[Pollinator] Steve Javorek in the news

[Matthew Shepherd (Xerces Society)]

An article about Steve Javorek and his work on blueberry pollinators in Nova Scotia. 

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>From The Chronicle Herald, http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/847617.html

Workers? Sure, but they’re wild too
By PAUL PICKREM | 5:51 AM
(ppickrem at herald.ca)

WHILE SCIENTISTS and farmers are concerned about a decline in the population and health of honeybees in Canada and the United States, one researcher in the Annapolis Valley is buzzing about the importance of wild bees to natural and agricultural ecosystems.

Steven Javorek, a research scientist at Agriculture Canada’s research station in Kentville, which looks at wildlife habitat on all farmland across the country, said in a recent interview there are 300 species of wild bees in the Maritimes. They are different from honeybees in that they are solitary females, rather than a queen and workers, taking care of their offspring by nesting in the ground or a hole in a tree to deposit pollen and an egg.

Seventy of the wild bee species are busy pollinating multimillion-dollar crops like wild blueberries. Some of those pollinate 10 times the amount of blueberry blossoms as honeybees, and studies show wild bees can handle about 30 per cent of Canada’s blueberry pollination.

"Pollination is important because one out of every four mouthfuls of food or beverages we take, we get because of a pollinator," Mr. Javorek said.

His research shows wild bees are "extremely efficient" pollinators because they fly in marginal weather and have evolved in the region along with wild blueberry plants.

"We want to find out how to create and maintain a larger population," he said.

To do that, Mr. Javorek has studied how the accessibility of places to nest and feed within a kilometre of the crops needing pollination affects the numbers of bees available.

"Reproductive output goes down the further they have to fly to find pollen for their young," he said.

"There is also a direct correlation between the number of wildflowers within one kilometre and the number of bees available to pollinate crops."

Mr. Javorek’s goal is to provide growers with practical guidelines to enhance wild bee abundance.

"There needs to be good wildflower resources," he said.

"But they can be a couple of hundred metres from the blueberry plants. They don’t have to be right on that field. We’re looking at the influence of the broader landscape." 

Mr. Javorek said the research is timely because there is some evidence of a global decline in wild bees due to loss of habitat and a decline in plant diversity. He said there is a need for a diversified pollination strategy that considers both honeybees and wild bees.

The research looks at developing alternative sources of pollination like introducing the alfalfa leaf cutting bee. It was first introduced to the region in the 1970s and is available commercially from Western Canada. It is a solitary bee that likes to nest close to its neighbours in tunnels and can be released in blueberry fields.

"To rely on a single species to do our pollination is not wise," he said.

He said he also works with organizations like the U.S.-based North American Pollinator Protection Campaign and the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation to "educate people about what bees do and their importance."
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The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
The Xerces Society is an international nonprofit organization that 
protects the diversity of life through invertebrate conservation. To 
join the Society, make a contribution, or read about our work, 
please visit www.xerces.org.

Matthew Shepherd
Director, Pollinator Conservation Program
4828 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland, OR 97215, USA
Tel: 503-232 6639 Cell: 503-807 1577 Fax: 503-233 6794
Email: mdshepherd at xerces.org 
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