Bee nesting resources: the missing element of sustainable crop pollination

To ensure sustainable pollination services to crops, bees and other pollinators, need both forage and a place to live. There is a substantial body of research on how to enhance food resources for bees on farms, but the importance of nesting resources is poorly studied. This highly novel PhD provides an opportunity to work with a world class team of pollination experts to design and test novel interventions to provide bee nesting resources in UK apple orchards. The project will work in partnership with one of the UK’s biggest top fruit suppliers to better understand the fundamental nesting ecology of crop pollinating bees, and develop new management practices to boost nesting sites in commercial orchards. The student will benefit from working with a dynamic group of researchers focussing on pollinator conservation and crop pollination and work collaboratively with ecologists, economists, agronomists, social scientists and policy advisors.

This funded project forms part of a BBSRC-funded Waitrose Collaborative Training Partnership (CTP) between the Waitrose Partnership, their international food production and supply companies, Lancaster University, the University of Reading, University of Warwick and Rothamsted Research. Between 2017 and 2023, the CTP will deliver studentships on the themes of sustainable crop production, sustainable soil and water and biodiversity and ecosystem services in agriculture.

The recruitment of this project is being led by Lancaster University however this studentship is based at University of Reading.