By Scout Nelson
Bees play a crucial role in pollinating crops across North Dakota, making their survival during harsh winter months vital for the agriculture industry. Researchers at North Dakota State University (NDSU) have been studying how bees can survive the cold winter conditions and reproduce successfully when spring arrives.
Native and human-managed bees, such as the blue orchard bee and alfalfa leaf-cutting bee, are essential pollinators for various crops in the state. The research focuses on understanding how these bees can overcome winter challenges, and the collaboration with other institutions has strengthened the effort.
NDSU, along with partners from the USDA Agricultural Research Service, the University of Wyoming, and New Mexico State University, formed the Insect Cryobiology and Ecophysiology (ICE) Network with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Track-2 Award. This collaboration aims to advance knowledge about bee survival in extreme winter conditions.
The NSF Track-2 funding has supported research infrastructure at NDSU, including the development of insect rearing facilities and lab renovations. It has also led to 68 peer-reviewed publications, contributing significantly to bee research.
One of the major breakthroughs in this study is the sequencing of the blue orchard bee's genome, marking the first-ever genome map for this species. This bee is native to North America and is known for its cross-pollination abilities, particularly for tree crops. The research also examines how mother alfalfa leaf-cutting bees influence their offspring’s ability to survive winter. These bees adjust the types of eggs they lay depending on the changing seasons, producing bees that can overwinter during the colder months.
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Categories: North Dakota, Education, Government & Policy