Agricultural Research Service Identifies Sorghum as Pollinator Food Source

Researchers from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Oklahoma State University Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources found that sorghum, commonly called milo, served as a pollen food source for bees, hoverflies, and earwigs. Additionally, when sorghum is infested with sorghum aphids, large amounts of honeydew are produced that could be an alternative to nectar for pollinators and predatory insects, including flies, bees, wasps, and ants. The study’s findings show promise that grass species like sorghum can be an alternative crop for pollinators during times when other crops are not available for foraging.