Principal Investigator(s): Ge Zhang (Ph.D. student), Caroline Murray (M.S. student), Lisa Schulte-Moore (Professor), Amy Toth (Associate Professor), Matt O’Neal (Associate Professor)
We are exploring how small patches of native, perennial vegetation (i.e., prairie) can increase the abundance and diversity of pollinators within corn and soybean. We observed honey bee colonies in Iowa lose weight beginning in August, when clover and soybean cease blooming. When colonies had access to a prairie from August to October, they were buffered from this late season decline.