UF/IFAS
Okeechobee County Extension Service
458 Hwy. 98, North
Okeechobee, FL 34972-2578
Phone: (863) 763-6469
E- mail: asachson@ifas.ufl.edu
January
16, 2008
Feature
Article - for release the week of January 21, 2008
Angela
Sachson –
Where
have all the Honey Bees Gone?
You
have no doubt heard that honey bees are disappearing all
over the country. This is not a rumor.
Beekeepers in 35 states report as much as a 50%-90%
decline in local populations and over 30% of honeybees
nationwide have died out so far in 2006-2007.
This
is important to you and me because bee pollination is
needed for 35% of our food supply. It
is common practice for beekeepers to travel cross
country pulling their bees behind them and renting them to
farmers for pollination of crops.
Here
is what is happening. Large numbers of worker bees
in an individual hive simply wander off. They leave
behind the queen, her eggs and a few younger bees which
then starve. It is as though the field-workers have
become disoriented or amnesic or have lost their sense of
direction. Eventually they die far from their hive
where researchers trying to study this problem have
trouble even finding them. Ordinarily, other insects
or wild bees would take over such a vacant hive but none
will come near these abandoned homes until a great deal of
time has passed or the hive has been fumigated.
Scientists have named this ailment Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and have been working hard to determine the cause. Thanks to advances in gene research top bee researchers have been able to learn which diseases, pesticides, fungus and parasites are, and are not, present in honey bees with the disorder.
It looks like a combination of factors
must be present for CCD to occur but a new virus called
Israeli acute paralysis virus is almost always found in
affected bees. This virus can be transmitted by the Varroa
mite and was first identified in Israel
in 2002. Further research will concentrate on determining
actual cause and, hopefully, control.
In
the meantime, here is some good news. Native
pollinators are already beginning to become more active.
Even in fields where rented honeybees are present,
pollinators such as flies, moths, and wild bumblebees
supplement honeybee pollination. There are more than
four thousand species of native American pollinators; and
it appears that their activity and that of other
pollinators will increase if the honeybee population
continues to decline.
Some
research indicates a decline in native species is also
occurring - and that is where you and I have a role to play.
Here
is how you can help:
Attract
native pollinators to your garden
Pollinators are
essential for high yield and high quality of many
vegetables and fruits in the garden. For example,
strawberries, squash, melons, citrus, sweet cherries, and
apples must have pollinators to ensure a high yield of
good produce
When people think of
pollination, many focus on bees. Bees are the principal
pollinators, but there are other important pollinators as
well. These include other insects such as flies, moths,
butterflies, wasps, and even some beetles. They also
include hummingbirds and bats.
Gardeners
can do several things to preserve, protect, and attract
pollinators:
1.
Diversify garden plantings to offer a variety of flower
colors, fragrances, and shapes throughout the growing
season. Different flowers attract different pollinators.
2.
Consider leaving flowering weeds such as Spanish
needles or beggar’s-ticks (Bidens
alba) to serve as alternate nectar sources for
pollinators.
3. Limit
pesticide use.
-
When insecticides are necessary use those that are least disruptive and apply when pollinators are least active (very early morning, late evening, or after dark).
-
Never apply insecticides to plants that are blooming or when it is windy.
4.
Provide a source of water—much like that you give your
butterflies
5.
Leave some bare patches. Some female bees nest in
tunnels they dig in the dirt!
Bee-Ware the African Honey bees!
Bees,
including Africanized bees, visiting flowers are not a
concern. However, keep your distance from any bee nest.
The Africanized bee will be VERY defensive when protecting
its hive. Call a professional to remove any bee hive. If
you are attacked, run as fast as you can to cover (a
house, a car).
For more
information, contact your local extension office. In
The Florida Yards and Neighborhoods program is part of your local county extension service in Highlands, Okeechobee and Glades Counties. It is partially funded from Clean Water Act Section 319 funding from the U. S. EPA through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. More information is available on the Okeechobee web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu. Go GATORS!
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Trade names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS / University of Florida. Larry A. Arrington, Dean Last update: 01/30/2008 . This page is maintained by Dan Culbert |
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