Cavity-Nesting Bee Conservation and Ecology in Urban Ecosystems
Warner College of Natural Resources
Forestry and Rangeland Stewardship
Larimer
County
(Denver)
- Natural Resources
- On-campus
Primary Topic:
Natural Resources
Other Topics:
Horticulture
Internship Overview:
John Mola, Karim Gharbi, and Kyle Ruszkowski will serve as the three mentors for this internship. John Mola will provide access to research opportunities for the intern. Karim Gharbi will provide extension opportunities with the intern. Kyle Ruszkowski will work closely with the intern to initially introduce them to the project and then facilitate the intern taking ownership of the project. Each week, the intern, John Mola, and Kyle Ruszkowski will meet to discuss research and extension opportunities, progress on the project, and to address any questions or concerns brought up by the intern. The intern will work with the mentors over the 10 weeks to develop the final poster for the forum. Additionally, the mentors will seek other opportunities for the intern to present their poster if desired. Upon completion of the internship, the intern will have gained skills in leadership, science communication, engaging with the public, and pollinator identification.
Goals, Scope and Objectives:
Pollinator decline, both in abundance and diversity, has been reported globally. Urbanization and land use change are likely primary drivers in pollinator decline. Pollinators are a vital component of many food systems and ecosystems. Because of this, a variety of interventions are implemented to conserve bee pollinator abundance and diversity. One intervention is ‘bee hotels.’ These are constructed to provide nesting habitat for cavity-nesting bees. In addition to providing nesting habitat for bees, these are also good tools to increase public engagement with bee conservation. Bee hotels can be constructed in a variety of ways out of a variety of materials. However, there is little work that evaluates differences in the effectiveness of these nesting sites. Therefore, we propose to evaluate the effectiveness of a variety of bee hotel types to assess what qualities provide the best outcomes for cavity-nesting bee and wasp abundance in urban ecosystems so that we can make more informed recommendations to the public.
With which stakeholder group(s) will the intern work?
Extension, horticulture, and pollinator conservation.
What student learning outcomes do you anticipate and what are the opportunities for professional development?
The intern will gain hands-on experience in the pollinator and horticultural aspects of pollinator gardens and constructed cavity nests for bees as an intervention for pollinator conservation. Additionally, the intern will interact with professionals and gain experience in the areas of extension, horticulture, and pollinator conservation. The intern will also assist with outreach and community events, refining their public speaking and engaged scholarship skills. Therefore, the intern will not only learn about the scientific aspects of these areas but also network with professionals.
