Optimizing Pest Management Practices to Conserve Pollinators in Turf Landscapes: Current Practices and Future Research Needs

Abstract

Turfgrass is an important cropping system covering >16 million hectares in the United States. Synthetic insecticides, which are important tools in managing several key insect pests in these landscapes, have been implicated in the decline of managed and wild pollinators. The public perception linking the use of chemical insecticides to pollinator population declines threatens their future use and our ability to maintain functional and aesthetically acceptable landscapes. Extension and research entomologists from across the United States met in 2016 for the “Summit for Protecting Pollinators in Turf” to review the scientific literature on nontarget impacts of pest management practices on pollinators in turfgrass landscapes, to develop best management practices for protecting these organisms, and to identify knowledge gaps and prioritize future research needs. The group identified that there is a scarcity of detailed research on pollinator health in turf landscapes and has prioritized areas where research was most needed to conserve pollinator populations while balancing the needs for maintaining healthy turfgrass.