Integrated pest and pollinator management in alfalfa seed production: The good, the bad, and the ugly

Alfalfa seed growers in the Western United States must balance management of essential pollinator populations including alfalfa leafcutting bees and alkali bees against suppression of populations of their key crop-limiting pests which include Lygus bugs, weevils and aphids. Due to an extremely low economic injury level for the abundance of Lygus bugs in alfalfa seed production, control of this key direct pest requires insecticide applications pre-bloom, during bloom and during seed set. Unfortunately, these insecticide applications will often coincide within the timeframe during which essential pollinators are actively foraging and are provisioning their brood, rendering these managed and endemic bees and the next generation of bees vulnerable to insecticide exposure. Alfalfa seed growers have adopted specific cultural practices for control of these key pests that minimize harm to the managed and endemic pollinators that are essential to successful alfalfa seed production.