ALFALFA LEAFCUTTING BEES
Improving Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee Health and Pest Control
As honey bees struggle to keep up with crop pollination demands, alternative managed pollinators like the alfalfa leafcutter bee (Megachile rotundata) are becoming more important. Like any bee managed in large aggregations, the alfalfa leafcutter bee is susceptible to parasite and pathogen pressures, many of which have been understudied, especially in comparison to honey bee diseases. Our research with the alfalfa leafcutting bee is focused on controlling parasites and pests of these bees, and ultimately increasing their health and productivity as an alternative crop pollinator.
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AGRICULTURAL CROP POLLINATION
Our work involves researching and enhancing crop pollination by natural, native pollinators to improve crop yields. There are over 800 bee species in Canada, who are often better pollinators than the European honey bee (the introduced species that is the most well known and the most commonly managed crop pollinator in Canada). For example, the doctoral research of our director found that pollination of strawberries by small wild bees produced much larger strawberries than that of managed honey bees. There are many field designs and pollinator habitat enhancement options that producers can implement to enhance pollination of wild and native bees in their crops. To learn more about our work in crop pollination or for recommendations on how to incorporate wild pollinators in crop production,
contact us.​