oklahoma’s mason bee ranch presentation
TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to National Women in Ag. Association’sFirst Annual Symposium April 3rd ~ April 5th, 2011
Oklahoma’s Mason Bee Ranch
Specializing in native bees as alternative pollinators…..
Oklahoma’s Mason Bee Ranch is the first of its kind in the state of Oklahoma. Our goal is to:
Attract native bees as alternative pollinators
Increase native bee population
Sustain native bee population
Pollinators…
What are they and what do they do?
Honey BeeThe most recognized pollinators are various species of bees. Most people think of the European Honey Bee or Bumblebee when asked about pollinators. They are great pollinators but they are not the only pollinators….
Did you know?There were NO honey bees on the North American continent until the 1620’s when the colonists brought them to Jamestown, Virginia so they could harvest the bee’s honey.
• According to documentary evidence it took the honey bee more than 200 years to cross the continental United States.
While butterflies may not be as efficient as bees in pollinating plants and crops, butterflies certainly do their fair share in bringing about seed and fruit production.
Butterfly
Did you know?
That butterflies taste with their feet? Their taste sensors are located in the feet, and by standing on their food, they can taste it.
Humming Bird
Hummingbird
Birds are very important pollinators of wildflowers throughout the world. In the continental United States, hummingbirds are key in wildflower pollination
Did you know?
• The hummingbird is the only bird that can fly backwards AND upside down.
• The smallest bird in the world is the bee hummingbird. It weighs approximately 1.6 grams.
Bee Hummingbird
Bee Hummingbird World’s Smallest Bird
Pollen
• Pollen is a fine to coarse powder made by plants. The pollen consists of grains carrying male cells.
• Pollination happens when the pollen is moved to a female part of a flower.
• Most flowering plants rely on nature, such as wind, insects and birds to move this pollen around.
Pollination
While visiting flowers to gather nectar and pollen, pollinators (bees, birds and other insects) brush against the reproductive part of the flower, depositing pollen from a recently visited flower. Without this step many plants would not be able to produce fruit and seeds.
The Importance of Pollinators
Pollinators are essential to our environment
Pollinators are necessary for the reproductionof nearly 75% of the world’s flowering plants.
The United States grows more than 130 cropsthat need or benefit from pollinators.
Imagine this……
• No blueberries….• No cherries…….• No flowers……• No melons………• No Chocolate…….yes…. no chocolate!
Hand Pollination
The primary reason for hand pollination in many instances is lack of pollinators.
Economics
• Science Daily reported on April 1, 2008 that the economic value of insect pollinated crops in the United States was estimated to be $57 billion dollars annually.
• Native insects are responsible for pollinating at least 4 billion dollars in crops each year.
• So, think twice before you swat that annoying insect……
What is CCD?
• CCD is the term used for Colony Collapse disorder, identified in late 2006.
• CCD is a phenomenon in which worker bees from a beehive or European honey bee colony abruptly disappear.
• Colony collapse is significant because many agricultural crops worldwide are pollinated by bees.
What causes CCD?
• Pesticides may be having negative effects on honey bees.
• A new parasite or pathogen may be attacking honey bees.
• A perfect storm of stresses may have weakened colonies leading to collapse.
• Still unsolved is what makes the bees fly off into the wild yonder at the point of death and simply disappear.
CCD Solution
• Because no clear cause (either a single factor or a combination of factors) for CCD has been established and demonstrated experimentally, a treatment for CCD is not currently possible.
• Many potential causes are currently being investigated.
• Because of the CCD phenomenon, native pollinators are more important than ever.
Why Should I Care?• Bee pollination is responsible for $15 billion in
added crop value, particularly for specialty crops such as almonds and other nuts, berries, fruits, and vegetables.
• About one mouthful of three in YOUR diet directly or indirectly benefits from honey bee pollination.
Crop Plants Pollinated by Bees
• Okra – Honey bees, solitary bees• Onion - Honey bees, solitary bees• Cauliflower - Honey bees, solitary bees• Cabbage - Honey bees, solitary bees• Strawberries - Honey bees, solitary bees,
bumblebees• Apples - Honey bees, solitary bees, orchard
mason bees
More Crop Plants Pollinated by Bees• Blackberries – Honey bees, bumble bees,
solitary bees, Hover Flies• Blueberries – Honey bees, Alfalfa Leaf Cutter
Bees, Southeastern Blueberry Bee, mason bee• Peaches – Honey bees, solitary bees, bumble
bees and flies• Sesame – Wasps• Macadamia – wasps, butterflies, honey bees,
Solitary bees and stingless bees
Native Bees as Alternative Pollinators
The Amazing Orchard Mason Bee
Mason Bee Cocoons
The Basics…
• Orchard Mason Bee eggs are laid within a series of mud chambers, placed in a hole, piece of straw or reed about the width of a pencil and 6" or so deep. Female eggs are laid in the rear of the hole, given a meal of pollen and nectar then sealed in and protected from the winter with mud. Usually several eggs will be laid in each nest females in the rear and males up front. Each female bee will build three to five separate nests. Collecting the pollen and nectar for each egg takes about two dozen separate trips. Mason bees have a range of about 100 yards.
Mason Bee cocoons in the nest
Life cycle, nesting habits, and manageability
• The period of adult activity naturally coincides with the time of fruit tree bloom.
• The bee thrives in the climatic zones where fruit trees are grown. • It nests in inexpensive, man-made, or altered natural substrates, finding all its
material needs in or near the crop. • It is gentle, permitting human activities near its nests. • It is relatively free of parasites and predators, or can easily be managed to
eliminate them. • Each female makes many cells that produce females in the next generation,
thus the population can increase rapidly.• Males live short and very happy lives.
Mason Bee Life Cycle
Let’s Do Some Math
Native bees are very efficient. Many species of native bees are much more efficient than honey bees at pollinating flowers. For example, only 250 orchard mason bees (Osmia) are required to effectively pollinate one acre of apples. On the other hand, honey bees would require one and a half to two honey bee hives or approximately 15,000 to 20,000 honey bees to do the same task!
The Amazing Mason Bee
Doesn’t make honey
Rarely stings
Efficient pollinator for early crops
What can I do?
Plant a pollinator garden
Build a native bee nesting box
Avoid or limit pesticide use
Invite pollinators to your neighborhood by planting a pollinator friendly habitat in your garden, farm, school, park or just about
anywhere!
Build a Bee Nesting Box
Provide mud near by….
Avoid or limit pesticide use
Resources
• The Xerces Society has an excellent resource • http://www.xerces.org/pollinator-resource-ce
nter/• The 2010 CCD Progress Report is available
online at: http://www.ars.usd … port2010.pdf
