Apple orchards sought

for wild bee research

The cooperation of apple orchard owners is needed for a research project to study the role of wild bees in pollination.

Among the questions the research project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will attempt to answer is how much pollination wild bees provide, whether they can be relied on for adequate pollination, and how pesticide applications affect the wild bees.

Research project activities will include sampling for wild bees, the measuring of fruit set, and the monitoring of bumblebee colonies that will be placed in the participating orchards, thereby supplying some free pollinators.

Cooperating orchard owners will be asked to share their detailed spraying records, but they will not have to devote any other extra time to the research on their property.

The UW-Madison researchers anticipate that the activities involved with the project will not affect yields in any more than a minimal way.

Interested orchard owners should contact Rachel Mallinger by email to remallinger@wisc.edu or call 269-267-4757.