[Pollinator] Orchardists seek alternative pollinators

[ladadams at aol.com]

Orchardists seek alternative pollinators


Farmers' need for bees encourages local options

By DAVE WILKINS

Capital Press

The search for alternative pollinators may be intensifying as the U.S. 
honeybee population continues to struggle.

With about 4,000 different bee species in North America, there's no 
lack of pollinators. But building up their populations, getting them to 
nest where they're needed and learning how to manage them for 
commercial horticultural purposes is a challenge, experts said.

In recent years, many small orchards have turned to the blue orchard 
bee to help pollinate their crops.

"There are quite a number of small orchardists scattered all over the 
country who are trying these bees and having success," said pollination 
expert Karen Strickler of Parma, Idaho.

So far there haven't been enough of the bees to be a practical, 
cost-effective alternative to honeybees in large commercial orchards.

But the situation could change as more of the bees become available.

Some almond growers in California have already shown strong interest in 
blue orchard bees, Strickler said.

"Blue orchard bees aren't going to replace honeybees, but they could 
provide an additional option for pollinating almonds," she said.

Strickler is a former pollination ecologist at the University of 
Idaho's Parma Research and Extension Center. Her research included work 
with the leaf cutter bee, which is used in Western Idaho and Eastern 
Oregon to pollinate alfalfa seed fields.

She's trying to develop nesting material for the blue orchard bee 
similar to the system used for alfalfa leaf cutter bees.

Blue orchard bees and leaf cutter bees are both examples of solitary 
bees.

Solitary bees don't form colonies with a queen and worker bees as 
honeybees do. Rather, each female solitary bee makes her own nest, 
forages for pollen and nectar and lays her own eggs, Strickler said.

Honeybees have run up against obstacles in recent years. Colony 
collapse disorder, varroa mites, pesticides, disease and movement of 
bee colonies around the country have all taken their toll on honeybee 
health.

Orchardists aren't the only ones looking for alternatives to the 
honeybee.

In Oregon, experts are studying the use of another solitary bee, Osmia 
aglaia, to pollinate blackberries and raspberries at the Sturm Berry 
Farm near Corbett. Strickler is a technical adviser for the project, 
called the Oregon Berry Bee Project.

A USDA grant will help researchers find out whether the Oregon berry 
bee can become a cost-effective, practical and sustainable addition to 
honeybees in blackberry and raspberry production, Strickler said.



Alternative pollinators don't need commercial potential to be 
effective.

Squash bees, for instance, are a ground-nesting solitary bee that can't 
readily be moved from place to place.

But growers can increase the bees' numbers by leaving a bit of untilled 
ground for them to nest in and reducing pesticide use.

"There isn't a commercial business in them, but people can watch for 
them if they're growing squash and encourage their population," 
Strickler said.

Staff writer Dave Wilkins is based in Twin Falls, Idaho. E-mail: 
dwilkins at capitalpress.com.