|
OFRF Grantee Champions Organic to Preserve Bees
Scott Hoffman Black (right) talks about pollinator preservation with Sam Earnshaw of California's Community Alliance with Family Farmers following Hoffman Black's Ecofarm presentation.
Communications Director
Bees and other pollinators are under siege in the United States. Among the most threatened today is the Franklin’s bumblebee. In late June, 2010, OFRF grantee Scott Hoffman Black, executive director of The Society for Invertebrate Conservation (Xerces Society) petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the Franklin’s bumblebee as an endangered species.
Hoffman Black fears the bee may already be extinct, and other pollinators may soon follow. Hoffman Black says there is hope for pollinators through creation of organic natural habitats in backyards, public spaces, and, particularly, on organic farms.
“The data we have show that … organic farms have more native habitat than conventional farms. … But many places in the United States do not have adequate habitat. So we believe it’s really vital to move towards more organic farming practices in this country,” says Hoffman Black.
With grant support from the Organic Farming Research Foundation, the Xerces Society recently published a pollinator preservation handbook, which was formally released at this year’s Ecofarm Conference in California. Titled Organic Farming for Bees, the handbook targets organic farmers, but Hoffman Black says the book is loaded with ideas and preservation tips any eco-minded gardener or pollinator hobbyist can use.
Hoffman Black identifies three key areas to consider in building pollinator habitat: 1) lots of flowers, 2) no pesticides, and 3) appropriate nesting sites.
Hear more on habitat development
“All people can put in habitat for pollinators. The neat thing about it is, if you put in habitat, the bees will come. It’s never failed so far. … If you implement a habitat project, whether its four square yards or 400 square yards, you’re going to get more pollinators at that site,” says Hoffman Black.
Hear what Hoffman Black has to say about Colony Collapse Disorder
Hoffman Black says the printed pollinator handbook is really a primer showing how to build habitat. He says there’s a deeper well of information to draw from on the Xerces Society website (www.xerces.org), and he urges anyone with an interest to visit.
You can read the Xerces Society’s project report to OFRF at http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/organic-farming-for-bees-xerces-society.pdf
|
