The Iowa Learning Farms (ILF) conservation webinar taking place May 7, at noon CDT will feature Kate Borchardt, Ph.D., postdoctoral researcher, University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Borchardt’s research focuses on plant-pollinator communities including plant pollination, pollinator foraging behavior, pathogen transmission and habitat quality. While obtaining her Ph.D. from Iowa State University, she studied bee and wasp communities in conservation practice prairie strips which are small prairie plantings within row-crop fields. She is currently researching pathogen transmission in pollinator habitats.

In the webinar, “Debunking Wasp Pollination,” Borchardt will settle any questions regarding the contribution of wasps to plant pollination. She will present outcomes of her study investigating the pollination ability of wasps and discuss how wasps may fill an ecological niche distinct from bees, carry similar compositions of pollen on their bodies compared to bees, and deposit a similar number of pollen grains in a single visit to goldenrod flowers. Borchardt will also provide insights into the importance of continued research efforts to better understand understudied pollinator groups.

“Wasps are not always recognized as pollinators, and through research we have shown that they not only provide important ecological services such as pest management, they also contribute to plant pollination and are vital to our natural and managed ecosystems,” said Borchardt. “Wasps are valuable members of our ecosystem and their role in plant pollination deserves acknowledgement.”

Up Next: Wednesday, May 14, with Jenny Seifert, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Amy Skoczlas Cole, Trust in Food

Upcoming Webinars in the Series:

May 21: Jon Lore, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

May 28: Marissa Osterloh, Iowa State University