This project will summarize a key set of published studies that demonstrate insects, especially pollinators can be conserved within and adjacent to crop fields (include soybean) using insecticides. This information can assist key stakeholders address the need to conserve endangered species that occur in regions where soybean production is common.
Pollinators, like the Rusty Patch Bumble bee, are found in Iowa and have been listed as endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) response to the endangered species act (ESA) may affect soybean farmers who use insecticides and are trying to practice conservation in and around their fields. Iowa leads the nation in employing conservation practices that can benefit pollinators, including those supported by the USDA’s conservation reserve program. For example, Iowa has more acres in CP42 (pollinator habitat) than any other state. Iowa is also the birthplace of the prairie strip practice (CP43), which can increase the diversity and abundance of pollinators, especially bees. These are voluntary practices that farmers must choose to do. If restrictions are placed on insecticide use because of the proximity of these practices to crop fields, farmers may elect to stop participating in CP42, CP43 and other practices that could conserve pollinators. How we proceed in practicing agriculture and conserving species requires empirical evidence from Iowa, if Iowans are to contribute significantly to this issue.