Habitat Amendments for Multiple Co-Benefits in Agroecosystems

Dr. Juli Carrillo, University of British Columbia and Dr. Claire Kremen, University of British Columbia

Ecologically based solutions are fundamental to agricultural sustainability.

Dr. Juli Carrillo and Dr. Claire Kremen, along with their team, are exploring options for “ecological intensification” of the farm-scape. By supporting natural biological processes and ecosystem services like wild pollinators, predaceous insects, and nutrient cycling, they aim to reduce the need for commercial inputs. This study focuses on perennial berry production, but results will be applicable to the broader agricultural community.

Research Objectives

Evaluate existing experimental habitat amendments on farms, including floral strips on crop margins, grassland set asides, and pollinator set-asides for their multi-year effects on pest and natural enemy abundance, pollinator abundance and diversity, nesting habitat potential, or bumble bee foraging and colony health
Develop plant mixes with berry and small fruit growers and ecological management team for co-benefits: pollination, insect pest control, weed management, carbon sequestration, and greenhouse gas reduction potential
Expand bio-surveillance in BC and to other field sites in Canada to gather spatial and temporal dynamics of insect pests and natural enemies; create an interactive insect map relating species occurrence with environmental factors and landscape features
Optimize and develop best practices for the use of organic mulch alternatives to black plastic; evaluate pest and weed suppression

Related Resources

OSC4 Explores Ecological Intensification – The Organic BC Podcast

Podcasts

2026

An Organic Approach to Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Articles

2024

Progress and Results

Research Update (March 2026)

KEY TAKEAWAYS (PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS)

Abundance of abandoned rodent burrows – rather than floral resources – was the strongest predictor of bumble bee nesting on blueberry farms; these burrows were, in turn, more abundant in areas with grassy rather than bare cover.
Sweet alyssum floral alleyways between blackberry crop rows showed preliminary increases in parasitoid abundance, particularly Leptopilina japonica, indicating that these floral plantings may strengthen biological control of spotted wing drosophila (SWD).
Red clover and phacelia alleyway treatments attracted more honey bees and bumble bees; sweet alyssum attracted more solitary bees; and peppermint attracted more honey bees and hover flies. Results suggest diverse floral strips may support a wider range of crop pollinators.
A ResNet50-based machine learning model for sticky card insect identification showed strong overall performance but key misclassification issues. Improvements are on-going.
Sticky traps are useful for detection but may not be reliable for monitoring SWD.
Both living and dead plant material mulches may disrupt SWD pupation.

Research Update (March 2025)

KEY TAKEAWAYS (PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS)

New habitat amendment plant mixes were established at UBC farm. Preliminary results from bug vacuuming revealed that sweet alyssum plots averaged 4.4 times more parasitoids than ryegrass-clover plots.
Surveys of blueberry fields showed that bumble bee queens in the spring preferentially nest-search in grassland set-asides (GLSAs), higher densities of workers are found foraging in the vicinity of GLSAs, and GLSAs are a positive predictor of Fuzzy-horned bumble bee (Bombus mixtus) nest density.
Work continued on automatic insect identification with a focus on Spotted Wing-Drosophila (SWD) and their natural enemy, figitid parasitoids. Early observations indicate that the sticky traps do have some false negatives with regards to both SWD and parasitoid presence and only detect both players when their densities are already high.

Additional Links and Resources

Research Brief (2025) Promoting Bumble Bee Nesting on Blueberry Farms

Research Brief (Nov 2025) Blueberry Floral Alleyways

Research Brief (May 2025): Grassland set-asides provide nesting habitat for bumble bees

Report (2024) Documentation for the original automated camera trap and platform (Sticky Pi) is available through the open access Git Hub (https://doc.sticky-pi.com/ )

Poster (Nov 2024) Assessing the impact of blueberry management practices on rodent and bumble bee nesting behaviour NOTE: Research method has been modified, tracking tunnels will not be used.

Article (Oct 2024) Short-Term Grasslands in Agriculture Support Both Natural Enemy and Phytophagous Arthropod Populations https://doi.org/10.1111/jen.13364

Article (Mar 2024) BC Food Web, Surveying Biodiversity.

Background Information

From the research activity proposal:

The project evaluates landscape features and implements new farm-scape design to support multiple ecosystem services, including pollination, pest control, and carbon sequestration. Specifically, through ‘ecological intensification’ (i.e. enhancing crop yields through harnessing natural biological processes and agroecosystem services for soil fertility, crop pollination and pest control) our project aims to support:

1) Nesting habitat and floral resources for wild pollinator populations to improve crop pollination;

2) Near-crop floral resources to attract and support predaceous insects to function as natural biological control of pest insects;

3) Custom floral blends for habitat amendments on farm that provide co-benefits of carbon sequestration and improved soil fertility.

Experimental research, including habitat amendment trials, will be conducted on organic farms in British Columbia, at AAFC research stations (Agassiz, Summerland, London, and Kentville), and with other participating growers who are rotating land out of production through set-aside programs and hedgerow establishment. Decision-making will be supported by state-of-the-art insect and biodiversity monitoring to determine the success of habitat amendments, track insect abundance, and to optimize the timing of inputs. New mulch alternatives will be trialed for weed management and the physical control of insect pests in berries with the aim to replace black plastic.

The proposed project will address key sector strategic priorities important across Canada, including objectives focused on reducing pesticide use and thus risk and improving sustainability and resilience of crop production systems. Specific project aims include supporting beneficial insect populations, designing multi-functional and crop specific floral mixes to improve pollination, pest control, and carbon sequestration within marginally-productive and/or non-producing crop land (i.e. alleyways, field margins), and supporting ecological based decision-making on farm through high tech and open source monitoring of insect pests.

Contributing Partners

Meet the Research Team

Lead Researcher

Dr. Juli Carrillo

University of British Columbia

Dr. Juli Carrillo is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia. She leads the Plant-Insect Ecology and Evolution lab where her team applies ecological theory to support and promote biodiversity, sustainability, and insect-mediated ecosystem services in a range of managed and natural systems. The Plant-Insect Ecology and Evolution Lab is affiliated with the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at the UBC Farm and the Biodiversity Research Centre.

Lead Researcher

Dr. Claire Kremen

University of British Columbia

Dr. Claire Kremen is a Professor at the Institute for Resources, Environment, Sustainability, and Zoology at the University of British Columbia. She is an ecologist and applied conservation biologist working on ways to reconcile agricultural land use with biodiversity conservation. She studies how agricultural diversification, or its converse, landscape simplification, affect ecological communities and ecosystems services. In addition, she seeks to understand what social and economic factors impact adoption of diversification practices.

Activity 9 Research Team

Name	Affiliation
Risa Sargent	University of British Columbia (UBC)
Justin Renkema	AAFC, London, ON
Michelle Franklin	AAFC, Agassiz, BC
Paul Abram	AAFC, Agassiz, BC
Chandra Moffat	AAFC, Summerland, BC
Debra Moreau	AAFC, Kentville, NS
Matthew Mitchell	Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, UBC
David Lapen	AAFC, London, ON
Jichul Bae	AAFC, Agassiz, BC

We asked Dr. Carrillo

What got you interested in this research project?

Biodiversity is intrinsically important but also functional. Biodiverse insect communities provide pollination to crops, biological control of pests, and support nutrient cycling, among other things. Our project seeks to document the multiple benefits to farmers that arise through insect-mediated ecosystem services and determine practices that can be implemented on farm to promote these natural benefits.

Where is your research taking place?

We are fortunate to work on the ground with farmers and habitat restoration groups in the Lower Mainland of BC. Our insect survey analyses include additional collections from other provinces.

What drew you to organic agriculture research?

Organic production has a critically important role in protecting agricultural land and promoting biodiversity, and functional ecological systems are foundational to organic standards. Yet organic growers face systemic issues that limit their ability to sustain biodiverse production. Research is urgently needed that demonstrates the benefits of biodiverse communities to agriculture in general, which will help support ecologically based production from within and outside the organic growing community.

How are you encouraging or training the next generation of scientists?

I work with a fantastic group of students and scientists that inspire me with their passion for insects and biodiversity, and in their varied approaches to research and life in general. We work together to create an inclusive and accessible training environment that supports hypothesis driven research with applications to complex issues. We learn from each other, and from the growers and community groups we work with.

Outside of your research pursuits, what is an activity you enjoy doing in your free time?

Trying new foods with family and friends!