VOL. 23 / NO. 2
Su m m e r 2 02 2
The Official Publication of The Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association
The Tupelo Borer Longhorned Beetle Makes Its Debut in Tennessee Nurseries and Landscapes How A SURGE in Horticultural Awareness Can Motivate the Next Generation of Advocates for Agriculture
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VOL. 23/NO. 2 •
The Official Publication of The Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association
COVER STORY The Tupelo Borer Longhorned Beetle Makes Its Debut in Tennessee Nurseries and Landscapes
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FEATURE Bee Hotels or Bates Motels? The Need for Research in Guiding Pollinator Conservation Efforts
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DEPARTMENTS From the President................................................................................................................... 6 TNLA Sponsors........................................................................................................................ 6 Calendar of Events.................................................................................................................. 21 Welcome, New TNLA Members............................................................................................ 21 Index of Advertisers................................................................................................................ 21
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Summer 2022
FEATURE How A SURGE in Horticultural Awareness Can Motivate the Next Generation of Advocates for Agriculture
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The Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association serves its members in the industry through education, promotion and representation. The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the association, its staff, or its board of directors, Tennessee GreenTimes, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or their identification as Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association members, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured in this, past or subsequent issues of this quarterly publication. Copyright ©2022 by the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association. Tennessee GreenTimes is published quarterly. Subscriptions are complimentary to members of the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association Third-class postage is paid at Jefferson City, MO. Printed in the U.S.A. Reprints and Submissions: Tennessee GreenTimes allows reprinting of material. Permission requests should be directed to the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association. We are not responsible for unsolicited freelance manuscripts and photographs. Contact the managing editor for contribution information. Advertising: For display and classified advertising rates and insertions, please contact Leading Edge Communications, LLC, 206 Bridge Street, Suite 200, Franklin, TN 37064, (615) 790-3718, Fax (615) 794-4524.
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Summer is FINALLY COMING! T
his Spring was a busy one for the industry, and we can all take a breath of fresh air. Over the past couple of years our organization has done its best to safely navigate through the pandemic. It has been a challenge, but the light at the end of the tunnel has arrived! TNLA is very excited to announce that we have many events coming up to promote our industry and members. On June 28, 2022 our Virtual Field Day will be held with University of Tennessee; August 25, 2022 will be having our Tennessee Green Industry Field Day at TSU Nursery Research Center; October 2022 TNLA Golf Tournament at the McMinnville Country Club (dates will be announced soon). Lastly, I am so excited and proud to announce that on September 28 – 29, 2023, TNLA’s Tennessee Green Industry Expo will be held at the Farm Bureau Expo Center in Lebanon, TN! Check out our website and social media accounts for more updates and details! I want to say thank you to each and every one of you that has patiently waited and kept supporting not only our organization but the industry as a whole. I hope everyone has the best summer! The TNLA board invites you all to come out and celebrate this wonderful industry that keeps the world going! Michael Gallagher TNLA President
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Cover Story
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The TUPELO BORER LONGHORNED BEETLE Makes Its Debut in Tennessee Nurseries and Landscapes By Aubree Morrison, Amy Dismukes, Dr. Jason Oliver, and Dr. Karla Addesso, Tennessee State University, Otis L. Floyd Nursery Research Center
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upelo borer, Aegomorphus morrisi (Uhler) (Photo 1)1, is a member of the longhorned beetle family (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) and is native to North America. This beetle species has recently been found causing internal trunk damage and death to black gum trees in two Tennessee nurseries. This discovery is the first documentation of the tupelo borer occurring in Tennessee.
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Tips and Tricks to Help Field Diagnostics Identifying Adult Tupelo Borer Beetles Adult beetles have large bodies (~0.8 to 1 inch long). The beetles have long antennae that are equal to or slightly longer than their total body length (Photo 2). Although beetle coloration may vary, the adult beetle will always have a distinctive M-shaped black marking on their lower, outer wing covering, or elytra (Photo 3). Adult beetles also have alternating dark and light colored patterns on the antennae and legs.
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Identifying Tupelo Borer Larvae Tupelo borer larvae can be found beneath the bark of infested host trees. Larvae have short, dark mandibles. Their soft, cream-colored bodies can grow to 1 to 2 inches long and have a line of dark spots, the spiracles, that run down that run down the length of their abdomen (Photo 4). Larval bodies are covered in coarse to velvety hair-like structures called setae. The first several larval body segments (i.e., their thorax) are the same width as the rest of the body, which has led to the common name for the group, collectively called roundheaded borers. By way of comparison, flatheaded borers are another group of wood-boring beetle larvae that also may be found beneath the bark and within the sapwood of some nursery trees. Flatheaded borer larvae may grow up to about one inch long and have several enlarged body segments (i.e., thorax) behind the darkened mandibles on the head, which gives them their “flattened head” appearance (Photo 5). At this time, tupelo borer larvae cannot be reliably identified to species by their morphological characters. Adult beetles are needed for accurate species identification.
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1 (All photos were taken by Aubree Morrison, TSU NRC with the exception of Photo 16, courtesy of Nadeer Youssef, TSU NRC)
Tupelo Borer Biology Adult beetles emerge in mid-June (Craighead 1923). Female beetles deposit eggs on the lower trunks of living black gum or water tupelo saplings (typically ~3 to 5 inches in trunk diameter) (Craighead 1923, Lugger 1884). The larvae feed in the phloem and cambium just below the bark, excavating a feeding gallery. The larvae then bore into the sapwood and heartwood, to create their pupation chambers. New adults emerge through a round dime-sized exit hole on the bark. The life cycle of this borer species is estimated to require two years or longer to transition from egg to adult. Additional monitoring efforts are underway that are expected to inform our understanding of the life cycle and larval behavior of tupelo borer beetles.
Geographic Distribution of Tupelo Borer and Its Nyssa Host Plant Species
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Tupelo Borer Distribution in North America The tupelo borer has been reported only from a few widely scattered areas in the eastern United States: Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina (Holt 2013, Solomon 1995). This species also has been documented in eastern Canada (Solomon 1995). A survey of longhorned beetles collected during more than 15 years of regional trapping efforts, as well as examination of multiple university and museum collections, did not yield specimens of A. morrisi that were collected in Tennessee (Klingeman et al. 2017). Since that report, adult tupelo borer and their larvae also have been collected from nurseries in middle Tennessee (Photo 6).
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Distribution of Nyssa Host Tree Species Tupelo borer is reported to attack black gum (Photo 7) (Nyssa sylvatica Marshall; also called black tupelo) and water tupelo (Photo 8) (Nyssa aquatica L.) (Solomon 1995). Black gum has the widest U.S. distribution among Nyssa species and is a common forest and cultivated nursery tree. Black gum has vibrant red fall colors with various hues of orange, yellow, and purple. This tree species typically has few pest and disease issues, which makes it a favorable, low-maintenance landscape tree. All tupelo species vary from tolerant to very tolerant of wet conditions, also making them favored ornamental plants for wet landscape locations. Tupelo borer are also likely to attack other Nyssa species, including swamp tupelo (Photo 9) (Nyssa biflora Walter), and ogeechee tupelo (Photo 10) (Nyssa ogeche Bartr. ex Marsh.; also called bee-tupelo, ogeechee-lime, sour tupelo-gum, or white tupelo). To date, however, there are no literature reports about attacks on these other Nyssa species.
Tree Injury and Damage Damage inflicted in response to feeding by tupelo borer larvae results in subcortical tunneling that can leave small to large areas with loosened bark. Sometimes coarse frass may be observed protruding from bark openings (Photo 11). Removing the loose bark will often reveal a large irregular cavity (~2 to 3 inches in diameter) that is packed with fibrous frass.
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Cover Story continued Splitting the wood of an infested tree may reveal the larval feeding gallery and pupation chamber beneath the bark. Depending on the age of the wound, the gallery may vary in size and have a circle-shaped exit hole if the adult already has emerged. Bark scars resulting from previously healed attacks will consist of rather large patchy scars with a small round scar directly above. Attacks have been documented on trunks from ~ 2 to 5 inches in diameter and at heights from ground level to about six feet high. The extent to which tupelo borer may become a widespread and established pest problem in nurseries and landscapes has yet to be determined. Only two Tennessee nurseries have reported severe damage, and these instances comprise the first report of this species in Tennessee.
Options for Managing Tupelo Borers in Nyssa Host Plants
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Although the available literature indicates that tupelo borer beetles can be managed with pesticide sprays or injections into galleries, no insecticide active ingredients have been specified (Solomon 1995). Trunk injections would be impractical for nurseries due to the large number of tree specimens involved and the potential for trunk damage that may be inflicted by the application method. Some systemic insecticides (e.g., imidacloprid) may be useful if applied before infestations begin.
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Trunk sprays of non-systemic insecticides like bifenthrin (e.g., Talstar, OnyxPro), lambda-cyhalothrin (e.g., Scimitar), permethrin (e.g., Perm-Up), chlorpyrifos (e.g., Dursban), etc., could provide control if applied to the full trunk during the adult flight period that begins about mid-June. However, management of the borer with trunk sprays may be minimal after the larva has entered the tree. Trees in nursery production blocks that are already infested no longer represent high-quality salable commercial stock. These infested trees should be culled, removed from the production area, and then chipped, burned, or deep-buried to reduce the threat of infestation to other host trees in the nursery.
Other Wood-boring Insects That May Cause Injury to Tupelo Species The applewood stainer, Monarthrum mali (Fitch) (Photo 12), yellowbanded timber beetle Monarthrum fasciatum (Say) (Photo 13), and black twig borer, Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff) (Photo 14), are all small ambrosia beetles (~1/16 to 1/8 inches [2 – 3 mm]). Their damage creates small circular entrance holes (shot holes) on the surface of the tree trunk and small tunnels in the tree interior wood, which are easily distinguishable from the extensive sub-surface tunneling damage caused by the tupelo borer.
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Cover Story
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The tupelo clearwing moth, Synanthedon rubrofascia (Hy. Edwards) (Photo 15), could cause subsurface tunneling damage that could be confused with the tupelo borer. However, the excrement of clearwing borers is typical “pellet-like”, which is very distinct from the fibrous and string-like excrement of the tupelo borer. Clearwing borer larvae (Photo 16) also may leave silk intermixed with the excrement. Clearwing borer larvae have narrower and less robust bodies than the tupelo borer larvae, and the fleshy prolegs on the abdomen will have tiny, hook-like spines (crochets) on the tips, which are visible with a hand lens. Only moth and butterfly larvae have these crochets (Photo 17), so beetle larvae like the tupelo borer will not have this morphological feature on the abdomen.
REFERENCES CITED and ADDITIONAL READING Blatchley, W.S. 1910. An Illustrated Descriptive Catalogue of the Coleoptera or Beetles (exclusive of the Rhynchophora) Known to Occur in Indiana: With Bibliography and Description of New Species. Nature Publishing Company. Craighead, F.C. 1923. North American Cerambycid Larvae. In: A Classification and the Biology of the North American Cerambycid Larvae. Canadian Department of Agriculture, Entomology Branch, Bull. 27. Ottawa, Ontario. 238 p.
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Holt, B.D. 2013. A Primary Checklist of the Cerambycidae and Disteniidae (Coleoptera) of Alabama. Coleopterists Bulletin 67(3): 241-256. Klingeman, W.E., N.N. Youssef, J.B. Oliver and J.P. Basham. 2017. The Longhorned Beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) of Tennessee: Distribution, Seasonal Adult Activity and New State Records. Florida Entomologist 100(2): 292-302. Lugger, O. 1884. Food-plants of Beetles Bred in Maryland.” Psyche 4: 124-125
Production · Breeding · Seed Technology
Morris, R.F. 2002. Distribution and Biological Notes for Some Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) Occurring in the Southeastern United States. Insecta Mundi Vol. 16. 553.
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Solomon, J. D. 1995. Guide to Insect Borers in North American Broadleaf Trees and Shrubs. US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. No. 706.
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Feature
Bee H o te ls
or Bates Motels? The Need for Research in Guiding Pollinator Conservation Efforts By Dr. Jennifer Tsuruda, Assistant Professor, UT Entomology and Plant Pathology Department, and Dr. Laura Russo, Assistant Professor, UT Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department
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A “Bee Hotel” is constructed with human-sourced or modified nesting aids that are designed for solitary stem-nesters such as leafcutter bees and mason bees [Photo 3]. These types of solitary bees are highly valuable pollinators in agricultural, urban, and natural landscapes [Photo 4]. Bee hotels [Photo 5] are commonly built as bundles of tubes or in the form of a wooden block with horizontal, drilled holes. Holes do not penetrate all the way through the back side of the block. When tubular stems are used, one end of each within a stem bundle is cut below the nodes so there is only one open end. When cardboard or paper straws are used, they are folded so that only one end is open. Stems, tubes, or paper straws are then tightly strapped or packed together in a protective “house” structure and positioned horizontal to the ground. Nest designs and characteristics can influence the utilization by certain bees. For example, small cellophane bees will utilize nests with 1–4 mm diameter holes, whereas mason and leafcutter bees are more likely to use holes with 5–8 mm diameters1 [Photo 3]. Additionally, a study on mason bees showed that more females were provisioned in a light blue nest box versus yellow or orange-colored boxes. Nest box placement can also influence colonization and success. Blocks and bundles are often housed within a structure or stand that has an overhang at the top, which helps protect from rain [Photo 5]. These larger structures should be placed in a location with limited wind exposure, facing south or southeast, and secured to prevent movement and risk of tipping over. Chicken wire or other wire mesh placed in front of the tunnels can help prevent predation by birds and small mammals.
ublic awareness about the decline of bees and other pollinators in recent years has been impressive and ever-growing. Pollinators have a tremendous impact on the day-to-day lives of humans. About one-third of the food we eat has been directly influenced by the activities of animal pollinators, so the concerns of scientists and the public are understandable. Growing awareness about these problems is often accompanied by a desire to act and help conserve pollinators in our landscapes and production areas. The inputs from citizen action can outpace science-based predictions and recommendations and a good example involves bee hotels and native bee conservation.
What is a bee hotel? Many people are familiar with social bees like honey bees and bumble bees. Less familiar are solitary bees that actually make up the majority of the ~3,500 native bee species found in North America. Rather than living within the same in colony structure, individual female solitary bees construct their own nest, sometimes adjacent to other solitary bee nests, yet each female provisions her own young without help from other bees, hence their “solitary” status. Approximately 70% of solitary bee species nest in the ground, while 30% nest above-ground in cavities such as stems, twigs, and abandoned tunnels in wood made by other insects. These cavities consist of a series of chambers, each provisioned with a ball of pollen mixed with nectar, and a single egg [Photo 1]. Chambers are sectioned off with partitioning material that varies with the type of bee – for example, leafcutter bees use chewed leaf tissue to separate chambers from one another [Photo 2]. After hatching from the egg, the larva consumes the founding female bee’s provisions and develops through multiple juvenile stages before pupating and emerging as an adult and leaving the nest.
An inhabited tube or nesting cavity may contain one or a series of cells, each containing a single egg that is provisioned with a ball of pollen mixed with nectar. Cells can be sectioned off from each other with a partition made of mud, leaf or petal tissue, resin, chewed up wood pulp, or even ants (photo by C. D. Pless and G. Schweiger).
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By providing hollow stems with different diameters, and that are sealed at one end, a greater diversity of bees can occupy the bee hotel. Different species of bees and wasps require different materials to separate and seal their nesting tunnels. Here, chewed up green leaf tissue, dried grass, and mud seals can be seen, along with a returning leafcutter bee with leaf tissue in her mandibles (photo by Laura Russo).
How are bee hotels used?
Unintended (or Unexpected) Guests: Residence by non-target arthropods
Artificial nests for solitary bees have been used for several decades. In agriculture, nesting structures have been used to increase solitary bee abundance for pollination services to crops such as alfalfa, almonds, and blueberries. Another use is to assess bee diversity and abundance across landscapes. By placing standardized nesting blocks in different areas, researchers can learn about local bee populations, as well as assess potential impacts introduced by environmental factors. Researchers also use nest boxes to acquire bees for experiments in other settings, and to better understand the biology, development, and behaviors of native bees. More recently, bee hotels have been used for educational outreach as a tool to increase interest and engagement in bee conservation.
Issues and challenges introduced by increased use of bee hotels One fundamental concern about bee hotels is the mindset that merely setting up a nest box and leaving it untended will translate into providing true benefits to native bees. In reality, research studies have revealed complexities that are inherent with bee hotel attractiveness, utilization by solitary bees (and their parasites), and performance. These factors contribute to whether native bee abundance and diversity actually are enhanced. A few multi-year studies provide some guidance that help to inform likely impacts that can accrue with time. Below are some of the concerns that have been raised.
Bee hotels are visited by several types of insects. Three bee examples are shown here: Osmia bucephala (bufflehead mason bee, top), Anthidium manicatum (European wool carder bee, an introduced species, bottom left), Megachile sp. (leafcutter bee, bottom right) (photos by L. Russo).
Native bees are not the only insects that utilize bee hotels [Photo 3]. MacIvor and Packer2 conducted a three-year study of bee hotels in Canada with surprising results. They recorded use by native and introduced bee and wasp species and found that only 27.7% of all the bees and wasps reared were native bees. Roughly the same number of introduced bees were reared, and native wasps were the most abundant hotel residents. In a similar study from California3, native bees and wasps (combined) never occupied more than 25% of the nesting cavities – in their study, the most abundant inhabitant was the European earwig!
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It is easy to see why solitary bees are such effective and valuable pollinators. This bee, in the family Megachilidae, was collected as she returned to a bee hotel. For these bees, pollen grains collect in a dense patch of stiff hairs on the underside of the abdomen rather than on their legs like honey bees or bumble bees (photo by J. Tsuruda).
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Example of a bee hotel with an overhang to protect from rain. The bound, wooden trays can be separated to allow for collection of cocoons and to facilitate cleaning, while the cardboard tubes in the “attic” can be replaced each year (photo by J. Tsuruda).
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Feature continued
Would You Stay at an Unmaintained Hotel? Parasites and Parasitoids are Happy To
diameter cavity openings can attract non-target bees like non-native giant resin bees. Additionally, less desirable diameters and shorter tunnel lengths can result in increased production of male bees – males do not collect pollen. A recent comparison of commercial and custom bee nesting aids revealed that commercial models often are less occupied, may host fewer developing bees and wasps, and may support less species diversity4. The type of nesting material, diameter/length combinations, and smooth entrance surfaces all were factors in attracting more bees and wasps representing a greater diversity. Additional research is needed to help inform options for improving and optimizing commercial bee motel models.
Parasites can be a particular challenge and significantly more native bees may become parasitized in bee hotels compared to introduced bees2. Mites, flies, and parasitoid wasps all are known to afflict bee hotels [Photos 6 and 7]. The close proximity of nesting sites is not natural for non-gregarious species, so that the likelihood increases of a parasite spreading across multiple nest sites. Successful bee hotels are not simply “set it and forget it” operations. Regular maintenance and cleaning of drilled wood blocks is necessary, but can be difficult. Tightly bound wooden trays can be opened for easier cleaning, yet gaps between trays can allow entry of parasites and parasitoids. Disposable cardboard tubes and stems/reeds are beneficial in that they can be regularly replaced, reducing risk.
Promoting conservation and native bees While questions remain about whether bee hotels ultimately are helpful and provide lasting benefits for pollinator conservation purposes, these resources are undeniably enjoyable to watch and are a practical way to engage the public and increase awareness about solitary bees, other beneficial insects and parasites that share our environments, and the importance of habitat for conservation. An extended duration of seasonal floral species and abundance is needed to provide the pollen and nectar for provisioning the diverse assemblage of bee and wasp species that can be reared as bee hotel residents. Increased forage also can help alleviate competition and limit disease transmission between bees. A healthy and complex habitat can also provide resin, leaf tissue, and natural nesting sites for solitary bees. Simple examples can include leaving stems intact over the winter, followed by an early spring cutting of stems from otherwise healthy plants that have hollow or soft, pithy centers (like Joe Pye weed, cane berries, and sumac). These stems can be pruned down to 8–24 inches and dead (but healthy) twigs and stems can be left to remain in the landscape. These hollow or easily excavated stems left on the plant and in the landscape provide sites for stem-nesting bees in the spring, and the developing bees will emerge the following spring. Leaving patches of exposed and moistened soil can provide important resources used by ground-nesting bees. Together, with more research, we will learn how to better follow and supplement natural landscapes to attract, feed, and nurture native bee populations.
One Size Does Not Fit All: Issues with Hotel Design Bee hotels are often commercially advertised as a simple way to help bees; however, some design features may not align well with this goal. Tunnel dimensions can facilitate unintended results. Models providing large
A highly occupied hotel provides a concentrated opportunity for parasitoids. Here, an ichneumonid wasp is laying eggs in a bee hotel (photo by Martin Cooper Ipswich, CC-BY-2.0).
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Here, a photo from Europe shows a red mason bee cocoon (Osmia bicornis) covered with mites that look like pale sandy particles. The cream-colored parasitic Houdini fly pupae (Cacoxenus indagator) can also be seen in this opened nesting tunnel from a bee hotel. The parasitic fly larvae do not directly attack the developing bee. Instead, the fly larvae compete with the bee larva for pollen provisions, which can result in the bee starving. Houdini flies occur on both coasts of the United States. For health of bee hotel residents, open and inspect nesting materials to help curb the spread of this parasite species (photo by orangeaurochs, CC-BY-2.0).
BEE HOTEL RESEARCH BEING CONDUCTED by the Russo Lab at the University of Tennessee “Katie Wood is an undergraduate research student in my lab who is interested in comparing the bee hotels that she has seen in stores to a “professional” mason bee hotel. To evaluate these models, we set up four types of bee hotels that range in size and style at four locations in eastern Tennessee. We standardized the color of all the hotels and all are oriented to face south. This step is essential for limiting effects of these external variables. For all the hotels, we have measured nest depth, number of available nesting tubes, and uniformity versus variation in nest opening widths. We expect nest depth to be one of the primary predictors determining the preferences of nest cavity resources chosen by stem-nesting bees. Katie will monitor the nests throughout the spring and summer seasons in 2022 to assess and learn how the bees respond.”
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REFERENCES and ADDITIONAL READING: 1. MacIvor JS (2017) Cavity-nest boxes for solitary bees: a century of design and research. Apidologie 48:31. doi: 10.1007/s13592-0160477-z 2. MacIvor JS, Packer L (2015) ‘Bee Hotels’ as Tools for Native Pollinator Conservation: A Premature Verdict? PLoS ONE 10(3): e0122126. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122126 3. Barthell JF et al. (1998) Invader Effects in a Community of Cavity Nesting Megachilid Bees (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Environ Entomol 27:240. doi: 10.1093/ee/27.2.240 4. von Königslöw V et al. (2019) Benchmarking nesting aids for cavity-nesting bees and wasps. Biodivers Conserv 28: 3831. doi: 10.1007/ s10531-019-01853-1 5. Requier F, Leonhardt SD (2020) Beyond flowers: including non-floral resources in bee conservation schemes. J Insect Conserv 24:5. doi: 10.1007/s10841-019-00206-1 6. Turo KJ, Gardiner MM (2019) From potential to practical: Conserving bees in urban public greenspace. Front Ecol Environ 17:1. doi: 10.1002/ fee.2015 7. Washington State Department of Agriculture (Feb 2020) Houdini fly pest alert. https://cms. agr.wa.gov/WSDAKentico/Documents/PP/ PestProgram/PestAlert-HoudiniFlyFeb2020.pdf
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Feature
How A SURGE in Horticultural Awareness Can Motivate the Next Generation of Advocates for Agriculture
Student Engagement to Grow the Next Generation of Agriculturally-aware Professionals
By Dr. Sharon Jean-Philippe, Dr. Natalie Bumgarner, Edward “Bear” Moran, Rebecca Hughes, Alenna Fletcher, Spencer Wood, Gabriella King and Allison Padovani
1 TABLE 1. A selection of 14 vegetables or herbs were planted and grown by E-SURP students at UT Organic Farm and KBGA locations from June through August 2021. Crops and produce were used in outreach programs to Zucchini workshop attendees.
Trial & Plot #
18
Cultivar or Species
Crop Type
Color
1
‘Black Cherry'
Tomato
Black
2
‘Chocolate Beauty'
Bell Pepper
Brown
3
‘Big Bertha'
Bell Pepper
Red
4
‘Ruby’
Lettuce
Red
5
Butternut
Squash
Orange
6
Sweet Potato
Potato
Orange
7
Lemon Cucumber
Cucumber
Yellow
8
‘Patio Choice’ Yellow Determinate Cherry
Tomato
Yellow
9
Variegated Thyme
Herb
Yellow
10
Arugula
Lettuce
Green
11
‘8 Ball’
Zucchini
Green
12
‘Trail of Tears’
Pole Bean
Blue
13
Purple Sweet Potato
Potato
Purple
14
Purple Basil
Herb
Purple
tennessee greentimes SUMMER 2022
The Summer Undergraduate Research Group Experience (SURGE) is a new program offered by the University of Tennessee (UT) that is providing a novel way to introduce and engage undergraduate students to research opportunities at the college level. The Exploring Sustainable Urban to Rural Agriculture Practices (E-SURP) Initiative was funded by SURGE in fall 2019 for implementation in 2020. Due to COVID-19, the first teams were deferred until summer 2021. The purpose of the E-SURP initiative was to focus on small-scale food crop research and experiential learning opportunities for non-traditional agriculture students while integrating educational outreach for similar audiences. Essentially, this project was designed to engage and teach students currently underrepresented in agriculture in the process of educating members of the public who may well share their previous lack of agricultural knowledge and awareness. Through these linked research and outreach goals, students gain knowledge and experience that addresses key awareness gaps of their own in the areas of food production, forestry, and natural resource management while providing a platform for participants to educate others and assist agriculture and natural resources professionals in better understanding and connecting with new and underrepresented audiences. The goal for SURGE is simple: identify and invite undergraduate students who are unlikely to enter research to be introduced to undergraduate research during the summer (Photo 1), and to explore what research opportunities can look like. Many different UT faculty are advancing the SURGE mission and have partnered with the UT Leadership Excellence Achievement Diversity (LEAD) academic, inclusive initiative to provide an avenue for first-generation and minority students to participate in undergraduate research. Students participating in SURGE are paired with a team who together, are introduced to and fostered in the scientific method and principles of research for the duration of the program. Students also receive guidance and support from one or two faculty mentors. There are several projects that students may apply to and each team, composed of up to eight students, then sets out to investigate prominent questions in the disciplinary fields that reflect their respective projects.
A Novel Approach to Undergraduate Research Engagement Perhaps SURGE’s most defining quality is the unique way that the teams are composed. Not only are team members less likely to have entered undergraduate research on their own, but participants are purposefully chosen to build an interdisciplinary team. The diversity of not only students’ backgrounds, but also their chosen studies, makes room for tremendous creativity in solving research problems. In research, this creativity and diversity is invaluable. Once teams are established, the holistic approach means that each student has the power to be informative to the whole group. SURGE allows students to gain experience in working in groups to achieve a goal. The diverse and interdisciplinary nature of the teams further reflects contemporary academic and workplace environments setting the stage for how future problems are most likely to be approached to be solved effectively. SURGE offers students a way to explore research in a supportive, guided environment that grows participants’ ability to work as a contributing member in diverse, interdisciplinary, and group settings.
The Tale of Two Projects: Student Teams Engage in Selected Research Aims During the summer of 2021, the E-SURP inaugural student cohort included interdisciplinary team members recruited from among freshman and junior undergraduate students studying majors in Plant Science, Biology, Economics, Computer Science, Environmental and Soil Science and Language and World Business (Photo 2). This unified team cohort began with the overarching goal of developing a response to selected problems presented within the E-SURP project objectives. During the summer, the students traveled across Tennessee to visit different urban farms and community gardens. Students were able to see multiple examples of how these gardens were operated and how garden staff interacted within their various communities. Applying what they learned through observations, the E-SURP participants developed two projects entitled Urban Agriculture: Do Soil Tests Tell the Whole Story and Rainbow Garden: Cultivating Community. The team that was picked to examine Urban Agriculture: Do Soil Tests Tell the Whole Story was focused on understanding food insecurity within a small urban city. To begin, the team took soil samples from four locations across Knoxville, which included garden and landscape plots at the Knoxville Botanical Gardens and Arboretum (KGBA), UT Organic Farm, University of Tennessee campus, and from several residential backyards. Their soil sampling efforts were intended to gather baseline information about urban soil profiles that were intended to eventually inform and promote opportunities for small scale urban farming. Students spent the summer putting their soil knowledge in practice by preparing an urban site and growing food that ultimately became connected to the second E-SURP team project. Fourteen vegetables/herbs were planted and grown at the UT Organic Farm and KBGA from June through August of 2021 (see Table 1). The Rainbow Garden: Cultivating Community project established a model for providing urban farm-to-table education at the local community level. The community chosen were the Knox County residents who lived in the area surrounding KBGA. Project 2 participating students planted two small plots at KBGA containing a diverse array of edible plant crops (Photo 3). Crops were selected that provided a range of visual and sensory attributes highlighting various colors, textures, and scents to demonstrate the tremendous array of food that can be grown and prepared, even within an urban environment (Table 1). Once plots were established, team members watered, weeded, and cared for the plants in their plots. The produce that they grew in their urban farm plots was used to support community outreach.
Community Engagement and Outreach That Showcases SURGE Students as Informed Educators To bring the experience full circle, the final key component for student participants was for the teams to develop an outreach activity that promoted community engagement to educated community members about urban agricultural practices. Program attendees would learn about the program and also be shown different ways to prepare common local horticultural crops, including vegetables. The re-united E-SURP team developed a Zucchini workshop that was hosted on site at KBGA. Through the workshop students were led by their faculty mentors in developing a program to show how zucchini, an easy-to-grow and healthy vegetable that grows vigorously, is easily prepared as food, and eaten in a variety of recipes (Photo 4). The students created fliers which were distributed through the KGBA that promoted the upcoming workshop. Working with Jammin’ 99.7 WJBE Radio (Photo 5),
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4
5
tennessee greentimes SUMMER 2022
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Feature continued the team also wrote and recorded a radio ad to reach out and attract participants from the regional community. E-SURP hosted the Zucchini workshop on July 31, 2021 with 10 women community members in attendance range from 50 to 80 years of age. The workshop was a success for attendees who learned about the workshop through the radio advertisement. At the workshop, four
6
of the students prepared fried zucchini and zucchini bread, which provided hands-on evidence about how easy it is to prepare zucchini (Photo 6). Participants also got to tour the KBGA garden plots, learned about crop care and maintenance, and received a loaf of zucchini bread that was prepared by the E-SURP students during the workshop (Photo 7).
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tennessee greentimes SUMMER 2022
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The Tennessee Greentimes is the official publication of The Tennessee Nursery & Landscape Association, Inc. 115 Lyon Street McMinnville, Tennessee 37110 (931) 473-3951 Fax (931) 473-5883 www.tnla.com Email: mail@tnla.com Published by Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street, Suite 200 Franklin, Tennessee 37064 (615) 790-3718 Fax (615) 794-4524 Email: info@leadingedge communications.com Editors Dr. Bill Klingeman Dr. Amy Fulcher Associate Editors Dr. Karla Addesso Dr. Nick Gawel Dr. John Sorochan TNLA Officers President Michael Gallagher Heather Farms Nursery 1st Vice President Terri Turner Turner & Son’s Nursery 2nd Vice President Jon Flanders Botanico, Inc. 3rd Vice President Osvaldo Lopez Ozzy’s Lawncare & Hardscape Services Secretary-Treasurer Bryan Tate Mid-South Nursery Associate Director Chris Hackler Drees Plant Wholesalers Ex-Officio Morgan Adcock Scenic Hills Nursery Executive Director Louree Walker
tennessee greentimes SUMMER 2022
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