PolliNation Podcast

Log landings serve as a unique way to provision habitat in otherwise closed-canopy forests, providing refuge for wild bees and wasps. UMass Amherst PhD candidate Aliza Fassler unpacks her research on seeding log landings with native plants, and speaks to the pollinator assemblages that use them. Learn more about Aliza's research in this technical report: https://t.ly/gM2hR Visit the UMass Extension pollinator resources page: ag.umass.edu/pollinators

Thyra Mckelvie joins PolliNation to discuss managing blue orchard bees (mason bees). Thyra is the Managing Director and Solitary Bee Educator at Rent Mason Bees. She outlines three essential care steps: start with clean, openable nesting material of proper size, remove nests at the end of spring to protect developing bees from summer predators, and harvest/clean cocoons in fall to control pests and disease. In addition, Thyra covers the key pests of mason bees include pollen mites, Houdini flies, chalkbrood fungus, and monodontomerus wasps, plus sterilization methods. Rent Mason Bees website: https://rentmasonbees.com Rent Mason Bees YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@RentMasonBees Houdini Fly Hunt - report if you have Houdini Flies: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScwkcEVe6CfNoaoTDcSlXmIpX0HYUTmhOsZJihPvn8rCXNn8A/viewform?pli=1 00:00 Welcome to Mason Bee Season 01:01 What Are Blue Orchard Bees 02:39 Gentle Bees for Schools 04:06 Bee Hotels Need Maintenance 05:42 Avoid Bamboo and Log Hotels 07:01 Three Steps to Protect Cocoons 11:49 Predators and Parasites Explained 12:05 Inside a Nesting Chamber 13:09 Pollen Mites and Houdini Fly 16:02 Chalkbrood and Monodontomerus Wasps 18:33 Cleaning and Sterilizing Trays 19:56 Sterilize Nesting Trays 20:20 Spot Houdini Fly Signs 20:41 Cardboard Liner Hack 21:22 Spring Cleanup Routine 21:56 Vacuuming and Tanglefoot 22:43 Join Houdini Fly Research 24:11 Bee Emergence Timeline 25:13 Remove and Store Blocks 26:16 Summer Storage Tips 27:55 Fall Harvest and Washing 29:54 Dispose Pests Safely 30:27 Releasing From Old Materials 32:48 Rent Mason Bees Explained 34:52 Wrap Up and Thanks

As the 300th episode approached Dr. Melathopoulos started to get nervous. He had been doing the show since 2018. When his podcasting hero Melvyn Bragg hung up his podcasting mic last year, Dr. Melathopoulos wondered if he should do the same. But no. Polli-Nation is officially outgrowing its borders! While the show's roots are at OSU Extension, we are thrilled to welcome a new collaborative hosting team. By bringing in the expertise of Nicole Bell (East Coast/UMass), and Drs. Brandon Hopkins and Priya Chakrabarti Basu (WSU), we are expanding our coverage from the wild bee meadows of New England to the high-tech honey bee storage facilities of the Pacific Northwest. Hear the different hosts visions for the future of pollination in this episode. Nicole Bell – UMass Amherst Extension: https://www.umass.edu/bee-campus/about/directory/nicole-bell The Pollinator Steward Certification: https://www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/resources/pollinators/pollinator-steward-certification-program Dr. Brandon Hopkins – Washington State University Lab Page: https://bees.wsu.edu/about-hopkins-lab/ Dr. Priya Chakrabarti (Basu) – Washington State University Research Website: https://priyadarshinichakrabarti.com Harry Vanderpool – Hear our episode with Harry: https://youtu.be/CSiDXLmgxjU?si=D796BGDFkSUMMT59 00:00 Nicole Bell - episode highlight 00:25 Podcast Origins and Growth 01:45 Episode 300 New Era 03:09 Meet Nicole Bell 06:04 Meet Brandon Hopkins 08:48 Meet Priya Chakrabarti 10:49 Harry Vanderpool Updates 14:30 Co-Hosts Vision Ahead

In this episode Dr. Melathopoulos speaks with Dr. Armando Falcon-Brindis, assistant professor and extension specialist in entomology at the University of Idaho's Parma Research and Extension Center and director of the Parma Cocoon Testing Center. Dr. Falcon-Brindis explains why alfalfa leafcutter bees are far more effective than honey bees at pollinating alfalfa seed and describes how the lab uses X-ray imaging to assess cocoon health by counting live larvae, dead cells, pollen balls, machine damage, predators, parasites, and signs of pathogens, with follow-up dissections when needed. He details grower sampling methods, recommended bee release rates, and sex-ratio testing, then outlines new program efforts including a demonstration pollinator garden, field-based IPM trainings, and modernization of diagnostics with digital X-ray and other technologies. University of Idaho Faculty Profile: https://www.uidaho.edu/people/afalconbrindis Parma Research and Extension Center: https://www.uidaho.edu/idaho-ag-experiment-station/centers/parma 00:00 X-Ray Cocoon Clues 01:12 Podcast And Guest Intro 02:48 New Extension Role 05:22 Why Leafcutters Win 08:14 Cocoon Center Basics 11:28 X-Ray Diagnostics 14:28 Using Results For Rates 19:35 Sampling And Reports 23:09 New Programs And Tech 27:44 Pollinator Garden Impact

Dr. Melathopoulos talks with Dr. Hannah Gaines-Day (University of Wisconsin–Madison) about WiBee (W-I-B-E-E), an app created after conversations with Wisconsin apple growers who wanted to know whether wild bees provide enough pollination or if honeybee rentals are needed. The app has users stand still and record insect visits in a standardized 3x3-foot area for five minutes, tallying easy-to-identify functional "morpho groups" (honeybee, bumblebee, large dark, small dark, green bee, and non-bees) while also logging weather, habitat, and flower abundance. Validation work compared Wibee visitation rates with pollen deposition in apple and cranberry, finding a tight relationship in cranberry but not apple due to pollen source ambiguity; a follow-up will test relationships with fruit set, and pumpkin data are pending. Wibee has been widely adopted by Master Gardeners, has generated about 15,000 publicly viewable surveys, and may be compared with camera-based monitoring in future work. Essential Links: WiBee Official Website: pollinators.wisc.edu/wibee The Gratton Lab: gratton.entomology.wisc.edu Hannah Gaines-Day - Faculty Profile: https://entomology.wisc.edu/directory/hannah-gaines-day/ 00:00 Bee Survey Setup 00:53 Podcast Intro 01:24 Meet Hannah Gaines-Day 02:27 Why Bee ID Matters 03:31 Wisconsin Crops Focus 04:30 Wibee Morpho Groups 06:16 Functional Group Logic 07:53 How To Use Wibee 10:06 Sampling Strategy Tips 10:59 Validation Experiments 13:37 Apple Vs Cranberry Results 16:14 Beyond Wisconsin Use 18:22 Citizen Science Adoption 20:30 Pollination Threshold Goals 23:02 Future Tech Comparisons