What happens to us and our environment if we lose pollinators?
Bees and other pollinators are vital to healthy ecosystems and functioning food systems, helping plants reproduce and supporting biodiverse environments. Through conversations with scientists, farmers, and community members, this episode looks at why pollinators matter, what’s affecting their habitats, and how people are working to support these essential species.
Let's take a look
Questions to consider
How do humans and pollinators affect each other?
Why are pollinators important for the environment, and what are the direct and indirect threats pollinators are facing?
Meet the Changemakers
Get to know the historians. Each historian in this episode has a card with information about that historian.
There are 4 cards to read.
James Crall
Assistant Professor
I study the behavior of insects and how it can help them survive on a quickly changing planet.
Claudio Gratton
Professor
I study insects that we consider “beneficial” and how we can conserve them in our landscapes.
Deirdre Birmingham
Apple Orchardist
I grow 18 acres of cider apples organically on our 166-acre farm in the beautiful Driftless Area of Wisconsin.
Aishika Samanta
Citizen Scientist
I’m a freshman at UW-Madison who studies bumblebee behavior in hopes to protect and preserve them.
Quote from a historian
“Less pollinators means less food for us.”
James Crall
Bibliography
Blackledge, Steve, and Katrina Riley. “Do All Bees Make Honey?” Environment America, 6 Oct. 2023, environmentamerica.org/center/articles/do-all-bees-make-honey/.
Hemberger, Jeremy, et al. “Historical decrease in agricultural landscape diversity is associated with shifts in bumble bee species occurrence.” Ecology Letters, vol. 24, no. 9, 18 June 2021, pp. 1800–1813, https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13786.
Straka, Jason Ryan, and Brian M. Starzomski. “Humming along or buzzing off? the elusive consequences of plant-pollinator mismatches.” Journal of Pollination Ecology, vol. 13, 1 Apr. 2014, pp. 129–145, https://doi.org/10.26786/1920-7603(2014)18.
“The Importance of Pollinators.” USDA, 2 May 2022, www.usda.gov/about-usda/general-information/initiatives-and-highlighted-programs/peoples-garden/importance-pollinators.
Episode credits
Producer
Kylie Compe
Story
David Boffa
Ian Glodich
Tori Charnetzki
Kylie Compe
Ryan Hendricks
Script
Kylie Compe
Director of Photography
Ian Glodich
Videography
David Boffa
Ian Glodich
Tori Charnetzki
Kylie Compe
Editors
David Boffa
Ian Glodich
Kylie Compe
Host
Ami Eckard-Lee
Graphics and Design
Charles Barrows
Animations
Ian Glodich
Illustrations
Cam Erhardt
Special Guests
Claudio Gratton
James Crall
Deirdre Birmingham
Aishika Samanta
Translation Services
Rev
Captions
Catie Pfeifer
Educator Support Materials
Mia Forslund
Jen Kobylecky
Web Design
Charles Barrows
Erika Kachama-Nkoy
Web Development
John Vieth
Digital Content
Sigrid Peterson
Executive Producer
Ryan Hendricks
Director of Education
Megan Monday
Director of Television
Jon Miskowski
Special Thanks
UW-Madison Department of Entomology
Project Advisors
Kevin Anderson
Science Education Consultant
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Leigh Kohlmann
Independent Science Education Consultant
Oakfield, WI
Dolly Ledin
Wisconsin’s Green Fire
Madison, WI
Michael Notaro
Center for Climatic Research
Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Victoria Rydberg-Nania
Environmental Education and Service Learning Consultant
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Episode Playtesters
Sarah Wright and her students
EAGLE School
Fitchburg, WI
Amy Reimer and her students
Core Knowledge Charter School
Verona, WI
Micki Uppena and her students
Mineral Point Unified School District
Mineral Point, WI
Funding provided by
Dr. Annette Beyer-Mears in memory of Howard & Nelle Weiss, Virginia Graves and Peter Tropman
Friends of PBS Wisconsin
Focus Fund for Education