BEES AND POLLINATION. Journeyman Class Staci Siler Special thanks to: Bill Grayson

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1 BEES AND POLLINATION Journeyman Class Staci Siler Special thanks to: Bill Grayson

2 What happens during pollination? Nectary

3 Poor pollination in the field Poorly pollinated cucumber Well-pollinated cucumber

4 Different ways to pollinate plants Wind Water Animals

5 Only about 1% of all pollen successfully reaches a stigma. Nevertheless, pollination by animals is both more common and usually more effective than alternative methods using wind or water. Also, animal pollination is usually associated with a more rapid speciation of plants. (Pollination and Floral Ecology, pg. 3)

6 Breakfast with pollinators

7 Breakfast without pollinators

8 Bees in pollination Honey Bee Pollination produces 35% of human food sources or 1 bite in 3 Global Agriculture Products - $217 billion USA Agriculture Products - $18 27 billion Alfalfa Seed & Forage - $7 billion Apples - $1.5 billion Almonds - $1.1 billion [US leads world in production] Berries - $2.5 billion

Different types of pollinators Bumble bees useful for greenhouses and tomatoes (buzz

abdomen, pollen baskets on side of legs Carpenter bees useful for local pollination

useful for local pollination found only at certain times of the year certain species

9 Different types of pollinators Bumble bees useful for greenhouses and tomatoes (buzz pollination) Identification: head is smaller than thorax, hair on thorax and abdomen, pollen baskets on side of legs Carpenter bees useful for local pollination Identification: head is the same size as the thorax, abdomen is shiny Miner bees useful for local pollination found only at certain times of the year certain species look very similar to honey bees. Typically, area they nest in helps tell them from honey bees.

Some are even used commercially to pollinate alfalfa and blueberries. They cut leaves in a circular pattern and line their egg cells with it but will use other items if necessary.

10 More good pollinators Leafcutter bees Known as orchard bees. They have a very high rate of pollination, even better than honey bees, but their colonies are smaller and they don t forage far from their nest. They pollinate wildflowers, fruits, vegetables. Some are even used commercially to pollinate alfalfa and blueberries. They cut leaves in a circular pattern and line their egg cells with it but will use other items if necessary. Identification: Resemble honey bees in size and appearance. One exception is that the pollen basket is on abdomen. Mason bees Also known as orchard bees. Very efficient pollinators of orchards, used to pollinate sprint fruit trees, flowers, and vegetables. Seals eggs in with pollen, capped over with mud. Identification: carries pollen on the underside of the abdomen. Color varies greatly.

11 Other interesting pollinators Flies Butterflies and Monarchs Birds Bats Marsupials Mammals Lizards Spiders (crab spiders and jumping spiders have been known to ingest nectar while waiting for prey so can, inadvertently, pollinate)

12 The Honey Bee

Benefits of honey bees used for pollination Number one pollinator in the world 12 or more trips from the hive per day 8 foraging trips = almost 700 flowers per bee LOTS of bees in

13 Benefits of honey bees used for pollination Number one pollinator in the world 12 or more trips from the hive per day 8 foraging trips = almost 700 flowers per bee LOTS of bees in each colony Each trip confined to one plant flower type flower fidelity Goes up to five miles from the colony in search of food Wider forage area increases genetic diversity of plants

14 Some SC crops honey bees are used in for pollination Watermelon Blackberries Cotton Soybean Cantaloupe Cucumber Squash Blueberries And more!!!!

15 How do bees find flowers to pollinate? Round dance less then 10 meters away from hive Sickle dance between 10 and 100 meters from hive Waggle dance greater than 100 meters from hive

16 How do bees collect pollen Body hair has a static charge and collects pollen Worker bees employ their antenna plus front and middle legs to comb and store pollen Bees of the Megachilidae family have a scopa located on the abdomen. Most other bee types collect pollen on their hind legs.

17 How do bees collect pollen Pollen press Corbicula

18 What do they do with collected nectar and pollen?? When bees come back from foraging on nectar, they give the nectar to a house bee and then resume foraging. When bees come back from foraging with pollen, they go to the brood area, back into the cell, and kick the pollen pellet off into the cell. Dry pollen was brought in recently. Pollen with a wet appearance is called bee bread and is ready for consumption.

19 Why do bees pollinate?? Nectar is the bees source of carbohydrates Nectar s sugar content averages 30% and bees convert nectar into honey, having 18.6% moisture content or less Pollen is the bees source of protein pollen can contain from 8 to 40% protein. Pollen gathering is driven by brood production. Bees are descendants of wasps. Wasps require protein but derive it from insects. Bees need protein but derive it from pollen.

Consumption of pollen Larvae Bees start digesting pollen as larvae - from 42 to 52 hours old and consume mass quantities until 5 days old Each larvae requires 100 mg of pollen to complete development.

20 Consumption of pollen Larvae Bees start digesting pollen as larvae - from 42 to 52 hours old and consume mass quantities until 5 days old Each larvae requires 100 mg of pollen to complete development. It takes 1 pound of pollen to raise 4,000 bees. Adults Protein (pollen) is necessary for adult bees until days old, when bees are preparing to forage, at which time they switch over to carbs (honey/nectar) Polyethism: age-derived tasks. If necessary, bees can forage as young as four days old but typically they forage at 20 days. Some bees are pollen gatherers, some are nectar, some are both. It is determined by the needs of the colony and genetics.

21 Bee health and pollen? Unlike humans, insects can t produce sterols. They need to get sterols from their environment. Sterols are important components of cellular membranes, are the precursors for many hormones, and play a role in regulating genes. Sterols are found in pollen. The protein derived from pollen aids in tissue and muscle development and with the production of food for their young via the hypopharengeal glands A varied diet of pollen provides all ten essential amino acids bees need to thrive. Pollen also has vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids all necessary for the health of bees.

Other interesting things of note: Bees have a timing sense and will return to flowers at set times each day There are laws prohibiting bees from being around when seedless varieties of plants are in

22 Other interesting things of note: Bees have a timing sense and will return to flowers at set times each day There are laws prohibiting bees from being around when seedless varieties of plants are in bloom. Pollination would cause them to grow seeds. Pollen grains from different flowers have different shapes and colors. Honey can be identified by the amount and type of pollen grains in it. Ultra-filtered honey is illegal because it filters out all the pollen so the honey can not be identified as to origin

23 More cool things of note: If pollen count of a honey registers as 51% or higher of one type of pollen, the honey can legally be labeled as that particular type of honey (ex: blackberry honey). Otherwise, the honey must be given a generic label wildflower honey Pollen pellets can vary in color from green and white to red, black, violet, etc., but are usually homogenous all pollen in the individual pellet was derived from one type flower. The flower type determines the color of the pollen

24 Some plants good for bees Aster (Aster spp.) Basil (Ocimum basilicum) Black Gum (Nyssa silvatica) Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) Blackberry (Rubus spp.) Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) Crimson Clover (Trifolium incarnatum) Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) Holly (Ilex spp.) Privet (Ligustrum spp.) Red Maple (Acer rubrum) Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) Schweinitz s sunflower (Helianthus schweinitzii) Sweet Clover (Melilotus spp.) Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)

25 Commercial pollination Pumpkins July mid-august Blueberries June Cranberries late June, mid-july Apples mid- April to mid-may Almonds Feb to mid March Brazillian Pepper August to January Citrus mid-march to mid-april

26 Commercial pollination Almonds California Cherries Oregon Apples Washington State, North Carolina, Pennsylvania Cranberries Wisconsin, Maine & New Jersey Blueberries Maine & North Carolina Vegetables & Fruit South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania

27 Timing of appearance of bees in some SC crops Apples: arrival must precede first blossom known as King bloom Cucumbers: arrival of bees must not happen until after 15% of crop is in bloom. Nectar is of such low sugar quantity that they experience a negative honey flow working it. If they find anything else to work, they will. Squash: blooms close up in the afternoon

28 Some problems with crop pollination Monoculture Increased pressure from pests (varroa) Overheating from travel (stress) Exposure to lots of pesticides

29 Pesticides Some chemicals, which are non-toxic to bees, become highly toxic when used in combination with, or around other insecticides which, on their own, are also in small enough amounts as to be labeled non-toxic to bees. Example: fungicides and coumaphos

30 References: The Hive and the Honey Bee Pollination and Floral Ecology Special thanks to Bill Grayson Master Beekeeper and Master Gardener. His presentation on Pollination was a great source reference for this presentation Dr. John Strang, Univ. of Kentucky Dr. Mike Hood, Clemson University South Carolina Beekeepers Association - California Almond Board y_bee_best_management_practices_for_ca_almonds.pdf

31 Questions???

Pollination, the Grand Interaction Among Flowers, Bees, Growers and Beekeepers

Pollination, the Grand Interaction Among Flowers, Bees, Growers and Beekeepers EASTERN KENTUCKY BEEKEEPING SCHOOL PROGRAM, January 20, 2018 Hazard Community and Technical College John A. Skinner University