NMSU, Xerces Society present supporting pollinators, beneficial insect webinar

New Mexico State University has partnered with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation to host a free virtual course series to inform farmers, educators and the general public about pollinator and beneficial insect conservation in gardens and farms in northern New Mexico.

“The six-part weekly series, “Supporting Pollinators and Beneficial Insects in Backyards and on Farms,” will consist of one to one-and-a-half hour live virtual presentations via Zoom,” said Amanda Skidmore, NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences integrated pest management small farm specialist.

The webinars will be at 3 p.m. Tuesdays, June 23 through July 28. Participants are welcome to attend any and all of the six sessions.

Registration is required for attendance of each live presentation. Live captioning will be provided.

All sessions will be uploaded to the NMSU ACES YouTube channel at a later date with no viewing restrictions.

“The series will cover a range of topics on pollinators and beneficial insects in northern New Mexico,” Skidmore said. “From getting to know the bees and other helpful bugs in backyards and farms, to designing and planting healthy habitat to support those insects and protecting pollinators from pesticides.”

The topics and dates of each session, with links to individual registration pages, are as follows:
• June 23: “Pollinators of Northern New Mexico: How to Identify and Conserve the Bees in Your Backyard”
• June 30: “Helpful Bugs of Northern New Mexico: How to Identify and Conserve Beneficial Insects for Pest Control”
• July 7: “Conserving Bees in Your Backyard: How to Create Habitat for New Mexico Pollinators in Small Spaces”
• July 14: “Attracting and Supporting Crop Pollinators on New Mexico Farms”
• July 21: “Integrating Pollinators and Pest Management in New Mexico Gardens and Farms”
• July 28: “Ask Me Anything: New Mexico Pollinator and Beneficial Insect Expert Roundtable”

For more details and to register, visit the series website at http://nmsu.life/8m.
Contact Rachel Dunham at rachel.dunham@xerces.org with any registration questions. To submit questions about pollinators and beneficial insects for the “Ask Me Anything,” email nmsuipm@nmsu.edu.