[Pollinator] Bees put seedless citrus at risk

[Matthew Shepherd (Xerces Society)]

Unlike the growers who have been worried about there being too few bees this year, here's one who is worried about having too many.

>From Visalia Times-Delta
http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070606/OPINION02/706060331
6/6/07

Bees put seedless citrus at risk

Seeds or no seeds?
That is the question I and other seedless mandarin growers will ask in the next couple of months.
We planted the seedless varieties because consumers indicated that a smaller-portioned, seedless, easy-to-peel, wonderfully sweet piece of citrus is what they wanted (imagine that). Some, like myself, removed acreage that was not reaching its economic potential. I replanted and waited years to witness some positive economic rewards. 
Unfortunately, a problem is threatening the viability of groves like mine — bees. 
Each year in April, bees visit my grove to gather nectar and pollen. Along the way they also cross-pollinate my grove with the pollen of seeded fruit, causing seeds to turn up in what was supposed to be seedless citrus.
Yes, those wonderful, industrious and valuable bees can actually damage my fruit.
But wait, you say, bees occur naturally and they can't possibly know they are trespassing. That is true, but the problem is significantly worsened when bees are brought into my neighborhood by the truckload — literally. Other growers can spray pesticides to keep out damaging pests that would cause significantly less in terms of economic damage, but I am prohibited from doing so for bees. For you see, over the protest of many citrus growers, beekeepers had legislation passed to keep us from spraying during times bees may be in the groves.
Dealing with the impact of naturally occurring bees causing damage is something I could manage. Dealing with the impact of imported bees, where someone else's economic decisions can adversely impact my operation on my land is something I can't manage. Why should I have to?
We in citrus do not need bees to pollinate our crops. For many years in spite of that, there have been arrangements made by beekeepers with many landowners in citrus-growing regions to allow them to place their hives in or around citrus groves so that their bees can access the groves and beekeepers can maximize their profit by mining "orange" honey.
Unfortunately, this practice is creating a cross-pollination issue from which the seedless citrus growers alone suffer the economic consequences. Cooperation on the part of nearby landowners and beekeepers to keep bees away from our properties has been spotty at best. The willingness of beekeeper representatives to engage meaningfully with mandarin growers on the issue has been virtually non-existent.
Please, give me some room around my property to keep imported bees from damaging my fruit, the fruit the consumers are demanding. Just locate the bees where susceptible, otherwise seedless, mandarin varieties are not grown.
If I can't produce this fruit for the consumer, citrus growers in Argentina, Brazil or Spain (where they already have laws protection mandarin groves from bees) will; thus worsening our balance of trade and, of greater concern, increasing our reliance on foreign-grown food.
Mandarin growers need help in getting some reasonable protection in place. We are not interested in causing anyone else economic harm. We are interested in creating a better balance between clearly divergent economic interests. We just want to farm our property, growing a crop we know people want.
As for me, for now I'll continue to wait to see how much damage I've incurred. I'll continue to invest in the nutrients, water and take the necessary attention to produce what hopefully will be a sweet, delectable and seedless piece of fruit.
Will there be seeds or no seeds? I only wish I could be more certain of a positive outcome.
Richard Moss is a citrus grower in Visalia.




Comments by: esroger Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 2:11 pm 
It is regretable that some seedy mandarin farmers planted pollen susceptable orchards in the wrong places. 

Decisions to plant pollen suceptable varieties were founded on limited experience and information. It is wrong to blame these failures on neighbors and beekeepers who have long established and accepted practices.
______________________________________________________
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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