The Hidden Pollinator Problem: When Good Information Is Hard to Find

Honey bee on strawberry flower

by DiGiacomo et ql.

Most fruit and vegetable growers understand that pollinators are important. Bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects help increase yields, improve fruit quality, and support healthy farm ecosystems. Yet many growers who want to support pollinators face a surprisingly simple problem: finding practical, region-specific information they can use in a timely manner.

A recent study by researchers at the University of Minnesota in the Midwest, U.S. examined more than 1,000 pollinator-related resources published between 1900 and 2025. The team looked not only at what information exists, but also whether growers can easily find, access, and use it.

The results revealed a paradox.

Scientific journal articles were generally the easiest resources to discover online because they include strong metadata, keywords, indexing, and searchable records. Unfortunately, many of these articles remain locked behind paywalls, making them difficult for growers and advisors to access.

On the other hand, publications generated by Extension (the outreach arm of US land-grand universities), along with government reports, and nonprofit resources were usually free and publicly available. However, many lacked keywords, searchable descriptions, stable web links, or other features that help people locate information through online searches.

In other words, the most discoverable information is often the least accessible, while the most accessible information can be difficult to find.

The study also identified major gaps in pollinator information. While general pollinator conservation resources are abundant, far fewer materials address specific fruit and vegetable crops, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), or conditions unique to the U.S. Midwest. References to Midwestern states appeared in only a small percentage of the resources reviewed.

These gaps matter because growers typically make decisions under tight time constraints. During bloom periods or pest outbreaks, they need clear, practical recommendations tailored to their crops and region. If information cannot be located quickly, opportunities to implement pollinator-friendly practices may be missed.

The researchers argue that information itself functions as an ecological driver. Just as habitat, weather, and management practices influence pollinator populations, the availability and discoverability of knowledge can influence whether conservation practices are adopted on farms.

Fortunately, improving access does not always require creating new information. Many existing resources could become far more useful through simple improvements such as adding keywords, providing summaries, maintaining stable web links, and making publications openly accessible.

As pollinator conservation becomes an increasingly important part of sustainable agriculture, ensuring that growers can find and use trusted information may be one of the most effective conservation tools available.

Read the scientific paper in JPE HERE! 

 

A method to quantify how much pollen bats deposit on a flower’s stigma

Nicotiana otophora

by Hoyos Díaz et al.

How can we determine if an animal visiting a flower is actually pollinating it? The only direct evidence is the presence of its pollen deposited on the flower's stigma. Traditionally, this is assessed by exposing virgin flowers to a single visit and then collecting the stigma to count the pollen grains using different types of microscopes. More recently, double-sided adhesive tape either placed directly on the stigma or rolled into a cylinder, has been used to capture pollen deposited by bats, hummingbirds, and insects in across various plant species.

This work proposes a modification to that procedure by designing a fingernail-sized adhesive surface that is placed over the flower's stigma and can be replaced in seconds after each visit. To validate the methodology, we used Nicotiana otophora (Solanaceae), a species that is suspected to be visited and pollinated by bats, although this has never been confirmed by direct evidence. We demonstrated that in 80 to 100% of cases, the bats left pollen on the adhesive surface by testing three different adhesive materials and filming the visits of two species of nectarivorous bats, Glossophaga soricina and Anoura caudifer (Phyllostomidae, Glossophaginae), with night-vision cameras, occasionally with records of more than 3000 grains in a single visit. Likewise, we found no differences between the adhesive materials or between the bat species, supporting the consistency of the method examined.

Our results are doubly valuable. Firstly, through direct evidence, we have proved that both bat species are effective pollinators of N. otophora in the southernmost extreme locations in the Neotropics where these nectarivorous bats live. Secondly, we have developed a methodological improvement to a simple, affordable, and reusable tool applicable to flowers with stigmas large and exposed enough to support the pollen-collecting sheet without altering its geometry. This allows for more accurate estimates of pollen deposition by biotic pollinators.
  

Read the scientific article in JPE.