Schlafly Hosts Bee Talk

Schlafly Bottleworks hosted a rousing talk on the role of native bees in natural areas yesterday.

Mike Arduser, natural history biologist of the Missouri Department of Conservation, presented the free lecture titled "What Does it Take to Get Pollinated Around Here?" It was the second of the Nature Conservancy Speaker Series at the Bottleworks and focused on why pollination is important in not only agriculture, but people's everyday lives.

After the audience settled down in the Crown Room at the Bottleworks, Doug Ladd, director of conservation sciences, introduced Arduser.

"I have been wondering why this talk brings more people than my plant talk," Ladd said to the audience. "But I know you're all here to get 'buzzed!'"

Arduser owned the audience's full attention as he spoke about "the most and oldest studied phenomenon in nature."

Many of the people who attended Arduser's lecture came because they had followed stories about bees and colony collapse syndrome.

"I've been reading a lot about bees lately," Lynn Hepler said, "and I like to learn more about any subjects with the nature conservancy."

Ladd said the casual atmosphere at Bottleworks helps create a welcoming atmosphere for people who may not want to learn about these issues in a classroom setting.

"This is an informal way to hear about conservation," Ladd said. "What could be less threatening than hearing about these important topics while having a drink at a bar?"

The next lecture in the Nature Conservancy's Conservation Speaker Series is Nov. 16 at the Schlafly Bottleworks. The lecture, by Dr. Jan Salick and Bob Moseley, is called "Khawa Karpo: Conservation in a Tibetan Landscape."