APIS Volume 3, Number 6, June 1985
In this issue
- Strained Honey--A New Category Approved
- Wet Lands--The Bee Forage Connection
- Pollinating Florida's Melons/Squash--Observations and Analysis
A NEW STYLE HONEY
It's official. Effective May 23, 1985, a bonafide new style, called "strained" honey, is now part of the United States Standards for Grades of Extracted Honey. This new style was incorporated into the law at the request of segments of the honey industry. "Strained" honey permits grains of pollen, small air bubbles and very fine particles to remain in honey. The other style, known as "filtered," calls for removal of most pollen grains, air bubbles and very fine particles. In determining grade, the differences between styles is readily apparent.
Factors included in grading honey and the maximum number of points allowed for each are as follows:
- (a) flavor and aroma--50 points;
- (b) absence of defects--40 points;
- (c) clarity--10 points.
Filtered honey requires clarity scores of 8 to 10, 6 to 7 and 4 to 5 for grades A, B, and C, respectively. Strained honey in contrast is not scored for clarity. Scores for flavor and aroma, as well as absence of defects, are the same for both styles. Establishing a strained honey style seeks to expand the honey market by providing customers with a product resembling natural honey after extraction from the comb.
The Final Rule, as published in the Federal Register, Tuesday, April 23, 1985 also:
- (a) expands and updates the value for soluble solids in honey
- (b) removes the screen test method for determination of defects
- (c) changes the tolerance for color designations to be in line with the tolerance for grade determinations
- (d) replaces dual grade nomenclature with single letter grade designations,
- (e) incorporates minor editorial changes
The effect of the ruling, the first revision of honey grading standards since 1951, will be to improve standards and promote orderly and efficient marketing of extracted honey.
WETLAND LOSSES
The Extension Forestry Update newsletter, published by the School of Forest Resources and Conservation recently discussed loss of wetlands from 1950 to 1970, based on a study by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Wetlands Inventory. The southeast accounted for nearly eight million of the nine million acres of wetlands lost nationwide, mostly because of agricultural development. Losses were greatest in the lower Mississippi Valley, eastern North Carolina, south Florida and in coastal Louisiana. Greatest losses occurred in forested wetlands, where over 5.5 million acres were lost during the twenty year interval.
Because so much bee forage is feral or wild in nature and resides in or near wetlands, it is important for beekeepers to look at long-term impact of agricultural practices and other kinds of development on this kind of habitat. If this study is a any indication of what the future might bring, beekeepers can expect to continue to loose bee forage. In a state already running out of bee locations the potential results of this continual loss are not encouraging. Fortunately, there are other groups interested in conserving wetlands. If you are concerned about this trend, it might be helpful to contact conservation groups in your area and ally your efforts with theirs to reduce wetland loss in the future.
POLLINATING FLORIDA'S VEGETABLE AND MELON CROP
[Editor's Note 5/11/1997--Updated information on vine crop pollination has been made available; although the statistics are dated, the rest of the analysis presented here remains valid.]
The 1984 Vegetable Summary has recently been published by the Florida Crop and Livestock Reporting Service, 1222 Woodward St., Orlando, FL 32803. Ph 305/420-6020. It contains facts and figures that should be of interest to beekeepers contemplating renting honey bees for pollination. Total value of Florida-grown vegetables, melons, potatoes and strawberries sold in 1983-84 crop year was $1.1 billion and acreage harvested was three percent above the previous year.
Not all vegetables benefit from bee pollination. The would-be pollinator, therefore, should concentrate efforts on those most needing bee pollination. Of these, watermelons, cucumbers and squash represent 5.9%, 3.2%, and 2.8%, respectively of the total vegetable crop. Other crops of importance are cantaloups and some tropical produce. The key to a successful pollination service is communication with the grower. Promotional efforts are required; many growers do not understand the potential benefits of pollination and must be sold on the idea. Here are some representative facts and figures about those crops mentioned above taken from the Florida vegetable summary and the "pollinator's bible," Agriculture Handbook 496, Insect Pollination of Cultivated Crop Plants by S.E. MacGregor.
Watermelons: Acreage planted during the 1983-4 season was 64,000--an eight percent increase, according to the Crop Reporting Service. Of that number, 60,000 acres were harvested. Highest prices received by growers were in the south and west central area of the state where harvest begins earlier.
According to MacGregor's book, multiple visits by bees are perhaps more important than duration of visits and melon flowers are not visited uniformly throughout the day. This means plenty of bees need to be present during peak visiting hours, usually 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. Finally, if adequate amounts of pollen are not transferred to the stigma, the resulting melon may be misshapen, leading to rejection by buyers. The recommendation given for pollination is "a bee population that will provide one bee for each 100 flowers in all parts of the field." This translates to about one to five hives per acre, depending on the bee population in each hive.
All growers know that highest market price results from early watermelons. The sooner the melon flower becomes pollinated, the sooner the melon can be marketed. This emphasizes the potential need for a large number of honey bee colonies, a reliable managed source of insect pollinators leading to fully formed early and higher priced melons.
Cucumbers: About 16,000 acres of cucumbers were planted in 1983-84 for fresh market, up 100 acres from the previous year, according to the Crop Reporting Service, and average yield was down about nine bushels per acre (could this be because of inadequate pollination?). Price was up, averaging $7.33 per bushel compared with $4.77 in 1982-83. Production of cucumbers is well distributed around the State. The southwest had 42% of the the planted acreage, while the west central had 28%.
According to Agriculture handbook 496, "The literature leaves little doubt that insect pollination of cucumbers in the United States is essential to profitable production, and that honey bees are the primary pollinating agents." Again, frequency of bee visits is extremely important to cucumber pollination. Recommendations for cucumber pollination vary, but at least one strong colony per acre (two or three might pay in certain years) should be present. Of more practical use may be Hughes' recommendation in Progressive Farmer some years ago: "If you cannot cout 30 to 40 bees in a 30-foot diameter (within 15 feet) or cannot hear a very noticeable hum you probably need to bring in more bees.
Squash: Some 16,800 acres were planted in 1983-84 and production was 4% above the previous year, according to the Crop 'Reporting Service, however, yield was down 2 bushels (lack of bees?). Total cash receipts were in excess of $30 million. Squash is one of the few crops grown in Florida that is shipped every month; this might supply some pollinating income during times when nectar is short and bees must be fed anyway.
According to MacGregor, most authorities give primary credit to the honey bee in pollinating squash. A study by Wolfenbarger in Florida (1962) correlated number of colonies and baskets of squash per acre: no colonies provided, 148 baskets; one-half colony per acre, 155 baskets; one colony per acre, 161 baskets; two colonies per acre, 168 baskets and three colonies per acre, 173 baskets. Unfortunately, few detailed studies have been done correlating bee visits to flowers with yield, quality and related factors. MacGregor, therefore, recommends that where yields are low, an additional one to three colonies per acres should be provided for at least 3 years to determine their value to pollination.
Other crops: Cantaloupes and some tropical crops are only of minor significance, according to the Crop Reporting Service, but their acreage may increase in the future. They should not be overlooked by those providing pollinating services. Agriculture Handbook 496 also reviews some tropical crop plants.
Careful reading of MacGregor's book reveals that determining the value of bees for pollination is not an exact science. Authorities often disagree about pollination recommendations as well. Extremely valuable is the list of up-to-date references about each crop discussed so the reader can look to specific studies and see the reasons for specific recommendations. Disagreement and the fact that much of the data referenced may not apply to specific areas of Florida, means the would-be pollinator must keep good records about pollination efforts concerning yield increases and do periodic spot checks directly in the field. He/she also must educate the grower about bees and their value, and above all become a diligent observer of the field to be pollinated and its surrounding area. Simply moving bees into a field and managing them well is not enough.
Examples of what might go wrong are numerous and could be anything from the bees dying because of pesticides to starvation. Many crops will not nutritionally support bees while they are pollinating. One can also expect surprises. For example, a grower brought bees into his south Florida cucumber field for pollination last season as he did every year. But this time the bees were attracted to a nearby avocado grove instead. So much for cucumber pollination. The only advice one can give in a situation like this is to move in bees that are not familiar with the area. By the time they discover the avocado grove, it may be less attractive to them.
Sincerely,
Malcolm T. Sanford
Bldg 970, Box 110620
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-0620
Phone (352) 392-1801, Ext. 143 FAX: (352)-392-0190
http://www.ifas.ufl.edu/~entweb/apis/apis.htm
INTERNET Address: MTS@GNV.IFAS.UFL.EDU
©1985 M.T. Sanford "All Rights Reserved
