Native Pollinators, Beneficial Insects & Farmscaping Part 3

Learn about native pollinators, beyond honeybees, as we explore the large variety of native bees, predatory wasps, beetles, flies, butterflies, and moths that are vital to healthy farm and garden ecosystems. Discover farmscaping practices to support healthy insect populations. Nancy Lee Adamson, Ph.D. is a native pollinator specialist with the Xerces Society. Together with Brannen Basham from Spriggly’s Beescaping and Pat Battle, we introduce you to a host of beneficial bugs and their preferred habitats. Glean insights to appreciate the importance of balanced insect populations and the critical roles they play in making the natural world work. In part 3, invertebrate biologist, Nancy, talks about her work and appreciating the full spectrum of insect biodiversity.

[@HeyHeyAlabama]

It would be nice if the books were listed so we can look them up.

[@KetOMAD]

According to the claim at 6:50, bears are more interested in bee larvae than in honey when they break into hives. How do we know this?

[@paduvihmkannel1542]

protein, fat and sugar. all together, et is like a snickers bar for bears.

[@tubenancy]

Good question! The brood have more protein and fat, while the honey is mostly carbohydrates, so both are important. Bear.org gives a detailed explanation of the nutritional value of brood vs honey: www.bear.org/website/bear-pages/black-bear/foraging-a-foods/206-what-do-bears-like-to-eat-in-a-beehive.html. I also found an older article about bee brood as food. It contains a couple references to bears specifically www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0005772X.1960.11096777?journalCode=tbee20. If you have trouble accessing, please write to me at Nancy at Xerces.org.