Urban landscapes can be important refuges for native bees and other pollinators. This talk covers why bees are critical for biodiversity and food security, why bee populations are declining, and how the gardening public can help by incorporating woody landscape plants to provide nectar, pollen, nesting sites and materials, and other resources. Following a brief overview of pollination ecology, we’ll “meet the bees”, and then discuss recent HRI-funded research that identified top native and non-native “bee magnets” amongst woody ornamental plants. The talk also explains why artificial bee “hotels” can become death traps and suggests better ways to create bee nesting sites through ordinary gardening practices. Attendees will receive PDF handouts and other information helpful for teaching others about the best trees and shrubs for bee conservation.

CABI and USDA APHIS are collaborating on the biological control of the box tree moth using parasitoids from Asia. Several parasitoid species are currently under consideration for introduction into North America and Europe. One of these parasitoids arrived in Europe on its own and has begun controlling the moth on both planted trees and in wild boxwood stands. The webinar will describe the spread and impact of this adventive parasitoid in Europe and present efforts to assess the potential of this species and others as biological control agents in North America.