Field Margins
Field margins are narrow strips of land adjacent to crop fields, roads and railways,
hedgerows, and forest edges. Individually, these areas may seem negligible, but
cumulatively, they amount to significant unexploited acreage. Field margins can
serve a variety of purposes including river bank stabilization, erosion prevention,
and buffer zones for pesticide drift. Many USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Service programs actively manage field margins for erosion control and have
adapted management standards to incorporate forage for pollinators as an additional
benefit [105].
Plant Selection for Noncropped Land
The value of noncropped farmland to honey bees and other pollinators depends very
much upon the plant species available within this land. Two strategies are
recommended to improve nutritional resources for honey bees: sow plants that
provide good pollen and nectar, and conserve native plants [65].
For example, legumes (Fabaceae) are among plants most visited by bees for
pollen and nectar. Some legumes that are particularly attractive to honey bees are
those having a long and multiannual flowering periods [109]. Some farmers may be
concerned by legumes’ slow growth due to lack of flowers the first year of planting,
in which case they can plant a mixture of annual, biannual, and perennial plants
including wildflowers to ensure early and extended flowering for both honey bees
and wild pollinators [65].
Farm Practices for Noncropped Land
Besides actively encouraging plant diversity, land management in noncropped areas
is important as well. Among recommended management practices are the limiting of
chemical and mechanical destruction of noncrop floral resources and preventing
pesticide drift to bee foraging areas.
To reduce mechanical destruction of floral resources, the following practices are
recommended [103, 110]:
1. Avoid mowing high-nectar plants during flowering to reduce foraging honey bee
mortality rates.
2. Delay the first cutting of vegetation in the spring to allow more flowering plants
and thus more pollinator visits.
3. Cut grass at the end of summer or in autumn to conserve grasslands.
38
C. Li
Field margins are narrow strips of land adjacent to crop fields, roads and railways,
hedgerows, and forest edges. Individually, these areas may seem negligible, but
cumulatively, they amount to significant unexploited acreage. Field margins can
serve a variety of purposes including river bank stabilization, erosion prevention,
and buffer zones for pesticide drift. Many USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Service programs actively manage field margins for erosion control and have
adapted management standards to incorporate forage for pollinators as an additional
benefit [105].
Plant Selection for Noncropped Land
The value of noncropped farmland to honey bees and other pollinators depends very
much upon the plant species available within this land. Two strategies are
recommended to improve nutritional resources for honey bees: sow plants that
provide good pollen and nectar, and conserve native plants [65].
For example, legumes (Fabaceae) are among plants most visited by bees for
pollen and nectar. Some legumes that are particularly attractive to honey bees are
those having a long and multiannual flowering periods [109]. Some farmers may be
concerned by legumes’ slow growth due to lack of flowers the first year of planting,
in which case they can plant a mixture of annual, biannual, and perennial plants
including wildflowers to ensure early and extended flowering for both honey bees
and wild pollinators [65].
Farm Practices for Noncropped Land
Besides actively encouraging plant diversity, land management in noncropped areas
is important as well. Among recommended management practices are the limiting of
chemical and mechanical destruction of noncrop floral resources and preventing
pesticide drift to bee foraging areas.
To reduce mechanical destruction of floral resources, the following practices are
recommended [103, 110]:
1. Avoid mowing high-nectar plants during flowering to reduce foraging honey bee
mortality rates.
2. Delay the first cutting of vegetation in the spring to allow more flowering plants
and thus more pollinator visits.
3. Cut grass at the end of summer or in autumn to conserve grasslands.
38
C. Li