Nova Scotia

Kevin Bekkers, PEng. Margaret CornectNS Department of Agriculture

Apiarist

How Important are Insects for Pollination of Agriculture Crops

Very Important ?

Some what ?

Unknown ?

Let’s take a closer look ……...

Importance of Plant PollinationApproximately 3000 plants world wide used for

food productionOf those only 300 grown widely around the

world 12 of which make up 90% of worlds food supply

7 Grains – Rice, wheat, corn, sorghums, millets, rye and barley

Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Cassavas, Bananas and coconuts

Grains are wind or self pollinated, Coconuts are wind and partially insect, remaining are propagated asexually or develop pharthenocarpically

2/3 worlds population is in Southeast Asia where the staple diet is rice.

Superficially it would appear that insect pollination has little affect on world’s food supply.

So where do bees fit and what do they pollinate? More importantly who eats the food they pollinate?

Considering the number of people in the world living in poverty, perhaps that changes results.

1/3 North American diet dependent on insect pollination

This food comes from two sources

1) Animal products – poultry, beef, pork, dairy products are derived one way or another from legumesLegume crops such as alfalfa and clover are

produced from seeds pollinated by honey bees

2) Fruits, Vegetables and NutsApples, cherries, peaches, pears, prunes,

cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, pumpkin, squash, mustard, buckwheat, fababeans, blueberries, melons, grapes, almonds, etc.

Dependent upon insect pollination

Fats and OilsMore than ½ the worlds diet of fats and oils

come from oilseeds dependent or benefit from insect pollination. (oil palm, olives, peanuts, soybeans, sunflower, canola)

Yield Benefits of PollinationFarmers can provide all the ingredients to grow a

good crop, with the exception of weather.

Example Apples -Create the orchard, prune the trees, select the variety,

frost protection, fertilize, irrigate, manage pests, etc.-If sufficient blossoms are not pollinated the input

costs may exceed the crop yield.-Maximize the potential of the crop with honey bees-Farmers cull apples under good pollination to improve

size

Ecological RelationshipProductive farm crops produced by limited

strains of plants makes the food supply vulnerable to plant enemies. Irish Potato famine 1840’s

Cross pollination can be a means of preventing such disasters.

Economic value of pollination$6 Billion in crop value was attributed to

honey bee pollination in the US in 1967,

The honey and beeswax produced were valued at only $45 Million

In other words honey bee colonies are worth 100 times as much to the community as they are to the beekeeper.

1998 Canadian DataTotal value of Honey Bees to Canadian

Agriculture $782 million

8 times greater than the value of honey and wax which was worth $93.5 million

The value of honey bee pollination represents 21% of the total farm value of approximately 26 crops in Canada.

Crop Value Examples1998 Quebec apple crop value was 22.6

million of which 90% was credited to Honey Bee Pollination

The Canadian blueberry crop yield relies 85% on Honey Bee Pollination

NS Beekeeping

275 Beekeepers in NS18,500 ColoniesOnly 25 Beekeepers with greater than 50

ColoniesThese 25 Beekeepers represent 95% of the

NS IndustryAverage Commercial Beekeeper 650 colonies

NS Beekeeping 2 sources of income for Beekeepers

Hive Rental for Pollination Main Source Honey / Wax Sales

16,500 colonies used in Blueberry Pollination Farm gate value for Beekeepers of $1,700,000

Hierarchy of the hiveQueen – only one per hive

Lay upto 1500 eggs/dayWorkers – female, nurse bees, wax

building, pollen/water collectionDrones – males only purpose is to mate with a virgin queen, cannot even feed themselvesMating – takes place in flight queen mates with 10 drones

Egg to Adult Cycle

Year in the life of a BeekeeperMargaret Cornect, Guysborough County

Overview of each of the seasons, Challenges of beekeeping Products producedRewards

SpringUnwrapping hives

Spring Maintenance

Going to Blueberry Field

Bear Damage at Blueberry Field

Maintenance at Blueberries Top Supering for

honeySwarm controlQueen rightness

SummerBees are back at

home yards – Apiary

Adding honey suppers

Swarm control

Bear Patrol

Catching Swarms

Who said it was easy?

Lost Swarm Building New Home

Bear Damage

Sometimes only two options

Fall MaintenanceHarvesting Honey, Packaging &

MarketingChecking Mite levelsTreating for MitesFeeding Medicated Sugar Syrup

Removing Honey from Hives

Extracting the Honey

Storing Honey & Packing

Products From the Hive

Marketing

Varroa Mite

Winter