KENNEWICK, Wash. (AP) — A Washington State University researcher will be testing a bee fence as a way to protect the pollinators when they make a beeline for alfalfa fields in Walla Walla County.
Doug Walsh is looking for ways to prevent bees from being smashed on windshields along a proposed new section of Highway 12 that is planned to improve travel between Walla Walla and the Tri-Cities.
One idea is a mesh fence to protect alkalai bees, which nest in the ground and fly as far as a mile to alfalfa fields.
The Tri-City Herald reports (http://is.gd/8pSluL ) the state Transportation Department is paying $232,000 for the two-year study to find a way to protect the bees, which are vital to the alfalfa seed crop.
