THE PROJECT

Beyond the bees is a project that aims to understand fly pollinators and other non-bee pollinators and manage supportive landscapes.  Providing floral habitats that favor all pollinators will strongly influence pollination services provided in both natural, urban, and agricultural settings.  Therefore, a better understanding of their ecology, development of landscape management practices, and conservation tools to help support biodiversity and a wide variety of pollinators.  Recent attention however, has focused largely on bees, butterflies, and vertebrae pollinators.  With the exception of bee flies (Family Syrphidae), other fly pollinators within the Order Diptera are also important pollinators based on abundance and strong attraction to flowers for foraging, nectar and pollen. However, their contributions as pollinators and pollination ecology is poorly understood and often overlooked.

THE FLY POLLINATORS

Flies are a  common group of insects in the Order Diptera (meaning 2 wings), with over 120,000 known species worldwide.  You may think “pest” when you think of flies, and certainly there are many pest species, but flies have also provide important eco-system services like soil conditioning, recycling, and POLLINATION!  Flies are the second in importance to bees and, on certain plants, are incredibly effective at transferring pollen grains onto a flower stigmas.

RESEARCH REPORTING

(*denotes students involved in distribution of knowledge gained from project)

Jordan Schmitt*. Undergraduate researchers virtually travel the world to study role of flies in pollination. OHIO News. 15 April 21.

Emi Olin*. #BeyondBees. OHIO University Student Expo. 15 April 21. 1st Place in the Creative Arts (Watch her outreach video posted at the top of this page!)

Evelyn Blakeman*, Ayden B. Wilson*, V. Popescu, and B.S. Brodie. Are flies pollen their weight? Data mining social media for information on fly (Diptera) pollinators. Pollinator-Insect Ecology (P-IE) Undergraduate Research Symposium- Entomological Society of America. St. Louis, MI, 17-10 November 2019. 1st Place Oral Presentation Award

Ayden B. Wilson*, V. Popescu, and B.S. Brodie. Are flies pollen their weight? Data mining social media for information on fly (Diptera) pollinators. Ohio University Student Expo, Athens, (OH 17 April 2018). (Poster) – 1st Place Award Winner

Brodie, B.S. Harnessing sight and scent communication pathways for insect conservation and management. Plant Biology Colloquium, Ohio University, Athens, OH (2 March 18).

Brodie, B.S. Citizen Scientists (you!) predicting floral attractiveness for fly pollinators. 18th Annual Ohio PawPaw Festival, Albany, OH (16 September 2016).

PARTICIPANTS

White’s Mill (Athens, OH) is a local store selling garden and home supplies, as well as gifts to Southeast Ohio area since 1809.  White’s Mill has provided this project with beautiful flowers plants and seeds for our hard working pollinators. To get your own pollinator flowers check them out here and shop Athens, Ohio!

PHOTO GALLERY

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