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Helping the honeybee retake its place

February 1, 2008 12:16 am

Regina Prunty is an agent in Virginia Cooperative Extension's King George County office, specializing in commercial horticulture. Phone 540/775-3062; e-mail
Email: rprunty@vt.edu.

HAVE YOU EVER thought about the role honeybees play in our world? Bees pollinate at least 130 fruit, vegetable, nut, ornamental and fiber crops in the United States, and contribute about $15 billion annually through improved crop yields and product quality.

Additionally millions of dollars are generated through the sale of hive products such as honey, wax, pollen, royal jelly and venom. When crops that need pollination fail to get pollinated, they don't produce. This can be easily seen in the vegetable garden when growing pumpkins, squash, or melons. A plant may form a small fruit, but it soon shrivels and falls off the plant if the flower was not pollinated.

There are many different types of bees, but the ones that are kept by beekeepers and have historically served as our best-known pollinators are the honeybees. Though called natives, they are really from Europe. They have existed for centuries in the wild, but with the recent problems, feral bees have basically disappeared.

There are other types of bees that serve as pollinators; solitary mason bees and bumblebees are two, but they are not kept by humans for honey production.

Bees are truly hard workers. They must collect nectar from about 2 million flowers to make 1 pound of honey. The average forager makes about one-twelfth teaspoon of honey in its lifetime, so the next time you add a couple of teaspoons of honey to your tea, consider how many bees worked to make those two teaspoons.

I've received several inquiries in recent months from gardeners concerned about the honeybees' plight. Though gardeners can't help much with problems such as mites or colony collapse disorder, there are still ways to help out. The first is to limit the use of pesticides in the landscape and garden. Bees are day foragers, so they are out and about during the day, visiting flowers and collecting pollen. Be careful not to apply insecticides during the daytime hours--if you must use them at all.

It's a common assumption that insecticides are the only pesticides harmful to bees, but that's not the case. Some fungicides such as Captan are harmful to them--particularly if applied when bees are gathering pollen and nectar. Even 2,4-D is listed as highly toxic, according to Ohio State University, if bees are present during application or one to two days following. 2,4-D is the chemical in a number of popular lawn herbicides used to control broadleaf weeds such as dandelions. The complete listing is available at ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2161.html.

Insecticides that remain for a long time in the environment are a problem for bees, as are formulations that stick to their bodies. If you're going to use pesticides, use the least toxic ones possible. As a rule of thumb, if you have the same pesticide in dust and liquid form, use the liquid form.

Bees' bodies are designed to maximize pollen collection, so pesticides applied as dusts are more hazardous to honeybees than sprays. Microencapsulated pesticides are worse, because bees sometimes mistake these granules for pollen and take them back to the colony, where they cause chronic damage.

Use other integrated pest-management tactics in the garden to manage pests. When possible, use organic products that have minimal effect on the bees. Resistant plant varieties can be used to avoid certain diseases. Another option is mechanical or hand removal of insect pests, such as hand removing bagworms or potato beetles.

Attract beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to the garden to help consume harmful insects without having to rely on insecticides. Beneficial insects need plants that will provide food and shelter for them. Queen Anne's lace, yarrow, creeping thyme and lavender are some plants that are known to be attractive to beneficial insects.

Bees need plants for nectar and pollen. They are attracted to blue, purple and yellow flowers. Plants that provide food for bees include clover, asters, marigolds, bee balm, thyme, foxglove, American holly, black gum and tulip poplar. Research shows that gardens with 10 or more bee-friendly plants support the most visitors.

Bees also need a source of water, which can be provided by a dripping faucet, a pond or a birdbath.

This past year, I've met many beekeeping enthusiasts through the formation of the new beekeeping club in King George County, called the Gateway Beekeepers. They may be more enthusiastic than gardeners, if that's possible. I've discovered that beekeeping is a lot of work and about as much of an art as it is a science.

There's much to be learned by new folks who want to begin beekeeping, but there's one common trait among beekeepers that helps with this: As eager to learn as novice beekeepers are, experienced beekeepers are just as eager to share their knowledge.

Our local area has two beekeeping clubs, one in Spotsylvania County and one in King George. They meet monthly at the Extension offices in each county. A nine-week Basic Beginners Beekeeping class will be held in both locations. The Spotsylvania class will be on Monday evenings beginning Feb. 11, and the King George class on Tuesday evenings beginning Feb. 12. The cost is $85.

All are welcome to attend the meetings or take the training classes. You don't have to be a beekeeper, just someone with an interest in learning more about bees.

The Gateway Club in King George will be holding an open house tomorrow from 1 to 4 p.m. at the King George Extension office, 10087 Kings Highway. Stop by to learn more about honeybees.