Using floral enhancements to support beneficial insects on crop fields across Manitoba

On-Demand

Presenting Author(s)

MK

Michael F. Killewald

Graduate Student (Ph.D.)
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Co-Author(s)

AC

Alejandro Costamagna

University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
RG

Rob Gulden

University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Yl

Yvonne lawley

University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
JG

Jason Gibbs

Professor
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Beneficial insects such as bees, syrphid flies, and ground beetles provide valuable ecosystem services to agriculture including pollination and biological control of pests. However, in areas with intense agriculture, populations of these beneficial insects have often declined. Floral strips have proven effective at increasing populations of beneficial insects in other areas of the world. Although, this practice has not been adequately studied in areas with rotational crops, such as Manitoba. In the summer of 2019, we installed fifteen floral strips at multiple farms across Manitoba and used multiple collection techniques to monitor abundances of beneficial insects at strip, control, and natural sites. The strips contained significantly more beetles collected with pitfall traps, pollinators collected with blue vane traps, and pollinators collected along the net transects. However, results for pollinators collected with pan traps were unclear, since abundances of insects were similar across all treatment levels. Within the crop field, abundances of beetles were significantly higher in front of the strip than the on-site control. However, abundances of pollinators collected within the field were similar between the strip and on-site control. Our results provide support that floral strips benefit some insect groups on farms with inconsistent crop rotations in Manitoba. Our results also show that these insects spill over into the adjacent crop field. We hope that the increased beneficial insect abundances also increase their ecosystem services to agriculture.