the orchard environment. Positioning bumble bee hives in the middle of the row provided better fruit load homogeneity in pollinated trees. Additional discussion on bumble bees as apple pollinators and on pollen distribution methods is also included.

Pollination services are critical for food production. Although domesticated honey bees are important pollinators in agriculture, there is growing interest in supporting naturally occurring wild bees. Diversifying pollination management strategies by encouraging healthy wild bee communities may be especially useful for growers of insect-pollinated crops, such as apples. Although research has identified several land management practices that can enhance local pollinator communities on farms, there are few studies on the factors that influence growers to adopt pollinator-supporting actions on their land. Here, we surveyed 75 Canadian apple growers and used regression models to explore the influence of farm characteristics and perceptions about bees on the likelihood of adopting 15 unique pollinator-supporting practices. We also provide a descriptive analysis of growers' pollination management practices and self-assessed resourcefulness on the ability to improve habitat for wild pollinators on the farm. We found that an increase in three variables: awareness of wild bees, perception of the severity of threats facing wild populations, and the perception of the benefits provided by wild bees is associated with more pollinator-supporting practices on the farm. Overall, growers were less likely to adopt pollinator-friendly practices as the fraction of rented land increased and as the perceived costs of implementing these practices rose. We found ‘low-hanging fruit’ (i.e., pollinator-supporting practices that could be easily and inexpensively implemented) were adopted by less than one-third of growers and that the majority of those surveyed had little to no knowledge on what actions to take if they wanted to improve their farms for wild bees or where to go for that knowledge. Our results suggest that policies and programs that focus on raising grower awareness of wild bees, increasing grower perception of their benefits, and reducing the perceived costs of implementing pollinator-supporting practices may positively affect their uptake. A deeper understanding of grower perceptions will provide essential insight into how growers may contribute to wild pollinator conservation while potentially increasing agricultural production and reducing vulnerability borne of heavy reliance on managed pollinators.

The diversity and distribution of wild bees are dramatically changing due to habitat fragmentation, agricultural intensification and climate change. In cities, urban gardens are proposed ‘island’ habitats for bees offering floral and nesting resources. Yet, it is largely unclear how gardens play a role in changes in species diversity and distribution. This paper reports on the discovery of a bee species to our knowledge previously undocumented in the region of Berlin, Germany. We discovered Lasioglossum limbellum in a community garden created on concrete slabs of annual and perennial vegetation. As a cavity nester in soft rock cliffs—a natural habitat functionally not existent in urban areas—the life history of this species makes this discovery particularly interesting, and an opportunity to explore the role of urban gardens in biodiversity change. This report aims to spur future research, reporting and discussion on the changes in diversity and distribution of wild bees specifically in urban areas.