MSU Extension Pollinators & Pollination

Last updated: March 2023

Michigan Managed Pollinator Protection Plan - Pollinator Stewardship Resources

The Michigan Managed Pollinator Protection Plan: Communication Strategies for Reducing Pesticide Risk for Managed Pollinators in Michigan discusses potential pesticide risks to managed pollinators in the state of Michigan and provides strategies to support pollinator health.

The Michigan Pollinator Protection Plan is led through Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) and Michigan Pollinator Initiative. Visit MDARD's website and Michigan Pollinator Initiative's website for more information.

Michigan State University leads the National Managed Pollinator Protection Plans Working Group. The working group developed 2 online courses for pesticide applicators:

• Pollinator Protection for Pesticide Applicators
• Pollinator Protection for Land Managers

Managed Pollinator Protection Plan update from Michigan State University Extension, November 2022

For growers:

Resources for growers developed as part of Michigan's Managed Pollinator Protection Plan:

• Pollinator Protection for Pesticide Applicators online course: Upon course completion, certified pesticide applicators in Michigan can request 1 restricted use pesticide (RUP) credit (1A, 1B, 1C, 7A, Commercial Core or Private Core).
• Michigan beekeepers and growers featured in Honey Bee Health Coalition’s Bee Integrated Demonstration Project
• Pollinator supportive trees and shrubs for farm and orchard windbreaks
• Vegetable Pollinator Stewardship Guide
  • Guía para la Gestión de Polinizadores de Hortalizas (Vegetable Pollinator Stewardship Guide in Spanish)
• Blueberry Pollinator Stewardship Guide
  • Guia del Cuidado de Polinizadores de Arándano (Blueberry Pollinator Stewardship Guide in Spanish) - Pollination
• Pollinator Stewardship in Orchards Webinar Recording, April 2021
• Michigan Managed Pollinator Protection Plan Webinar Recording, March 2021
• Update on Michigan's Managed Pollinator Protection Plans (MP3s), Ana Heck & Meghan Milbrath, Fruit Quarterly, Summer 2020
• To request a presentation about pollinators, honey bee biology, the Michigan Managed Pollinator Protection Plan, or pollinator stewardship, please contact Ana Heck.

Additional resources from Michigan State University and partners:

• Michigan Pollinator Initiative resources for growers
• Reducing pesticide risk to bees during fruit crop bloom
• Apple Best Management Practices from the Honey Bee Health Coalition
• Why Tree Fruit Growers Should Implement a Pollinator Stewardship Plan
• Michigan Apple Pollination Fact Sheet
• Michigan Cherry Pollination Fact Sheet
• Michigan Blueberry Pollination Fact Sheet
• Vegetable pesticide series: Should I use it during bloom?
• Minimizing Pesticide Risk to Bees in Fruit Crops

• Keep bee safety in mind during orchard bloom

For pesticide applicators:

• Pollinator Protection for Pesticide Applicators online course: Upon course completion, certified pesticide applicators in Michigan can request 1 restricted use pesticide (RUP) credit (1A, 1B, 1C, 7A, Commercial Core or Private Core).
• To request a presentation about pollinators at a pesticide credit recertification credit clinic, please contact Ana Heck.
• MPI wrote an appendix for the Michigan Private and Commercial Applicator Core Manual so that people preparing for pesticide applicator certification can learn about pollinators, pollinator health, and ways to reduce pesticide exposure.
• MSU leads the National Managed Pollinator Protection Plans (MP3) Working Group.

For the public:

• Webinar recordings
  • Large-scale Pollinator Habitat: Seed a Legacy Program
  • Flowering Bee Lawns with James Wolfin
  • Michigan bee plants with Dr. Zachary Huang
  • The buzz about native bees with Dr. Michelle Fearon
  • Native bees of Michigan with Dr. Rebecca Tonietto
• Articles
  • A refuge for pollinators: A case study of establishing large-scale pollinator habitat on marginal farmland using federal funds
  • Pocket of paradise: A second case study of establishing large-scale prairie planting
  • Somewhere for the pollinators to go: A case study of establishing large-scale pollinator habitat
  • USDA funds available to establish pollinator habitat on your land
  • Bee Aware brochure
• Online courses
  • Pollinator Champions free, online course
  • Pollinator Champions certification

Additional resources from Michigan State University:

• Michigan Pollinator Initiative pollinator planting resources
• Smart Gardening for Pollinators tip sheets

Acknowledgments

Thank you to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for securing funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for Michigan State University to implement strategies in the Michigan Managed Pollinator Protection Plan.

This work is supported by the Crop Protection and Pest Management Program [grant no 2021-70006-35450] from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

This work is supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Crop Protection and Pest Management Program through the North Central IPM Center (2018-70006-28883 and 2022-70006-38001).

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.