Farm406

Wild bee box at the Montana State University Honey Bee Research Site and Pollinator Garden, Bozeman, MT. smoothoney.com 406.463.2227 • 202 Central Ave Power, Montana Made with Montana's Best Smoot Honey FARM SUPPLY Chester, Montana 717 Madison Avenue West 406.759.5006 406.799.8576 Tyrel & Tara Hendrickson We are your North Central Montana Honey Bee REM LEMKEN & Bourgault Tillage Tool Dealer Visit Us On 35 farm406 Photo: Eliza Wiley landowners in Montana utilize the non-native alfalfa leaf-cutting bee, which is raised commercially. What kind of incentive would it take for a landowner to set aside even a small portion of valuable cropland for pollinator habitat? Delphia and her MSU colleagues, Drs. Laura Burkle and Kevin O'Neill, are exploring the potential for developing a market for native wildflower seeds. An entrepreneur could plant pollinator strips for habitat, then harvest and sell the seeds. While there isn't enough demand at this time, agency professionals and conservation advocates continue to explore new ways to incentivize habitat development. Between 2013 and 2015, an MSU graduate student sampled native bees in the epicenter of a large wheat-growing region. Delphia thought he might collect a few species at best. Instead, the student identified 109 species, all of them "eeking out a living" in the middle of wheat country. Thinking about it today, the surprising results give Delphia cause for optimism, but also point out the tenuous state of affairs for pollinators in Montana and elsewhere, and the need for continued action. "Maybe what that shows us is there are bee species more resilient than we think, and we still have an opportunity to get out there and give them more habitat before we see more serious declines. There's still the chance to save what's present. If we can expand or restore more habitat, it'll make me more hopeful."

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