BABA Presentation: Honey bees and native flower visitors in a Boston suburb

Prof. Primack will describe the results of a survey of insect visitation to plants in Newton, a suburb in metropolitan Boston with extensive conservation areas and gardens. Honey bees, bumblebees, and solitary bees were found in a wide variety of cultivated, native, adventive, and pollinator garden plants. The most visited plants were generally visited by mixtures of honey bees and native pollinators, suggesting that honey bees and native bees can coexist. The talk will conclude with recommendations to reduce threats to native flower-visiting insects, such as herbicide and pesticide use, and to increase the resources available to flower visitors by planting pollinator gardens.

Richard Primack is a Professor of Biology at Boston University with interests in plant ecology, conservation biology, climate change biology, and tropical rain forests. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Biological Conservation and is the author of four widely used conservation biology textbooks for which 38 foreign language editions have been produced with local co-authors adding in examples from their own countries.

Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88440859107?pwd=9wmgbYaMqXIFHyd8Doi0Zjkog3kAPG.1