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From page 117...
... 6-1 Chapter 6 Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6.1 Introduction  Roadside vegetation management provides a safe driving environment, preserves infrastructure, and maintains a resilient plant community. Many departments of transportation (DOTs)
From page 118...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-2 butterfly or other needed habitat is present at a roadside site within the known range of an imperiled pollinator species, there is a chance that the pollinator is also there and that management actions could result in direct mortality. It is useful, although difficult, to survey host plants for immature stages of butterflies prior to mowing or using herbicides (or proceeding with other management actions, such as prescribed grazing)
From page 119...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-3 Table 6-1. Periods of imperiled pollinator activity to avoid when conducting maintenance activities in Hawaii.
From page 120...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-4 Pollinator  Jan  Feb  Mar  April  May  June  July  Aug  Sept  Oct  Nov   Dec  Hilaris yellow‐ faced bee             (Hylaeus hilaris)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Hawaiian yellow‐ faced bee             (Hylaeus hula)
From page 121...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-5 Pollinator  Jan  Feb  Mar  April  May  June  July  Aug  Sept  Oct  Nov   Dec  Hawaiian yellow‐ faced bee             (Hylaeus  paradoxicus)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Perkin's yellow‐ faced bee             (Hylaeus  perkinsianus)
From page 122...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-6 Pollinator  Jan  Feb  Mar  April  May  June  July  Aug  Sept  Oct  Nov   Dec  Kamehameha  butterfly             (Vanessa  tameamea)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Note: Adult flight times are in blue, and larval active times (for species that have larvae active outside of a nest)
From page 123...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-7 6.3 Adjusting Maintenance Practices to Benefit  Imperiled Pollinators  6.3.1 Common Roadside Vegetation Management Practices Mowing How Mowing Affects Pollinators Mowing is frequently used to maintain roadside vegetation, reduce occurrences of invasive weeds and woody plants, improve drivers' sight lines, allow vehicles to pull off, and reduce the risk of wildfires. Typically, vegetation in the recovery area (also known as the clear zone -- the band of vegetation directly adjacent to the pavement or shoulder where vehicles that have left the roadway can recover)
From page 124...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-8 season (Valtonen et al.
From page 125...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-9 habitats. Litter removal (e.g., haying)
From page 126...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-10  Adjust mowing height to a minimum height of 8 to 10 inches in areas with target butterfly host plants or bumble bee colonies in grass thatch, if mowing during the growing season. Mowing established vegetation at a height of 8 to 10 inches (or higher, if equipment allows; see Eco 1200 from MULAG [Steidle et al.
From page 127...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-11 production of the next generation of queen bumble bees. Mowing late in the season would prevent injury or destruction of the colony from use of the mower.
From page 128...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-12 Box 6-3. How Do Other Wildlife Respond to Maintenance Practices Designed to Help Pollinators?
From page 129...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-13 Box 6-4. Communicating Mowing Guidelines to the Staff One challenge when implementing changes to maintenance practices such as mowing schedules is communicating those changes to the staff.
From page 130...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-14 The indirect effects of herbicide use that reduces or eliminates host plants or flowering plants that provide pollen and nectar are more likely to have greater adverse impacts on imperiled pollinators than direct toxicity. Herbicides are designed to kill plants; they are not intended to kill insects.
From page 131...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-15 Table 6-2. Herbicides used on roadsides and what is known of their potential direct toxicity to pollinators.
From page 132...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-16 Herbicide  Ratinga  Precautions for Use within Roadside  Pollinator Habitatb  Source  Dicamba   Moderately toxic to adult honey bees  Do not apply to or allow to drift onto  flowers in bloom (including weeds)    AERU 2022  Dichlobenil   Moderately toxic to adult honey bees   Do not apply to or allow to drift onto  flowers in bloom (including weeds)
From page 133...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-17 Herbicide  Ratinga  Precautions for Use within Roadside  Pollinator Habitatb  Source  Fosamine  Practically non‐toxic to honey bees  No bee precaution, except when  required by the label or regulations   AERU 2022  Glyphosate  Moderately toxic to honey bee adults and  their brood, with impacts on gut biota,  navigation, and survival  Do not apply to or allow to drift onto  flowers in bloom (including weeds)    University of California Statewide  Integrated Pest Management Program  2022   Motta et al. 2018, 2020   Battisti et al. 2021  Halosulfuron‐methyl  Practically non‐toxic to honey bees  No bee precaution, except when  required by the label or regulations   AERU 2022  Imazapic  Practically non‐toxic to honey bees  No bee precaution, except when  required by the label or regulations   AERU 2022  Imazapyr   Moderately toxic to honey bees upon  ingestion   Practically non‐toxic upon contact  Toxic to butterflies exposed as larvae,  including some imperiled species  Do not apply to or allow to drift onto  flowers in bloom (including weeds)
From page 134...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-18 Herbicide  Ratinga  Precautions for Use within Roadside  Pollinator Habitatb  Source  Metsulfuron‐Methyl   Moderately toxic to honey bees  Do not apply to or allow to drift onto  flowers in bloom (including weeds)    AERU 2022 Norflurazon   Practically non‐toxic to honey bees  No bee precaution, except when  required by the label or regulations   University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program 2022  AERU 2022 Oryzalin   Moderately toxic to honey bees  Do not apply to or allow to drift onto  flowers in bloom (including weeds)
From page 135...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-19 Herbicide  Ratinga  Precautions for Use within Roadside  Pollinator Habitatb  Source  Pyraflufen   Practically non‐toxic to moderately toxic  to honey bees  Do not apply to or allow to drift onto  flowers in bloom (including weeds)    University of California Statewide  Integrated Pest Management Program  2022   EFSA 2015  Rimsulfuron  Moderately toxic to honey bees upon  ingestion   Practically non‐toxic upon contact  Do not apply to or allow to drift onto  flowers in bloom (including weeds)
From page 136...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-20 Herbicide  Ratinga  Precautions for Use within Roadside  Pollinator Habitatb  Source  Triclopyr   Practically non‐toxic to honey bees  Toxic to butterflies exposed as larvae,  including some imperiled species  Avoid regular/repeated use on  flowering plants  Make applications outside season  when caterpillars are active (see  Chapter 3 for adult and larval active  periods by species)    EPA 2017   Stark et al. 2012  a. The data are incomplete because of limitations on herbicide testing on terrestrial insects. Toxicity ratings are based primarily on acute contact toxicity testing  conducted on adult honey bees as part of the EPA pesticide registration process. Adult honey bees (Apis mellifera)
From page 137...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-21 Adjusting Herbicides to Support Imperiled Pollinators Best herbicide practices for imperiled pollinators include reducing herbicide exposure as much as possible when working in their habitat. Employ a variety of vegetation management techniques, including cultural and mechanical control.
From page 138...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-22 applications on cut stems, on stumps, or under bark can also reduce unnecessary effects on desirable plants. Use broadcast treatments or pellet dispersal only for dense infestations of weeds, the safety zone, and guardrail treatments.
From page 139...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-23 Butterfly and moth caterpillars consume host plant vegetation over days to weeks; residues in host plant vegetation could account for the bulk of exposure over the life cycle of these species. Larval butterflies and moths could be chronically exposed to systemic herbicides that are taken up by host plants or the residues of persistent herbicides, which take weeks to dissipate in the environment and have detrimental sublethal effects (Olaya-Arenas et al.
From page 140...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-24 and larvae are active in this region and Table 6-2 for a list of herbicides with high toxicity to pollinators.  If treatment cannot be scheduled outside the window when pollinators are present, consider a mechanical control strategy when feasible if in an area where herbicide use might affect imperiled species.
From page 141...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-25 Box 6‐7. Adjusting Herbicide Practices to Support Monarch Butterflies  One of the most iconic pollinator species, the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) , is recognized and celebrated by people throughout North America.
From page 142...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-26 Conservation actions that support pollinators generally include:  Feather or soften forest edges adjacent to the recovery area to create a transitional area between forests and grass (e.g., thin portions of the forest canopy along the edge next to grassy areas, removing undesirable or unhealthy trees)
From page 143...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-27 Box 6-8. Current Brush Removal Practices by DOTs Most respondents reported using practices that minimize soil disturbance during brush removal.
From page 144...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-28 or allow annual haying by adjacent landowners on certain roads throughout the growing season. Haying is not a tool that is typically used by a roadside maintenance staff, although there may be advantages to haying for vegetation management for DOTs to consider for future usage.
From page 145...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-29 nontarget native species, is important in evaluating the potential effects of biocontrol agents. Prescribed Grazing Grazing is used to limit tree and shrub invasion, provide structural diversity, and encourage the growth of nectar-rich plants.
From page 146...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-30 Prescribed Fire Prescribed fire is used to manage roadside vegetation and rejuvenate plant diversity in some regions of the United States that have a history of natural fires. Prescribed fire can remove old vegetation to create room for new growth, can reduce the spread of some invasive plants, and can stimulate the seed germination of some wildflowers.
From page 147...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-31 guidance on the general timing of vegetation maintenance practices that best encourage plant diversity in this region. However, it is important to note that the timing can be in direct conflict with the activity of certain imperiled pollinator species.
From page 148...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-32 Until widespread data are available, DOTs that use road salts frequently in areas with high traffic levels may consider increasing the width of the mown strip in the recovery area. (Plants are more likely to be toxic when traffic levels exceed 20,000 cars per day.)
From page 149...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-33 6.4 Case Studies  6.4.1 Adjusting Mowing Practices to Benefit Monarch Butterflies in Illinois The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is the official state insect of Illinois.
From page 150...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-34 reduced mowing and targeted herbicide use. Managed succession allows native vegetation to emerge and flourish, with sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata)
From page 151...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-35 foreslope had negative impacts on Fender's blue butterfly and Kincaid's lupine. Under these conditions, it became appropriate to reduce the attractiveness of the foreslope to Fender's blue butterfly by managing it so that Kincaid's lupine would not persist.
From page 152...
... Chapter 6. Roadside Maintenance and Vegetation Management for Pollinators 6-36 Evaluating the Suitability of Roadway Corridors for Use by Monarch Butterflies: https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25693/evaluating‐the‐suitability‐of‐roadway‐corridors‐for‐use‐by‐monarch‐ butterflies  and http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/180186.aspx.  Milkweed Recognition Guides: https://www.xerces.org/monarchs/roadsides. 

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