MU Extension specialists and stakeholders in the field developed this unbiased, research-based curriculum, which includes hands-on activities and classroom presentations.
Topics and publications
- Insect overview
- Insect basics
- How insects grow and develop
- Beneficial insects
- Insect ecology
- Insects as pests
- Integrated pest management (IPM)
- Plus specific information on monarch butterflies, Japanese beetles and boll weevils
- For more, see MU Extension publication M401, Insects.
- Relationship between plant and pollinator
- Basic anatomy of a flower
- Seasonal blooming
- Methods of pollination
- Types of pollinators
- For more, see MU Extension publication M402, Pollination Mechanisms and Plant-Pollinator Relationships.
- Honey bees
- Characteristics and life cycle of the honey bee
- Habitats, communication and pollination
- Controlling bee pests
- Feral honey bees in the Midwest
- Hive products
- Should you keep bees?
- Choosing a beehive
- For more, see MU Extension publication M403, Honey Bees as Pollinators, Their Habitats and Products.
- Native pollinators
- Mason and other solitary bees
- Butterflies and moths
- Fly pollination
- Reducing pesticide use to benefit pollinators
- When a beneficial pollinator is also a pest
- Neonics
- Citizen science related to pollinators
- For more, see MU Extension publication M404, Native Insect Pollinators and Their Habitats.
- Pollinators in nature and agriculture
- Threats to pollinators
- Conservation in action
- Getting involved
- Conserving pollinators
- For more, see MU Extension publication M405, Conserving Missouri's Wild and Managed Pollinators.
Check back frequently for information on upcoming trainings. For additional information, contact Travis Harper or Tamra Reall.