Pollination Investigators:
A Citizen Science Program Measuring Insect Pollination
Mary Gardiner, Department of Entomology
facebook.com/pollinationinvestigators
Welcome and thank you for participating in Pollination Investigators! Worldwide declines in bees have been documented, threatening pollination services. The goal of this citizen science program is to measure and compare the pollination services that insects provide to gardens in urban, suburban and rural areas. We do this by comparing fruit set, fruit weight and seed set in pepper plants grown in the presence and absence of insect pollination.
Using these data collected by citizen scientists, we will examine how the landscape surrounding each garden influences pollinator activity.
This handout outlines how to complete your pollination services experiment. If you have questions after reviewing it please contact Mary Gardiner () or post a question on the Pollination Investigators Facebook page.
Step 1: Unpacking the Toolkit
In your toolkit you will find:
1. Envelope containing sweet pepper seeds
2. Mesh exclusion bag and rubber band
3. Plant labels (E=Exclusion, O=Open Pollinated, H=Hand Pollinated, and P=Pollen Doner).
4. Cotton swabs
5. Three paper bags for pepper harvest (E=Exclusion, O=Open Pollinated, H=Hand Pollinated)
6. Nine labeled envelopes to collect pepper seeds
7. Data sheet (last page of this bulletin)
8. Pre-paid mailing envelope
In addition to these items you will need: one three-ring tomato cage, duct tape, pen, grocery-sized bag, a fence post or stake, and access to a food scale.
Step 2: Establishing Sweet Peppers
Ohio is in the 5 and 6 USDA plant hardiness zones, with frost free dates ranging from mid-April to mid-May. Determine the frost free date for your location. The twelve sweet pepper seeds can be started indoors up to four weeks prior to this date. You can use seedling trays or any small containers for this purpose, such as clean yogurt cups. Just make sure your containers have draining holes. Keep the seedlings moist and place them in a sunny location. One week prior to planting outdoors harden off your seedlings. Start with 2-3 hours in outdoor sunlight and increase daily for 7 days.
Select a location in your garden to plant four of your seedlings. The plants should be established adjacent to one another with a 2.5 foot spacing. Any remaining seedlings are not needed for the experiment. You can add them to your garden if you like sweet peppers or give them away. Important—record your planting date on your data sheet (last page in this bulletin).
Step 3: Establish the Pollination Services Treatments
Your three pepper plants should be assigned to the following treatments as illustrated in the figure below:
1. Exclusion: Illustrates the yield and seed set that a pepper plant produces in the absence of insect pollination. (Figure A)
2. Open Pollinated: Indicates the yield and seed set a pepper plant produces with ambient insect pollination. (Figure B)
3. Hand Pollinated (2 plants): Demonstrates maximum potential yield given growing conditions. (Figures C and D).
Mark each plant with its labeled plant marker: E = Exclusion, O = Open Pollinated and H = Hand Pollinated. What about plant D? See the Step 4 instructions to find out.
Exclusion Open Pollinated Hand Pollinated Pollen Doner
Step 4: Experiment Instructions
Plant A Exclusion: Erect the tomato cage and inspect carefully for rough spots by running your hand along wires. Use duct tape to cover any rough spots, especially where two wires are soldered together as these can otherwise create holes in the mesh bag. Dig a 5 inch deep trench around the outside of the cage, place the mesh bag over the cage and burry one end of the fabric in the soil to prevent insects from accessing the plant. Pull the other end of the fabric up over the cage and secure with the twist tie. If your cage seems unstable, secure by placing a step-in fence post adjacent to it. Attach rope around the twist tie and secure the cage to the post. This treatment will remain in the mesh bag until harvest. Note—if a storm knocks over the cage re-establish it as soon as possible and re-secure the mesh bag. If holes appear in the bag use duct tape to patch.
Plant B Open Pollinated: After planting this treatment is all set! Insects will visit flowers as they appear, providing pollination. No need to do anything to this treatment until harvest.
Plant C Hand Pollinated: After planting this treatment monitor it weekly for open flowers. When open flowers appear use a cotton swab to collect pollen from the male stigmas on the flowers of Plant D and transfer to the female stamen of Plant C. Check your plant weekly and pollinate any newly open flowers. See the drawing below illustrating hand pollination.
Other Notes:
1.We suggest that you do not use fertilizer on your garden. However, if you do fertilize your garden, make sure to provide the same amount of fertilizer to all test plants.
2. Please avoid applying any pesticide to the test plants for the duration of the study.
3. Make sure that the test plants are subjected to the same amount of weed pressure. If your exclusion treatment becomes very weedy inside the mesh bag detach the bag at the top and remove weeds. Inspect your plant for insects and reattach your bag.
Step 5: Collecting Data
Peppers should be harvested 70 days following planting. Remove the cage from the exclusion treatment. Harvest all fruit mature fruit (3 inches or longer) from plants A, B, and C. Place the fruit from each plant into the labeled paper bags. Note your harvest date on your data sheet. Take the bags of peppers indoors to collect the following data:
- Fruit count: Count the number of fruit per bag and record on your data sheet.
- Fruit weight: Reach into each bag and select three fruit at random per treatment. Use a marker to label the fruit with the treatment (E, O, or H) and a number (1, 2, or 3) so that you can keep track of them (see drawing below). You should have nine total fruit. Weigh each fruit using a food scale and record the weight on your data sheet. Note—if you do not have a food scale visit your post office. In most lobbies you can find a mail scale that will work great for this purpose. You can educate others in line about the importance of pollination in the process!
- Seed Count: After weighing, cut open each fruit and remove all seeds. Place the seeds into the labeled envelopes labeled E1, E2, E3, O1, O2, O3 and H1, H2 and H3 included in your toolkit. Take care to put the seeds from each labeled pepper into the correct envelope!
- Pepper Plant Count: The final step in the data collection process it to count the number of pepper plants you are growing in your garden (excluding test plants) and record this on your data sheet. This includes all peppers including bell peppers and other sweet and hot varieties.
Submitting Data
A pre-paid mailing envelope is included in your toolkit. Cut out your data sheet from this bulletin and include it and 9 seed envelopes in the mailer. Drop the envelope in your mailbox, we look forward to receiving your data! We will post the findings of the experiment on our website and alert participants on our Facebook page when new findings are posted!
Pollination Investigators FAQ:
Q: What do I do if my Exclusion cage is knocked over in a storm?
A: If this happens re-establish the tomato cage and re-secure your mesh bag. If the mesh bag is damaged duct tape is the best way to fix it quickly if you do not have time to sew up the holes.
Q: What if one of my treatment plants dies prior to harvest?
A: Continue to track and harvest the other treatments, report that you lost a plant on the data sheet in comment box.
Q: What if one or more of my treatment plants produces less than three peppers?
A: Harvest the fruit that are present, note this on the data sheet in the comment box.
Q: Should I collect fruit on the ground as part of my harvest?
A: No, only include fruit attached to your treatment plants.
Q: I will be away 70 days following planting and cannot harvest, what do I do?
A: Harvest as close to 70 days post transplanting as possible.
Q: These peppers look tasty, can I harvest some and eat them prior to the 70 days?
A: Please wait and harvest all fruit from the test plants at 70 days.
Q: I have a lot of wildlife damage in my garden, will they bother the peppers?
A: Pepper plants tend not to be a favorite of wildlife pests, but if you frequently have deer, rabbits or other wildlife sampling your vegetables and your garden isn't fenced you could consider securing chicken wire cylinders around each of the treatments.
If there are any additional questions, contact Mary Gardiner() or post the question to our Facebook page. This will likely help other volunteers with the same question.
Pollination Investigators Data Sheet 2017
Return this Page with Your Pepper Seeds
Volunteer Name: ______
Address: ______
______
Address of Garden (if different): ______
______
Planting Date: ______Harvest Date:______
Fruit Counts: Write the number of peppers produced per treatment in the spaces below.
Exclusion: ______
Open Pollinated: ______
Hand Pollinated: ______
Fruit Weights: Record the weight of peppers produced per treatment in the spaces below. My weights are recorded in (circle one): grams or ounces.
Exclusion: E1:______E2:______E3:______
Open Pollinated: O1:______O2:______O3:______
Hand Pollinated: H1:______H2:______H3:______
Do you keep honey bees (circle one) Yes No
Pepper Count: Record the total number of pepper plants in your garden (excluding test plants):______
Comments: Is there anything else you would like to tell us?