Two pending endangered species listings for pollinators can have major impacts on the almond industry as many almond growers have added pollinator forage such as blooming cover crops, hedgerows and floral strips to add value to their operation. Josette Lewis, Almond Board of California chief scientific officer, said 2023 will be a decisive year for the endangered listing of the monarch butterfly and native bees in California, which leads to questions for growers. However, work is underway to protect producers if this happens and Lewis took some time to answer those questions.

Q – What is the status of the monarch butterfly being listed as an endangered species?

Lewis – A couple of years ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made the decision that monarch butterflies were warranted as an endangered species, but they had other priorities at the time. So, while it was not going to be listed, they are required by law to revisit that decision by the end of this calendar year.

Q – If they do get listed as endangered, what does that mean for an almond grower? 

Lewis – It means a couple of things:

The first is that a lot of almond growers have stepped up and added pollinator forage, flower resources and habitat to their farms and land around their farms. We’ve seen a great response in terms of the number of growers who have registered as Bee Friendly Farms, who are putting in flowering cover crops, and working with organizations like Monarch Joint Venture to specifically put in monarch habitat around their ranches. Several handlers are working with growers on pollinator habitat too, as it has value to some almond buyers.

For those growers who have stepped up, we want to make sure that they are protected if the monarch is listed as an endangered species. So, if they accidentally harm the caterpillars or the butterflies themselves, we want to make sure that they are not breaking the law because they’ve done such a good job of adding that forage into their operation.

The other issue, on an industry level, is that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – who has to approve every crop production product our industry can use – was also mandated by law to increase their review of the potential negative impacts of pesticides on endangered species.

We know that if the monarch is listed, some of the products we use when they come up for re-registration, or any new products that are developed and need to be registered, will have extra scrutiny for their potential impact and could involve more restrictions on the use of those products.

Q – So it sounds like this could be a legal concern for growers and a bigger concern of more regulation on certain products if the monarch gets listed as endangered. What is ABC doing to address these two concerns? 

Lewis – We’ve been working with the Almond Alliance of California, other California agricultural interest groups, and some conservation groups who have been valuable partners of the California almond industry to negotiate a conservation agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that would protect growers who have monarch habitat if they accidentally harm any of those monarch butterflies or larvae.

The way those agreements work is that we have to show that there’s a net benefit to the pollinators. Things like adding flowers and habitat for monarch butterflies, and in exchange for doing those good things, in this agreement you’re then protected if you accidentally harm monarchs.

Also, as part of those negotiations, we are including the kind of practices that reduce risks of crop protection products and try to demonstrate that we can use those safely and still have a net benefit to monarch butterflies.

Q – “Net benefit” seems like the important term in this conversation. ABC grower-funded research has already been completed in this realm and showed pollinator gains from increased habitat outweighs the risk. Can you explain that?  

Lewis – That’s right. ABC funded research with a native bee expert at UC Davis, which was published last year, showed that when farmers add floral strips – such as wildflower strips, part of a hedge row or just wildflowers near the outside the orchard – the added food for native bees helps protect those bees from the impacts of pesticide exposure. So, there is a net benefit to those native bees.

This research provides good, peer-reviewed and science-based evidence that shows these kinds of activities we have seen many growers in our industry do have a net benefit.

Q – ABC and partners are already addressing these concerns, which is good because more and more growers and handlers are utilizing this practice, right?

Lewis – A lot of growers have been looking at cover crop and adding that into their orchard management. This year in particular, I heard a grower who planted cover crops talk about how the water didn’t stay standing in their orchards back in early spring when we had so much rain, rather that the water infiltrated and drained much more quickly.

There are agronomic benefits from the practice that are worth considering, in addition to benefits to pollinators. And adding more permanent habitat outside the orchard is another area where a number of our handlers in the industry have seen a market value. Buyers want to know that they have a supply chain of almonds that allows biodiversity and a healthy ecosystem on the farm. Some handlers have really leaned in with their growers and are encouraging those kinds of practices, and that’s added certain value to both growers and handlers.

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: Pending Endangered Listings: What Growers Need to Know (almonds.com)

Harvest 2023 expected to be down 3 percent from last year after a stormy bloom.

MODESTO, Calif. – The 2023 California Almond Subjective Forecast published Friday by the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA-NASS) estimates that the crop harvested in 2023 will come in at 2.50 billion pounds, 3 percent below last year’s 2.57 billion pounds.

Forecasted yield is 1,810 pounds per acre, down 90 pounds from 2022 and the lowest since 2005.

“A lower crop estimate was not unexpected considering all that growers dealt with last year and during this year’s bloom,” said Richard Waycott, president and CEO of the Almond Board of California (ABC). “The cold, wet weather kept bees in their hives and reduced the hours they could pollinate orchards. In the past three years, growers have faced high costs, shipping issues, drought and more. But the water picture is better, at least for this year, shipping continues at record levels and global demand continues to grow. California’s almond farmers are prepared to meet that global demand.”

The report said: “Record rainfall and unprecedented stormy conditions impacted pollination. Limited bee flight hours were reported in all growing regions. There were reports of downed trees due to high winds and oversaturated soil. Yields are expected to be the lowest in years, with variation observed across varieties and orchard locations. Colder than normal temperatures continued through March and April, resulting in a delayed crop.”

The Subjective Forecast is the first of two production reports from USDA-NASS for the coming crop year. It is an estimate based on opinions from a survey conducted from April 19 to May 6 of 500 randomly selected California almond growers. The sample of growers, which changes every year, is spread across regions and different sized operations, and they had the option to report their data by mail, online or phone.

On July 7, USDA-NASS will release its second production estimate, the 2023 California Almond Objective Report, which is based on actual almond counts in nearly 1,000 orchards using a more statistically rigorous methodology to determine yield.

This Subjective Forecast comes two weeks after USDA-NASS released the 2022 California Almond Acreage Report which found total almond acreage had dropped in 2022 to 1.63 million, 1.2 percent down from 1.65 million in 2021. It also estimated 1.38 million bearing acres in 2023, up from 2022’s estimate of 1.35 million bearing acres.

USDA-NASS conducts the annual Subjective Forecast, Objective Report and Acreage Report to provide the California almond industry with the data needed to make informed business decisions. These reports are the official industry crop estimates.

For More Information

Rick Kushman
Media Relations Manager
Almond Board of California
rkushman@almondboard.com
(916) 716-9900

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: USDA Forecasts Smaller Almond Crop (almonds.com)

University of Michigan

Summary:

There’s been a well-documented shift toward earlier springtime flowering in many plants as the world warms. The trend alarms biologists because it has the potential to disrupt carefully choreographed interactions between plants and the creatures — butterflies, bees, birds, bats and others — that pollinate them.

But much less attention has been paid to changes in other floral traits, such as flower size, that can also affect plant-pollinator interactions, at a time when many insect pollinators are in global decline.

In a study published online in the journal Evolution Letters, two University of Michigan biologists and a University of Georgia colleague show that wild populations of the common morning glory in the southeastern United States increased the size of their flowers between 2003 and 2012.

Increased flower size suggests a greater investment by the plants in pollinator attraction, according to the researchers. The changes were most pronounced at more northern latitudes, in line with a broad range of previous work showing that northern plant populations tend to show more dramatic evolutionary responses to climate change.

A shift to earlier flowering was also observed among those morning glory populations. In addition, there were tantalizing indications that the plants have increased their investment in floral rewards — the nectar and pollen obtained by the bees, syrphid flies and wasps that pollinate the white, pink and blue morning glory flowers.

“There is a major gap in our understanding of how traits that are crucial for plant-pollinator interactions may be evolving over time as a response to a changing climate,” said study lead author Sasha Bishop, a doctoral student in the U-M Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

“We show that — in addition to well-documented shifts to earlier flowering — floral architecture and rewards can also play significant roles in the evolutionary response to contemporary environmental change.”

The common morning glory is an annual weedy vine found across the eastern, midwestern and southern United States. It is frequently seen along roadsides and crop fields.

The U-M-led study used a “resurrection” approach that involved germinating morning glory seeds collected from the edges of agricultural soy and corn fields in Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina in two years: 2003 and 2012.

During that nine-year span, the region experienced rising temperatures — particularly rising minimum and nighttime temperatures — and an increase in the number of extreme rainfall events interspersed with more extreme drought.

To look for changes in floral morphology, the researchers planted field-collected seeds from both years in a greenhouse at U-M’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens. When the flowers bloomed, various floral traits were measured with digital calipers.

Measurements showed that morning glory corollas became significantly wider during the nine-year interval — 4.5 centimeters (1.8 inches) in diameter in 2003 and 4.8 centimeters (1.9 inches) in 2012, and the change in corolla width was greatest in populations at more northern latitudes. The petals of a flower are collectively known as the corolla.

The study also revealed a shift to earlier flowering times between 2003 and 2012, driven primarily by populations at more northern latitudes. The start of flowering occurred an average of four days earlier for the plants grown from seeds collected in 2012.

Interestingly, the researchers also observed a latitude-influenced trend toward greater investment in floral rewards (pollen and nectar) over time. On average, morning glory flowers grown from 2012-collected seeds produced more pollen grains and more nectar sucrose than the flowers from the 2003-collected seeds.

However, the pollen and nectar analyses involved only four populations of morning glory plants. Due to the low number of populations examined, the floral rewards findings were not included in a statistical test to look for evidence that adaptation through natural selection is occurring in the plants.

“Nonetheless, it appears likely that there is a temporal increase in investment in pollinator attraction and that this result is driven by populations at northern latitudes,” said study senior author Regina Baucom, an associate professor in the U-M Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

The study found no evidence that morning glories are increasing the rate at which they self-pollinate. Evidence from some previous studies pointed to increased “selfing” as a possible response to climate change and/or pollinator declines associated with land-use change.

“This is the first article to use the resurrection approach to examine the potential that traits responsible for plant-pollinator interactions may be evolving over time, concomitant to decreases in pollinator abundance and dramatic environmental changes due to changing climate and land-use regimes,” Bishop said.

Fifteen morning glory populations were included in the resurrection experiment looking at changes in floral morphology. Twenty-three populations were included in the study of earlier springtime flowering. In total, 2,836 flowers were measured from 456 plants.

The other author of the Evolution Letters study is Shu-Mei Chang of the University of Georgia. The work was supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and by graduate research funds from the U-M Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: Bigger flowers, greater rewards: Plants adapt to climate disruptions to lure pollinators — ScienceDaily

Beekeepers Larry Gresham, Chris Willis and David Donovan of Strachan Apiaries in Sutter County check on bee boxes placed in an almond orchard in Colusa County. Honeybees from all over the country are used to pollinate the state’s 1.64 million acres of almond trees. (Courtesy) By CHING LEE | AgAlert

Even after a bruising year of lower earnings, crop losses and soaring production costs, California almond growers may not be willing to cut corners pollinating their trees this season.

That’s good news for beekeepers who rent their hives to pollinate crops and whose insects rely on blossoming almond trees as the winter’s first major source of pollen to build their colonies.

About 90% of all U.S. honeybees are in California this time of year pollinating the nuts, according to UC Davis. The pollinators come from all over the country, as there are not enough local bees to cover the state’s 1.64 million acres of almond trees. Farmers usually use about two colonies per acre.

But with state almond acreage down for the first time in 25 years and some 60,400 acres removed as of last summer, “there was a lot of talk” about whether there would be an oversupply of bees this season and whether beekeepers would need to lower prices, said Philip Russell of Strachan Apiaries in Sutter County.

Market prices for almonds have been largely unprofitable for growers during the past three years as exports fell due to shipping challenges and inflation pushed production costs to record levels. Water shortages due to the multiyear drought added to growers’ problems, with some abandoning orchards and ripping out trees.

Growers are looking for ways to cut costs, Russell said, and some may be shopping around for lower-priced bees. But he noted his operation didn’t lose any accounts this year and has gotten inquiries from growers looking for bees.

“I don’t think much has changed. I think the demand is still there,” said Russell, who serves as president of the California State Beekeepers Association.

The season may have started out with extra bees, said Imperial County beekeeper Brock Ashurst, but the surplus appears to have evaporated. He said he gets calls “every day from someone looking for bees.” He said some colonies may not have been as robust as first thought, and now some growers are scrambling to add bees to shore up orchards with weaker hives.

Ashurst noted his operation is down by about a thousand colonies this year. Even with orchard removals, he said other trees are coming into production, and that has held up overall demand for bees.

Because of the symbiotic relationship they have with almond growers, beekeepers say they are aware of the economic challenges their clients face. For this reason, Ashurst said he decided to keep his prices the same as last year—at $195 per hive. He noted beekeepers he knows also have not raised prices, even though their own expenses have gone up, with fuel and labor being two of the highest.

“I think everyone understands the pressure that the almond growers are going through right now,” Ashurst said. “We depend on them a lot, so we understand what they’re facing.”

Though there has been “very little” tree removal among his clients, Tulare County beekeeper Steve Godlin said he did lose business in a few orchards this year, but his growers have maintained their bee stocking rate. All his bees have been rented, with 14,000 hives sitting in orchards since before Valentine’s Day. Almond pollination is expected to wrap up around March 15.

Godlin started the season with about a $32,000 loss after 84 of his hives were stolen. He lamented how bee thefts have now become a yearly problem for beekeepers. Even though he uses GPS trackers in his equipment, there’s not nearly enough to cover all of it. He estimated he’s lost some 600 hives to theft in 46 years in business.

“People are trying to be on the lookout, but it’s like a needle in a haystack with that many acres of trees all up and down the state,” Godlin said.

With the winter rains the state has received, Godlin said he’s hopeful there will be enough forage and wildflowers to make a decent honey crop this year. He said he’s also hoping the price of honey will stay up, as a good crop and higher prices would help offset his “sky high” input costs.

Due to the current economics of almonds and ongoing water restrictions, Greg Meyers, who farms in western Fresno County, said he sees “lots and lots of acres” around him that are being removed or have been removed. He said growers in his area are definitely cutting back on bees this year, among other costs. He himself has been removing older blocks of almonds since 2020, and this year he’s letting another 300 acres go by not putting out any bees.

“Looking at the market, why farm to lose money?” he said.

Despite water-allocation improvements announced by government water officials last week, Meyers said the 35% of contracted water supplies is still “not nearly enough to farm a crop on.” He noted buying water on the open market last year cost almost $2,000 an acre-foot, which was unaffordable when he was earning $1.20 per pound for his almonds.

He said he’s trying to cut costs, and one area where he’s managed to save some money is in orchards where he planted Shasta almonds, a self-pollinating variety that requires fewer bees. He said he still places one to one-and-a-half hives per acre on those blocks, as “you get one shot at pollination.” On his traditional varieties, he typically uses three hives per acre, but he reduced them this year to two-and-a-half hives on older blocks.

Fresno County grower Jamie Bledsoe, who farms in Riverdale, said he has not yet had to cut back on water because his farm has good access to groundwater. His biggest problem, he said, is with almond prices, which have dropped to “below profitable levels.”

He said he’s “doing the bare minimum to get by” on inputs, but he has continued the practice of using two to two-and-a-half hives per acre for pollination. After losing 8% to 12% of his crop last year from the freeze, he said he’s trying to protect yields as much as he can, including applying fungicide before the rain last week.

“Everything looks really good right now, so we’ve just got to see how the bloom goes and how well the bees fly,” he said. “We’ll know in a month or so.”

Ray Henriques, farming manager for Stewart and Jasper Orchards, an almond grower and processor in Stanislaus County, said the company also has not changed its approach to pollination and is sticking with the recommended two hives per acre.

“Yield is the key,” he said. “Our first responsibility is to produce as many almonds as we can.”

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: Almond farmers not skimping on bees – Daily Democrat

Almond production is a prime example of the critical role pollinators play in our fragile food system. California’s Central Valley produces 80% of the world’s almonds and growers are dependent on honeybees to provide pollination for this important crop.  Bees are shipped from all over the country to provide pollination services, valued at an estimated $25 million annually.

For the first time in 25 years, orchard space actually decreased but in spite of a reduction of approximately 60,000 acres, a shortage of bees during bloom will certainly impact crop yield in 2023.  Predictions earlier this year indicated the acreage reduction could lead to an surplus of bees, causing prices to drop for hive rentals. Instead, it seems that beekeepers continue to struggle with significant losses and are struggling to keep up with demand even at a reduced level.  Low-level chronic exposure to pesticides is linked to bee decline, and in the early spring, these weakened colonies are more susceptible to pathogens and parasites as they struggle to regain vigor and health after overwintering.  Although there is a significant body of scientific evidence proving that neonicotinoids are responsible for pollinator losses, regulatory agencies continue to permit their use, creating a more fragile food system and causing food insecurity.

As beekeeper Dave Hackenberg explains, “Looking at bees all across the country, it’s not just a problem with the bees that overwintered in Florida or Texas or California, it’s not just a problem for bees out of controlled climate winter storage facilities. It’s a nationwide problem that goes back to what they were exposed to over the summer, with nearly 200 million acres planted in corn, cotton, and soybeans which are big users of systemic chemicals. Last summer the bees were stressed by exposure to pesticides, they carried it into the colony where they continued to be contaminated by it and were weakened over the winter.  We put them in almonds where they needed to grow fast and build numbers but their bodies were in bad shape.  A week or so after placing them in orchards, the bees just stopped flying. Calls started pouring in, folks looking for replacement bees but there were none.”

ENTOMOLOGY TODAY

Soybean’s reputation as a poor source of nectar for honey bees may be undeserved, as a study of honey bee pollen samples and waggle dances shows a clear attraction to nearby soybean fields. Shown here is a honey bee (Apis mellifera) probing a soybean flower for nectar. (Photo by Sreelakshmi Suresh)

By Ed Ricciuti

Among beekeepers, soybeans have been commonly viewed as a poor source of nectar for honey bees, but scientists at Ohio State University suggest this key crop does not deserve its bad rap.

That’s good news for honey bees (Apis mellifera) and for the people who raise them, because since the 1960s soybean production has increased by a factor of 13 worldwide, with almost 90 million acres cultivated in the United States alone.

“Future research efforts aimed at enhancing mutual interactions between soybeans and honey bees may represent an unexplored pathway for increasing soybean production while supporting honey bees and other pollinators in the surrounding landscape,” the researchers write in a study published in September in the Journal of Economic Entomology. “Beekeepers may be unknowingly harvesting a substantial amount of soybean honey.”

At first glance, say the researchers, soybean plants do not seem attractive to honey bees, which rarely are seen foraging among them. However, bees may actually be bustling undetected among the small, pink soybean flowers, hidden beneath a thick canopy of leaves. Moreover, the amount of nectar produced by different varieties of soybeans varies, so some are more productive than others.

To analyze the role that soybean blossoms play in honey production, researchers at Ohio State University analyzed pollen in honey samples from apiaries near Ohio soybean fields on a microscopic and molecular level and paired those results with observations of honey bees’ waggle dances. Shown here are magenta-stained soybean pollen grains found in honey samples. (Photos courtesy of Chia-Hua Lin, Ph.D.)

“In this study, we found that honey bees actively forage in soybeans in Ohio, and that soybean blossoms play an important role in honey production,” says Chia-Hua Lin, Ph.D., a research scientist at Ohio State’s Rothenbuhler Honey Bee Lab and lead author of the study.

The Ohio State team reached its conclusion after a two-pronged approach to determine the value of soybean agriculture to honey bees. The team analyzed pollen in honey samples from apiaries near Ohio soybean fields on a microscopic and molecular level. The researchers paired these results with observations of honey bees’ waggle dances in two experimental colonies near soybean crops at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center near London, Ohio. The waggle behavior is an instinctively choreographed dance by which honey bees tell their hive mates the location of nectar sources. The length of a line along which a bee waggles indicates the distance from the hive. The angle from a line perpendicular to the ground, taken in flight away from the position of the sun, shows the direction.

Results showed soybean pollen in the honey that increased in proportion during the July-August blooming period. Overall, say the researchers, “Soybean pollen was detected … in 17 (55 percent) of the 31 samples analyzed.”

The strong preference of honey bees for soybeans was striking. Honey bees studied “preferred soybean fields over other foraging habitats between 0.5 and 1.5 kilometers from the hive,” according to the research. Outside of those parameters, whether bees foraged among soybeans or other sources of nectar was a toss-up, with the proportion of soybean nectar depending on its availability. At no distance did bees show a preference for non-soybean habitats over soybean fields.

Waggle dancers were videoed and analyzed with special software. In general, bees preferred soybean fields for foraging over other habitat types. The closer to the hive bees foraged, the more likely they were to home in on soybeans.

In the long run, the value of soybean nectar to honey bee populations will have a payback for soybean growers. Greater pollination by bees will considerably increase soybean yield.

Says Lin, “There is no doubt that the extensive areas of flowering soybeans can supply a substantial nectar flow for bees in mid-summer. Our next big question is, how do we harness the pollination services provided by bees to increase soybean yield? We are currently working with soybean farmers and beekeepers to study management strategies that will benefit both stakeholders and improve sustainability in the corn-soybean agroecosystem.”

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: Honey Bees Show a Taste for Soybean in New Study (entomologytoday.org)

Liz Blossom

Source: Altayb / Getty Images

1. Almonds
> Annual production:4 billion pounds (US)

The almond is not actually a nut but a drupe, a fleshy fruit with thin skin that usually contains a seed like a peach or an olive. It is valued around the world for its nutritive value. The United States leads the world in almond production, with California the only state that grows almonds for commercial production.

Almond trees need to be cross-pollinated to produce, and bees provide this service — a lot of bees, since each almond requires up to a dozen visits to the almond flower.

Source: aluxum / Getty Images

2. Apples
> Annual production:240 million bushels (US)

Apples are an iconic staple of the American diet. According to the U.S. Apple Association, apple production is a $4 billion a year industry that creates an additional $15 billion in economic activity. In the United States, 7,500 farmers on 322,000 acres of land produce 240 million bushels of apples a year.

Though apple growing is heavily dependent on honey bee management, scientists have shown that the presence of wild bees increases production, underscoring the benefits of biodiversity in agriculture.

Source: Professor25 / Getty Images

3. Apricots
> Annual production:129.8 million pounds (US)

Apricots are mainly grown in Turkey and Iran where they are extremely popular. American apricots are produced primarily in California and are ready for harvest in early summer. Because they are delicate and do not travel well, they are less popular than their stone fruit cousins — peaches, nectarines, and plums.

Like other stone fruits, apricots are self-pollinating but are much more productive with cross-pollination and the help of bees. Because apricots bloom early in spring, bees may not be as available for pollination due to weather and lack of forage. Apricot trees then either rely on self-pollination or the intervention of other pollinators — flies, butterflies, wasps, and birds.

Source: SEE D JAN / Getty Images

4. Avocado
> Annual production:440 million pounds (US)

The United States is second only to Mexico in the production of avocados, with 90% grown in California, and the remainder mainly in Florida and Hawaii. Every year, about 400 million pounds are grown in California by 5,000 farmers.

Because individual avocado trees produce thousands of both male and female functioning flowers, they are theoretically self-pollinating, but nature has contrived a system that encourages cross fertilization. Male and female flowers open and close at different times, necessitating the intervention of pollinators — mainly bees — for successful propagation.

Source: JulARTe / Getty Images

5. Blueberries
> Annual production:690 million pounds (US)

After strawberries, blueberries are the most popular berry in America, and are native to North America. Blueberries have grown in popularity in recent years perhaps also because of their reputation as one of the so-called “superfoods.” They are nutritious, containing vitamin C, potassium, phosphorus, iron, fiber, and antioxidants.

Blueberry pollination requires a lot of heavy lifting on the part of bees. Each plant can produce thousands of flower buds, and every bud produces 16 flowers, each a potential blueberry with successful pollination. Many types of native bees are up to the task but are usually augmented by honey bees for commercial production.

To see the other Honey Bee Dependent Crops go to;

Crops That Would Be Most Affected If Honey Bees Disappeared – Page 2 – 24/7 Wall St. (247wallst.com)

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: Crops That Would Be Most Affected If Honey Bees Disappeared – Page 2 – 24/7 Wall St. (247wallst.com)

Hal Bernton

Seattle Times staff reporter

HOOD RIVER, Oregon — Grower Brad Fowler walked into the cherry orchard on yet another May day when the temperatures struggled to climb above 50 degrees and a chill wind swept through the long rows of trees at the tail end of their annual bloom.

Fowler searched for signs of honeybees doing the vital work of pollination that sets fruit as they move from blossom to blossom. On a warm day, he might find 20 bees in each tree, their flights creating a steady hum. On this morning, there was an unsettling quietness. He could only find a few bees spread about the trees he examined.

“I am surprised they are out at all, as cold as it is,” Fowler said.

Here in the Hood River valley in northern Oregon, and all throughout the prime Pacific Northwest cherry-growing regions, the cool spring weather has often kept the bees — billions of which are brought into the region’s fruit orchards each year — inside, or close by, the hives of their wooden box colonies.

The low temperatures have resulted in slower and later flowering of the cherry trees. In some orchards, when temperatures prime for bee flight finally arrived, the window for blossom pollination had already closed.

B. J. Thurlby, president of Northwest Cherry Growers, says the challenges in pollinating this crop, along with damage from the cold, are expected to reduce this year’s cherry crop by 35% compared with the average volume of the past five years.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/in-cool-spring-bees-struggle-to-pollinate-northwest-cherry-crop/

The Seeds for Bees enrollment period has officially opened and growers now have an opportunity to apply. Enrollment is open now through August 31, however seed availability is limited so growers are encouraged to apply early. The Almond Board of California (ABC) has been instrumental in funding the program, which has been improved this year to provide even more support to growers.

“If you’re awarded that first-year program, you’re going to get up to $2,500 worth of free seed off of your overall seed purchase,” said Rory Crowley, Director of Habitat Programs at Project Apis m. and manager of the Seeds for Bees Program. “Those second-year awardees will get up to $2,000 worth of free seed of their overall purchase. So, we’re excited about that.”

The Seeds for Bees program provides cover crop mixes to farmers to help develop additional habitat for bees and other pollinators. Almond growers have been especially responsive to the program, accounting for 72 percent of all awardees last year with 143 new almond growers participating. California growers planted more than 12,580 acres of cover crops last year and Crowley said they intend to grow that number further. “We’re trying to get 15,000 cover crop acres planted this year and we think we’re going to be able to do that,” Crowley noted.

There are a total of five cover crop mixes available through the program. Along with providing critical habitat to support pollinators, cover crops can also support better soil health and water infiltration. ABC has resources available such as Best Management Practices for cover crops, to help growers maximize the benefits that can be achieved. Crowley said that the application process for the Seeds for Bees program has been streamlined to make it easier to enroll. Program information along with enrollment applications are available online.

https://agnetwest.com/almond-update-seeds-for-bees-program-providing-additional-support-this-year/

By Cecilia Parsons | Associate Editor

Rory Crowley, director of habitat programs for Seeds for Bees, inspects cover crop growth in a new orchard (photo courtesy R. Crowley.)

Almond growers, and growers of other tree nuts, should be aware that June 1 is the first day of open enrollment in the Seeds for Bees program. Rory Crowley, new Director of Habitat Programs for Seeds for Bees, said program enrollment will only be open for three months. Crowley said his goal is to see 15,000 cover crop acres planted in 2022.

Seeds for Bees is a Project Apis m. nonprofit program that encourages growers to support honeybee and soil health by planting cover crops in and near orchards that bloom prior to, during and after almond bloom.

This program is for California producers. Interested growers submit an application and, if eligible, participate in a one-on-one technical assistance consultation. This program has traditionally targeted almond growers, but Crowley said that growers of wind-pollinated crops may be considered for enrollment based on additional information. There is now a two-acre minimum, but participants from last year will remain eligible.

“We want cover crop on all landscapes and take into consideration neighboring crops,” Crowley said.

The goal of Seeds for Bees is to provide density, duration and diversity of forage for managed honeybees in commercial crops when natural forage is scarce. The five seed mixes offered in the program are aimed at providing nutritious pollinator forage prior to almond bloom as well as after bloom.

“Healthier bees mean stronger colonies and better pollination,” Crowley said. Preliminary research has shown that almond orchards with strong cover crops may increase bee productivity during pollination, resulting in a potential increase of 80 to 120 pounds per acre. In other words, prior to and after the almond bloom, supplemental forage can provide the necessary nutrients to build healthy and vigorous colonies for pollination of your crop.

Crowley said timing of planting is the most important part of Seeds for Bees. Seed planted in October germinates and is blooming when honeybees arrive in orchards in late January or early February.

This year Seeds for Bees is offering more funding for free seed with overall seed orders for first- and second-year participants. This year there will be $2500 in free seed off overall seed purchases for first-year participants and $1500 for second-year participants.

Because Seeds for Bees is nonprofit, buys seed in high volumes and pays for shipping, growers can capitalize on large pricing discounts through the program. “We pass on our volume, nonprofit and shipping discounts to the grower; we have a huge competitive advantage that directly benefits producers’ pocketbooks,” Crowley said.

He also said seed can be purchased through the Seeds for Bees program at wholesale prices with free shipping, but there is limited availability with each of the mixes earmarked for purchase outside of the free seed program.

Depending on the type of planting method used, no-till drill or broadcast, the width of the planting strip and the Seeds for Bees mix, the free seed may translate to upwards of 150 acres of cover crop planted in the first year.

https://www.wcngg.com/2022/04/29/seeds-for-bees-opens-enrollment-june-1/

By Spencer Tracy

MILWAUKEE – April showers bring May flowers, and those flowers will need help from humans during a movement known as “No Mow May.”

The initiative started in Appleton and has since bloomed across Wisconsin. Organizations like the Urban Ecology Center encourage residents to let their grass grow.

The idea behind No Mow May is simple – don’t mow your lawn. That way, pollinators like bees and butterflies can have an early food source. Experts say it goes a long way.

“If we don’t accommodate the bees and the insects, ultimately that’s our food source, because they are pollinating the grains and the fruits that we eat,” said Ken Leinbach, the Urban Ecology Center’s executive director. “If we don’t have that we are stuck.”

Anyone can participate in No Mow May. Experts say is provides yet another way you help the environment because it reduces the use of pesticides.

‘No Mow May:’ How Wisconsin residents can help pollinators (fox6now.com)

Rabobank’s food and agribusiness research arm suggests that the worst may still be on the horizon.

Todd Fitchette

After years of profitable crops, an oversupply of almonds borne by international tariffs, shipping constraints and enthusiastic planting may be leading the industry to an extended downturn.

The Almond Board of California’s position report from January reveals the bleeding. Rabobank’s food and agribusiness research arm suggests that the worst may still be on the horizon as export numbers year-over-year have fallen by double-digit percentage points.

David Magana, senior analyst for RaboResearch Food and Agribusiness, says if this year’s export numbers don’t turn around, the industry could face a record 900-million-pound carry-out at the end of the marketing year. The Almond Board of California uses an Aug. 1- to-July 31 marketing year, which conveniently coincides with the general start of almond harvest.

This portends a lengthy period of poor producer prices as the industry struggles with shipping constraints beyond its control.

The industry is already dealing with a heavy carry-in of 608 million pounds, or roughly 20% of last year’s production. A 900-million-pound excess of unsold nuts going into the next marketing year could be as much as one-third of California’s annual production. Year-to-date crop receipts are 2.83 billion pounds.

Bearish exports

With a 3.35-billion-pound supply of almonds to sell globally this year, the double-digit downfall in shipments does not bode well for the industry, according to David Magana, senior analyst for RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness.

Exports across the Americas are down 15% on average, with shipments to countries like Peru down 75% and Brazil down 67%.

Asia’s large and growing markets are likewise down significantly. Shipments to China, Japan and Hong Kong are down 14% as exports to central Asia, including India, down 23%. Exports to Europe were down 26% in January, year-over-year.

Domestic shipments were flat in January.

This news comes on the tails of a 2020/21 marketing year that saw record exports of over two billion pounds of almonds on total shipments of 2.89 billion pounds

Except for last January, monthly almond exports in the 2020/21 marketing year were higher than ever.

August of this year saw record exports of nearly 141 million pounds, or 10.8% above the same month the previous year.

U.S. almond exports down double-digits (farmprogress.com)

Nature’s Perfect Duo

When almonds trees bloom, bees get their first food source from our orchards’ nutritious pollen. While bees are only with us for two months of the year as they pollinate the crop, we work to support their health for all twelve.

We’ve been leading bee health research efforts since 1995, so farmers can confidently provide safe habitats that allow them to leave stronger to pollinate other crops. In collaboration with partners beyond our industry, our Honey Bee Best Management Practices serve as a guide to all of agriculture for protecting pollinator health on-farm.

What’s more, we’re working with others to solve the complex set of challenges bees’ face because we know by partnering together, we can find real solutions. Because without bees, there would be no almonds.

Almond Trees need cross-pollination, and honey bees help move pollen from tree to tree, setting the crop.

Bee Hives consistently leave almond orchards stronger than when they came in because with natural occurring compounds like amygdalin, almond pollen is very nutritious to bees and is their first natural food source of the year.^{1, 2}

• 33 percent of our global food production relies on pollinators.
• 90 U.S. crops pollinated by commercial honey bees each year.
• 125+ Almond Board-funded honey bee health research projects to date.
• 1995: The year we created the Honey Bee Health Taskforce to specifically to specifically fund research to improve bee health.

Do Pollinators Prefer Dense Flower Patches? Sometimes Yes, Sometimes No

A study looking at floral density and pollinators finds that some types of pollinating insects prefer dense flower patches more than others, but that preference can also vary by flower species, too. The complicated findings offer clues to how multiple pollinator species co-exist and compete for floral resources. Shown here is a patch of Monarda fistulosa, one of the flower species included in the study. (Photo by Joshua Mayer via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0)

By Andrew Porterfield

Historically, entomologists have concluded that bees and other pollinators select flowering plants according to the density of those plants in a given location. This makes some economic sense, since foraging in large areas of the same flowers reduces flight time (and thus energy) between flowers.

But other research has shown that pollinator visits do not decrease when isolated from same-species plants, suggesting that flowers in dense formations compete for pollinators. Understanding how pollinators are attracted to plants is important to seeing how different species of bees can exist together in the same pollen-producing environment.

In a study published in December in Environmental Entomology, Tristan Barley, a student at Miami University in Ohio (now at the University of Illinois), and his colleagues found a large degree of variation in pollinator visitation when analyzed simply by density of flower patches. Instead, the type of flower appeared to have an effect on pollinator visitation, as did the type of pollinator.

In their study, the researchers looked at the effects of flower density on pollination in a restored Ohio prairie. They recorded visits to three plant species: Penstemon digitalis, Monarda fistulosa, and Eryngium yuccifolium. Pollinators were observed when they landed on a flower, foraged for flowers, or visited multiple flowers on the same plant. Pollinators observed included species of Bombus, Ceratina, and others.

The importance of flower identity over density, especially for Ceratina, was a surprise, Barley says.

“This group of pollinators was the only one to be a significant visitor for all three of our focal flower species, and yet flower-patch density affected their visitation rates in different ways,” he says. “When visiting Penstemon digitalis or Monarda fistulosa, both of which were also significantly visited by Bombus in our dataset, Ceratina tended to visit isolated flowers more often or even show no preference in patch density. However, the opposite was true when visiting E. yuccifolium. It seems that the identity of the flower being visited, as well as potentially the other pollinators visiting the flower, has an important effect on the patch-size preference in some bee species.”

For Bombus, the bees did seem to overall prefer larger flower patches. The authors note, however, that “nesting habitat may contribute to these findings, as Bombus species may preferential nest in higher density flower patches when compared with solitary bees.” It’s also possible that Bombus was reducing flight time and energy expense by visiting larger flower groups.

The biggest implication of their research, Barley says, is the possible mechanism bee species use to coexist in the face of varying densities of flowers. “Larger, more social bees, such as bumble bees, tended to visit larger flowering patches more than isolated flowers, whereas for smaller, less social bees, this was not the case,” he says. “Bumble bees may be outcompeting smaller bees in larger patches of flowers, but the smaller bees may be able to meet their energy needs through visiting isolated flowers instead.”

Because the researchers were studying only feral (native) bees in a non-agricultural plot of land, they were not able to determine the impact, if any, of Apis mellifera, the European honey bee. “Our results suggest that A. mellifera could compete more directly with Bombus species when they are present in a habitat, rather than smaller native bees,” which may avoid competition altogether, Barley says. But such interactions would only take place if honey bee colonies were deliberately placed near such a prairie.

This co-existence could help determine the extent to which pollinators could occupy a given area. The concept, Barley says, “to our knowledge, has not been fully explored, and it could help future researchers better understand how diverse bee communities can coexist despite sharing floral resources.”

Do Pollinators Prefer Dense Flower Patches? Sometimes Yes, Sometimes No (entomologytoday.org)

Honybee hive(BigBlueStudio)

By ED BOLING / The Packer

California grows 1.5 million acres of almonds, and every spring, all of that acreage must be pollinated.

With almond blossoms being a rich source of food for honeybees, it’s a natural symbiotic relationship. The problem in California is that there aren’t enough bees to pollinate such a large number of almond trees.

To help mitigate this problem, the state imported roughly 2.1 million beehives for the 2021 almond pollination. Assuming each hive contains roughly 20,000 worker bees, this comes out to 42 billion bees. Hive imports will likely increase in 2022, as more almond acreage enters bearing age, according to Jacob Wenger, assistant professor of entomology at California State University, Fresno.

There are several reasons for the gap in honeybees to pollinate almond orchards. One reason has to do with the growth of the almond industry. California’s climate also plays a role, as does crop diversity.

“With the boom in almond planting, demand has skyrocketed and more hives have had to be imported,” Wenger said. “On the flip side, it is challenging to increase hive supply in California due to the state’s Mediterranean climate, which limits the availability of floral resources in the summer and fall. Another issue is increased agricultural intensification, which has led to less crop diversity, again reducing the availability of flowers for honeybees to feed upon.”

That being the case, the number of imported hives the state needs is five times greater than its own hive population.

“It’s recommended to use two hives per acre during pollination. So, for the California almond crop, 3 million beehives are recommended,” said Josette Lewis, chief scientific officer at the California Almond Board.  “Unfortunately, only about half a million beehives exist in California. The rest must be imported.”

Almond trees must be pollinated, and they produce a lot of nectar that feeds the honeybees.

“The honeybees are only in almond orchards for four to six weeks, although they spend several months in the state. They’re imported in November and December. Beekeepers house the bees so they can adjust to the California climate,” Lewis said. “Then, they are moved to almond orchards around early February when blossom season begins. Finally, once their work is done, many of the honeybees are shipped back across the U.S.”

The return home is still triggered by nature, after the almond bloom is over.

“Most hives will leave shortly after almond petal drop in mid to late March,” Wenger said. “This is because outside of the bloom season, almond orchards are a veritable food desert for honeybees with little to no flowering plants for them to forage on.”

Not all bees return to their home states, though. Some will move north to the state of Washington to assist in the pollination of apples, pears and cherries, according to Buzz Landon, president of the California State Beekeepers Association.

A small number of hives will stay in California for a few months to pollinate other smaller acreage crops, such as stone fruits, cane berries, apples, melons, squash and seed crops, Wenger said.

About 40% of commercial beehives travel to the upper Midwest because of the natural prairie grasses and conservation farms in those states, which provide the honeybees with a variety of forage. Just like humans, honeybees, Lewis said.

As it turns out, the journey also boosts the honeybee population.

“Many beekeepers double their hives during the almond pollination,” Lewis said. “Most hives are less active in winter. They’re not growing as hives. The hives come out stronger from almond blossom.”