LEWISTON — USM LAC Senior College will host a luncheon featuring Master Gardener Jean Vose during the Food for Thought presentation on Friday, March 9. She will speak about bees and other insect pollinators crucial to the food supply. Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. and the talk will begin at noon.

Honeybees from across the country have been subject to stress from pesticides and a virus that causes colony collapse. What role does the backyard gardener have in helping to sustain their population? How do you identify other beneficial insects? How can your yard and garden practices encourage survival of these pollinators? Illustrated with slides and handouts for the audience, Vose will describe techniques to promote and welcome the bees in the neighborhood.

Vose is a Knox and Lincoln counties Master Gardener, certified horticulturalist and backyard beekeeper living in Nobleboro. Her 10 acres of mixed habitat feature native plants as well as gardens for fruits and vegetables. A beekeeper since 1986, she manages four hives for pollination and honey. She serves on the Knox-Lincoln County Soil and Water Conservation District and is a co-founder of the Knox-Lincoln County Beekeepers Association.

The public is invited to join members of Senior College for the presentation at the Lewiston Campus, University of Southern Maine, 50 Westminster St., room 170. Lunch is $8 by reservation only. Call 207-753-6510 before noon Wednesday, March 7.

Jean Vose