Establishing and Restoring Prairies for Native Plants and Wild Bees: Researching what drives success

Julia Brokaw is a wild bee researcher at the new Cariveau Bee Lab at the University of Minnesota. In Minnesota, about 99 percent of original prairie habitat has been converted to agriculture and development. But a number of agencies and researchers are collaborating to study and restore these habitats. Julia’s research focuses on success factors in restoring prairies and their native plants and wild bees. Her work draws on the fields of entomology, ecology and restoration.  She’ll discuss seed mix design, plant establishment and how to increase nesting habitat for bees in prairie landscapes.

The Cariveau Bee Lab studies wild bees and pollination ecology. Researchers study basic questions in ecology and evolution, as well as conservation biology. They are particularly interested in how conservation actions such as restoration and land management influence the structure of wild bee communities and the pollination services they provide to native plants and crops.