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Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment

Integrating research and outreach education from UMass Amherst

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  • Research
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  • Services
    • Services Overview
    • Pesticide Education
    • Plant Diagnostics Laboratory
    • Soil and Plant Nutrient Testing Laboratory
    • Hot Water Seed Treatment
    • Environmental Analysis Laboratory
  • Farms
    • Farms and Facilities Overview
    • Cold Spring Orchard Research and Education Center
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    • Equine and Livestock Research and Education Farm in Hadley
    • Joseph Troll Turf Research Center
  • News & Events
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Pollinator Research + Projects at UMass

Scientists from accross UMass are conducting research and outreach to improve bee health

Pollinator Gardens around Campus

  • Agricultural Learning Center (911 N. Pleasant St.)
  • Franklin Permaculture Garden (in front of Franklin Dining Commons)
  • Songbird Garden (Governors Drive)

State Apiary 

The State Apiary was established in June 2016, as a collaboration between the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture, and the UMass Stockbridge School of Agriculture. It is located at the UMass Agricultural Learning Center, which can be found at 911 North Pleasant Street. During the summer, MDAR runs workshops at the apiary every Saturday. 

sunflowerSunflower Pollen for Bee Health (Adler Lab)

We recently discovered that sunflower pollen dramatically reduces a gut pathogen of bumble bees and also reduces a different pathogen of honey bees. Furthermore, farms with more sunflower had lower incidence of the gut pathogen in wild bumble bees (Giacomini et al 2018). With funding from a USDA Pollinator Health grant, we are asking whether sunflower pollen improves health and reproduction of bumble and honey bees against a range of pathogens, and whether sunflower plantings or pollen supplements can be used as a non-chemical method to manage bee health. For more info, click here. 

How do Floral Traits Affect Disease Transmission? (Adler Lab) 

Flowers provide essential resources for bees but can also serve as hotspots for disease transmission. The Adler lab is part of a multi-institution NIH grant, led by Scott McArt at Cornell University, to understand how floral and bee traits mediate disease transmission networks. The Adler lab is conducting field experiments manipulating floral, bee and community traits to understand their role in disease transmission. For more info, click here. 

taking a bee sample 2018 Massachusetts Hobbyist Health Survey

Researchers at UMass Amherst collaborated with 40 beekeepers in Massachusetts to gather data on hive health, including Nosema, Varroa, viruses and pesticides. This data is being analyzed by collaborators at Cornell in order to explore the relationship between land use and hive health. For more information, click here.

Wildlife-Friendly Solar Panels (UMass Clearn Energy Extension) 

Large solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays (solar panels!) can be planted with native vegetation to provide habitat to pollinators and wildlife species.  A number of states have established voluntary "pollinator-friendly" certification programs to help solar developers implement, maintain, and promote native meadow habitats under and around solar panels.  UMass Clean Energy Extension is working with state and federal agencies, pollinator experts, and stakeholders in the agriculture, wildlife biology, and solar energy communities to develop a pollinator-friendly designation program for solar PV facilities in Massachusetts.

Native Bee Conservation and Research (Joan Milam)

More info coming soon!

Pollinators

  • Overview
  • Pollinator Steward Certification Program
  • Honey Bees
    • Swarm Removal
    • What to Know Before Getting a Hive
    • Yearly Management
    • Guide to Advanced Bee Courses in Massachusetts
    • The Research Buzz
  • Native Pollinators and Conservation
    • Educational Briefs
    • The Pollinator Buzz
  • Managing Landscapes for Pollinators
    • Planting
    • Pest Management
    • Native Pollinator Plants
    • Where can I get native plants?
  • Current Pollinator Hot Topics
  • Pollinator Job Opportunities
  • Affiliated Faculty and Staff
  • Contact
  • Publications

Get Social with UMass Pollinators!

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UMass Extension - Pollinators (@umass_pollinators) • Instagram photos and videos

Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment

 

Stockbridge Hall,
80 Campus Center Way
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA 01003-9246
Phone: (413) 545-4800
Fax: (413) 545-6555
ag [at] cns [dot] umass [dot] edu (ag[at]cns[dot]umass[dot]edu)

 

Civil Rights and Non-Discrimination Information

College of Natural Sciences

Login for faculty and staff

CAFE Units

Mass. Agricultural Experiment Station

UMass Extension

UMass Research and Education Center Farms

UMass Cranberry Station

Water Resources Research Center

Interest Areas

Agriculture

Commercial Horticulture

Energy

Environmental Conservation

Food Science

Nutrition

Water

Youth Development & 4-H

Services

Pesticide Education

Plant Diagnostics Laboratory

Soil and Plant Nutrient Testing Laboratory

Hot Water Seed Treatment

Water Testing / Environmental Analysis Laboratory

Projects

Conservation Assessment Prioritization System (CAPS)

Extension Risk Management/Crop Insurance Education

Mass. Envirothon

Mass. Herp Atlas

Mass. Keystone

MassWoods

North American Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative

RiverSmart

UMass Design Center in Springfield

Resources

Extension Sales Portal

Agriculture & Commercial Horticulture Resources

Community & Economic Vitality

Disaster Preparedness

Food Safety

Home Lawn & Garden

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Land Conservation Tools

Pollinators

Tick testing

Resources for Faculty and Staff

Extension Programs

4-H Youth Development

Agriculture

Crops, Dairy, Livestock and Equine

Fruit

Greenhouse Crops and Floriculture

Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry

Pesticide Education

Turf

Vegetable

Clean Energy

Climate Change

Food Science

Nutrition Education

Value-Added Food

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