APIS Volume 13, Number 3, March 1995
In this issue
- Focus on Pollination
- National Honey Board Bibliography
FOCUS ON POLLINATION
In November 1993 , I wrote that commercial pollination might become a growth industry as more beekeepers abandoned the craft due to declining profit margins and Varroa mites killing off much of the wild honey bee population. Corroboration for this was provided in the January 1994 APIS, which discussed citrus growers' concerns about the pollination of certain specialty varieties. The trend seems to be continuing as more and more beekeepers are considering providing this service.
Uniform advice taken from panels at meetings I have attended is that a quality pollination service takes commitment. The beekeeper must always be ready to get bees in and move them out of fields with very short notice, and some kind of a backup plan should be in place in the very real case that things go wrong. One must also develop a long-term personal relationship based on trust with the customer. A key to this is communication. Successful pollinators are regularly in contact with customers, even during the off season. They send out reminders and make phone calls in advance of the coming season to try to assess their capabilities and the growers' needs. One outfit writes a newsletter that includes information on a wide variety of topics.
For those thinking of entering the pollination game, it is of utmost importance to solicit advice from colleagues actively doing this for a living. I was happy to see in a recent issue of the newsletter of the South Carolina Beekeepers Association some valuable pollination tips by David Green, publisher of the Eastern Pollinator Newsletter, P.O. Box 1215, Hemingway, SC 29554
"Pollination service is an alternative use of honeybees. You need to note that word alternative, because, in order to do pollination, you will have to manage the bees differently, and you are going to give up some or all of your honey production. Considering the shape of our markets for honey, and the almost desperate need of our farmers for more bees, I consider this good decision. An added advantage is that pollination service is more consistent from year to year. Honey production is a much greater gamble.
"Many beekeepers who are just beginning, think they are going to keep on making honey, and they do not figure in the added costs, so they tend to underprice. With current markets, you cannot do an adequate job of managing your bees and provide good service for less than $30-35 per single story hive, per crop. This is just a break-even proposition at that price. The profit comes from doing more than one crop per season.
"You need to protect yourself (and your customer, as well) by having a written contract. The two central points that need to be addressed are that you will provide good bees, and that the grower will not hurt them. Then you can deal with other factors such as placement, responsibilities, problems that can arise, liabilities, etc.
"Traditionally pollination service has quantified the bees in terms of hives. However, the development is in the direction of numbers of frames of brood. Most almond pollination is done this way today. I use single story brood chambers and guarantee a minimum of five frames of brood at placement, and try to average 6 to 6 1/2. If you use double brood chambers and guarantee, say 12 frames, you should price accordingly (and figure on a forklift to move them).
"I also guarantee the bees to be healthy and queenright. They are treated for varroa mites and foulbrood, and selectively bred for resistance to tracheal mites, chalkbrood and other diseases. I agree to open a reasonable number for grower inspection upon delivery, if requested. The contract also indicates grower responsibility to notify me, if there is poor flight, and I agree to replace hives, if more than 5% are substandard, queenless, or have foulbrood.
"It would be good to have your grower understand, even if it is not in the contract, that it is important to have not only a minimum standard, but a maximum, as well. An overly strong hive, especially if it is last year's queen, is likely to swarm, and swarmy bees do a poor job of pollination, not only after swarming, but during the week or so ahead, while they are preparing. The best pollination is provided by young queens (I figure 80 - 85% of my queens are this season's) who are laying heavily. This forces the bees to do a lot of pollen gathering. Studies show bees who are deliberately gathering pollen are up to ten times more effective pollinators that those who are gathering nectar.
"Very important, for your protection, is a liability limit. Like the seed companies, you cannot guarantee a crop; that depends on too many factors, so, like them, you should limit your liability to the price of the contract. I hold growers liable to an agreed amount for damages to the bees based on things under their control, such as their employee running over the hives with a disc, or burning off hedgerows (they have happened to me). And we split damages that are outside of grower control, such as bear damage, trespasser vandalism, etc. Growers are also responsible to notify others who are at risk of stings, and they assume liability for these.
"Placement and timing need to be addressed. The bees need shade, water, and some sort of stand, (trailer, pallets, old tires, etc.). And you may need to be pulled out of a mud hole.
"There are two myths that need to be addressed. (A myth is an idea with a germ of truth that has become universalized.) One such myth is to wait until the bloom has started, because the bees may get used to working other plants and neglect the crop. If there is a lot of other bloom, and the crop you are pollinating is a poor nectar source, such as pears or kiwi, the principle can apply. But our melons, cukes and vine crops bloom when there is little else available and the bees will work them just fine, even if you put them in well ahead of bloom. Suppose it rains for a week, just as bloom starts and the farm roads are pools of mud. Better placed six weeks early, than one week late!
"Another myth is to distribute the bees. Resist the grower who wants you to place one hive every hundred feet. You have a much harder time taking care of them, and protecting them from fire, etc. The recommendation to distribute the bees arises from places where bees are brought in by tractor trailer and to "distribute" means drop six pallets (24 hives) at each location. The losses from bumping around a rough field more than offset any gain that would be made by placing them around the field every so many feet. Put the bees in a favorable spot with a good road to it. They will easily cover one half mile. I have studied this a lot!
"The last serious issue to address is pesticide use (or misuse). The grower should be taught to monitor for foraging bees as the label requires. With the newer, non-residual pesticides that are most often used today, the only protection the bees need is that the grower not apply during the time bees are actually foraging. The grower should understand that compliance with label directions is required by law and by the contract, and is sufficient protection for the bees. Residual pesticides such as Penncap M, Sevin, or any of the organophosphates should never be used during bloom. The label clearly marks them as residual.
"If you ask the growers to notify you before applications, you will be doing a lot of chasing, and mostly to no avail. I used to have growers call me. I'd go, prepared to "protect" the bees, and the weather would prevent application that day. How many days do I need to wait? Or the grower needs to spray, and I am away for a few days and he cannot reach me. Notification does not work for either beekeepers or growers and those who make pesticide recommendations have done a great disservice by promoting this as a way to circumvent compliance with label directions.
"I am aware of a case where a grower died, and his son (and heir) locked the gates to the farm. He claimed the bees were his and he was not going to let them go. A good contract would have protected the beekeeper. The beekeeper resorted to a risky "solution." He watched the farm, until he noted one of the gates unlocked, sneaked in at night and got the bees. Nothing was said, so he got away with it. But he could have gotten shot."
Mr. Green kindly offers to send a copy of his contract upon receipt of a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE). I also have a sample pollination contract (ENY 110) that I will send upon request.
Information for would-be pollinators is scarce. Those in bee research have tended to spend much of their efforts on other aspects of beekeeping, especially diseases and pathogens. Unfortunately, the one best resource, Agriculture Handbook 496, Insect Pollination of Cultivated Crop Plants, is out of print. Written in 1976 by S.E. McGregor, this publication remains the "pollinator's bible."
In the southeast we are fortunate that Georgia has recently (July 1994) published, Bee Pollination of Georgia Crop Plants, authored by K.S. Delaplane, P.A. Thomas and W.J. McLaurin. It contains information on honey bees and other pollinating bees, and pollination requirements for apple, blueberry, cantaloupe, cucumber, squash, watermelon and others. It is available from the Extension Entomology, Georgia Cooperative Extension Service, University of Georgia request, Barrow Hall, Athens, GA 30602.
Over the years, I have also published articles on citrus and watermelon pollination, as well as another on cucurbits. The former two are on CD ROM available through local Cooperative Extension Offices. The latter was published in the 1993 Proceedings of the IFAS Vine Crops Institute, Special Series Report SSHOS-3, edited by G. Hochmuth.
A HONEY OF A BIBLIOGRAPHY
I have had a flurry of questions recently about honey. Although happy to help answer these, I often refer people to one of the best resources the beekeeping industry has provided, the National Honey Board. The beekeeping industry pays assessments on honey sales to implement this honey promotion effort. For an evaluation of the National Honey Board's efforts, see the February 1995 APIS.
Resources about honey produced by the Board include a video tape called Just Add Honey and a large database of recipes, many of which are used in its promotional activities. To contact the Board, call 1-800-553-7162 and ask about the availability of these for local fairs, shows and other events.
The Board's Honey Technology Program also publishes a database (available on diskette in several different computer formats) titled "International Honey Bibliography and Abstracts." This bibliograpy covers a huge array of topics, including the honey industry, honey composition and characteristics, and food and non- food industry honey use. Persons interested in this bibliography should contact the Honey Hotline 1-800-356-5941, Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The hotline is also available for practically any question concerning honey, although it primarily was set up to answer questions from foodservice organizations.
Copyright (c) M.T. Sanford 1995 "All Rights Reserved"
