The Birds, the bees and gardening

Guests: Edwin Rajotte, Douglas Tallamy

The White House recently announced a national strategy to help bolster bee populations that have been hit hard by habitat loss, pesticides, disease and mites. The Obama administration plans to make 7 million acres of federal land more bee-friendly. They also want to reduce pesticide use and fund more bee research. Marty gets an update on the struggling pollinator populations from Penn State entomologist EDWIN RAJOTTE. Then, what can we do to support the birds and bees in our own backyards? DOUGLAS TALLAMY, a professor and chair entomology and wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware, gives suggestions for creating gardens and habitat that support biodiversity and native species. He’s the author with Rick Darke, of the book, The Living Landscape.

AP Photo/Dean Fosdick