Karin Gastreich: The prairie bees of Kansas City

03/20/20 • 44 min

This week on the podcast I'm talking with Karin Gastreich, professor of biology at Avila University. Her recent work surveying the native bee communities in the remnant prairies around Kansas City was just published in the March issue of Ecological Restoration. She and I chat about the bees, the prairie ecosystems of yesterday and today, and the difference between restoration and reconstruction.
If you haven't yet spent time in the gently-waving tall grass of a modern prairie, surrounded by the buzzing of life, with blue sky touching the horizon in every direction – put it on your list! It is truly magical.
Karin Gastreich:
• Twitter @EolynChronicles
• Website krgastreich.com
Remnant Prairies and Organic Gardens Provide Complementary Habitat for Native Bees Within a Midwestern Urban Matrix (Ecological Restoration) er.uwpress.org/content/38/1/3.refs
WEEKLY UPDATE
• California attorney general calls out insufficient regulation of insecticide (Santa Barbara Independent) https://bit.ly/2wbSPPz
• The letter from the California attorney general https://bit.ly/3bcTcZ2
• Monsanto’s secret funding for weedkiller studies (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2WtdeKz
• The pesticide industry’s playbook for poisoning the Earth (The Intercept) https://bit.ly/2U2fdUt
• Pesticide seed coatings are widespread but underreported (Penn State) https://bit.ly/2xdcVc4
• Bees are the Best: USU biologist publishes new children's book (Utah State University)
https://bit.ly/2QxaM1L
EXTRA
• The free digital version of Eolyn:
- Google Books https://bit.ly/2Qy6bfP
- Barnes & Noble https://bit.ly/2WsQf2j
- Smashwords https://bit.ly/390xcyN
• Pollinator License Plate online auction starts March 21 https://www.32auctions.com/
• There and Back Again (Radiolab) https://bit.ly/3bfXmiv
Please subscribe to the Bee Report Podcast. Leave a 5-star rating and review. And visit TheBeeReport.com to sign up for the newsletter to stay connected to the world of bees.
Thoughts, questions or comments? Get in touch at [email protected].

Previous Episode

Sheila Colla: Planning for the future of the rusty patched bumble bee

This week on the podcast, I talk with Sheila Colla, assistant professor in Environmental Studies at York University. At the end of February, Sheila and other bee experts came together at the Minnesota Zoo to plan for the recovery and future of the rusty patched bumble bee. And Sheila fills us in on what happened at the meeting.
Sheila's graduate work first identified the drastic decline of this bumble bee and has been the foundation for protecting it as an endangered species in the United States. She has been an essential part of this ten-year journey towards recovery. And the recent conservation strategy meeting of bee experts is just the latest step in that journey.
Sheila Colla:
• Twitter @SaveWildBees
• Website www.savethebumblebees.ca
WEEKLY UPDATE
• Thousands of homeowners apply for Minnesota funding to turn lawns into bee-friendly habitats (Star Tribune) http://strib.mn/3cWmufW
• Bumble bees hate pumpkin pollen, which may help pumpkins (Cornell University) https://bit.ly/3aPkpkc
• Flower faithful native bee makes a reliable pollinator (University of California, Riverside) https://bit.ly/2TPmjvH
• These tiny, plastic-munching caterpillars can clean up our world – but there's a catch (USA Today) https://bit.ly/2vTJrjv
EXTRA
• Pollinator License Plate online auction starts March 21 (Wild Friends NM) https://www.32auctions.com/WildFriends
Please subscribe to the Bee Report Podcast. Leave a 5-star rating and review. And visit TheBeeReport.com to sign up for the newsletter to stay connected to the world of bees.
Thoughts, questions or comments? Get in touch at [email protected].

Next Episode

Joe Wilson: Creating a children's book and effective science communication

This week on the podcast I'm talking with Joe Wilson, associate professor of biology at Utah State University. The very same Joe Wilson who you likely know from The Bees in Your Backyard – the book, the website and the prolific social media presence.
He and illustrator Jonny VanOrman have just published a brand new children's book called Bees are the Best. It's a whimsical little tale about discovering the diversity of bees in the world. And while Joe and I talk about creating the book itself, we also explore what goes into effective science communication.
Joe Wilson:
• Website: https://www.beesinyourbackyard.com/
• Twitter: @BeesBackyard
• YouTube: https://bit.ly/2WOe98u
WEEKLY UPDATE:
• AI analysis suggests we're getting better at wildlife conservation (EurekAlert/Cell Press) https://bit.ly/2y6BGXT

• What motivates sales of pollinator-friendly plants? (EurekAlert/American Society for Horticultural Science) https://bit.ly/2Jf4Iac

• How ‘undertaker’ bees recognize dead comrades (Science) https://bit.ly/2UiVqjL

• Scientists transform ultra-tough pollen into flexible material (EurekAlert/Nanyang Technological University) https://bit.ly/3buQ6Qc
Please subscribe to the Bee Report Podcast. Leave a 5-star rating and review. And visit TheBeeReport.com to sign up for the newsletter to stay connected to the world of bees.
Thoughts, questions or comments? Get in touch at [email protected].