Supporting Pollinators & Beneficial Insects in Backyards and on Farms

This bee is creating a pollen flurry on a cactus flower in Albuquerque. Photo courtesy of MJM Productions

Summer 2020 NMSU Webinar Series (Free)

Tuesdays, June 23 - July 28 | 3 PM Mountain Standard Time (MST)

This week, I’m excited to promote a new webinar series that’s free and open to the public. Find details about the program, each of the six upcoming webinars, and how to register for each webinar individually. The program was originally planned to be a live lecture series focused on beneficial insect conservation in northern New Mexico. The program has been modified to a virtual format with a broader target audience to include the whole state and beyond. The following was written by the program organizers:

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and New Mexico State University Integrated Pest Management Program have partnered to bring you a six-part weekly webinar series on pollinator and beneficial insect conservation in New Mexico. This series will help you get to know the bees and other helpful bugs in your backyards and on farms in New Mexico. It will also cover designing and planting healthy habitat to support those insects and protecting pollinators from pesticides. Please join us!

Webinar Schedule - The webinar series will be held weekly on Tuesdays at 3 PM MST

June 23: 3 - 4:30 PM – Pollinators of Northern New Mexico: How to Identify and Conserve the Bees in your Backyard

Interested in understanding why pollinators are in decline and what you can do to help? Ever wonder what makes a bee a bee? Join Kaitlin Haase, Southwest Pollinator Conservation Specialist at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, and Dr. Olivia Messinger Carril, author of “The Bees in Your Backyard,” to learn about the causes of bee, butterfly, and other beneficial insect decline and what we can do to minimize these threats. Dr. Carril will take you on a tour through the incredibly diverse world of native bees in northern New Mexico, covering the basics of bee identification and biology.

June 30: 3 - 4:30 PM – Helpful Bugs of Northern New Mexico: How to Identify and Conserve Beneficial Insects for Pest Control

While we tend to pay attention to bugs around us when they become a nuisance, the vast majority of insects around our homes and gardens are actually beneficial, pollinating plants and keeping garden pests in check. Join Emily May, Pollinator Conservation Specialist at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, and Miranda Kersten, Sr. Program Specialist at the NMSU Los Lunas Agricultural Science Center to learn about the wide range of helpful bugs in northern New Mexico and strategies you can use to support them in your yard.

Bee visits a coreopsis flower at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas Learning Garden earlier this month. Photo credit M. Thompson

July 7: 3 - 4 PM – Conserving Bees in Your Backyard: How to Create Habitat for New Mexico Pollinators in Small Spaces

Wondering how your yard, garden, or patio can provide a home for pollinators? Join Kaitlin Haase, Southwest Pollinator Conservation Specialist at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, for an overview of the components of pollinator habitat, how you can provide that habitat in small urban spaces, and which native plants of New Mexico are best for attracting pollinators.

July 14: 3 - 4 PM – Attracting and Supporting Crop Pollinators on New Mexico Farms and Ranches

How do bees contribute to the pollination of fruits and vegetables on farms and in gardens? How can we support pollinators to improve crop pollination and yields? Join Emily May, Pollinator Conservation Specialist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, to learn about protecting and enhancing populations of pollinators, especially bees, on New Mexico farms and ranches. Topics covered will include how different pollinators contribute to crop pollination, pollinator habitat practices for annual and perennial cropping systems, and protecting bees and other pollinators from pesticides.

July 21: 3 - 4:30 PM – Integrating Pollinators and Pest Management in New Mexico Gardens and Farms

Pesticides are widely used in many landscapes, but can cause harm to pollinators and other invertebrates. Join Emily May, Pollinator Conservation Specialist with the Pesticide Program at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, and Dr. Amanda Skidmore, IPM Small Farm Specialist at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas, for a webinar on the risks of insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides to pollinators, and strategies for protecting pollinators from pesticides on farms and in backyards. How can pollinators be considered when making decisions about pest management? What resources are available for making decisions about managing pests and choosing strategies that mitigate risks to pollinators?

July 28: 3 - 4 PM – Ask Me Anything: New Mexico Pollinator and Beneficial Insect Expert Roundtable

Have a lingering question about bees, beneficial insects, New Mexico native plants, or other topics? This Ask Me Anything session will feature a panel of experts from the NMSU Los Lunas Agricultural Science Center and The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation answering questions asked during our webinar series or submitted by email. Feel free to ask us anything regarding pollinators, beneficial insects, gardening, farming, and pest control in the Southwest US!

For more details and to register for each webinar individually, visit the series website at http://nmsu.life/8m. Anyone is welcome to submit questions to nmsuipm@nmsu.edu any time during the series.

Buckeye butterfly sitting on the flower of a cutleaf coneflower at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas Learning Garden earlier this month. Photo credit M. Thompson

Marisa Y. Thompson, PhD, is the Extension Horticulture Specialist, in the Department of Extension Plant Sciences at the New Mexico State University Los Lunas Agricultural Science Center, email: desertblooms@nmsu.edu, office: 505-865-7340, ext. 113.

Links:

For more gardening information, visit the NMSU Extension Horticulture page at Desert Blooms and the NMSU Horticulture Publications page.

Send gardening questions to Southwest Yard and Garden - Attn: Dr. Marisa Thompson at desertblooms@nmsu.edu, or at the Desert Blooms Facebook page.

Please copy your County Extension Agent and indicate your county of residence when you submit your question!