Buzzworthy Bees: Pollinators & Agriculture

The Importance of Pollinators

The Indispensable Pollinator Worldwide, pollinators affect 35 percent of the world's crop production, increasing outputs of 87 of the leading food crops worldwide, plus many plant-derived medicines and other products. Almost 80 percent of all flowering plants rely on animal pollinators for fertilization. (Source:

Source: United States Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service

The Indispensable Pollinator Foods and beverages produced with the help of pollinators include apples, bananas, blueberries, chocolate, coffee, melons, peaches, potatoes, pumpkins and almonds.

The Indispensable Pollinator 1 in every 3 bites consumed today is a result of insect pollination.

Un-bee-lievable While there are more than 200,000 species of animals that act as pollinators, honeybees are the only insect that produce food for humans. (Source: Honeybees are responsible for the pollination of about 90 commercial crops in the U.S. (Source:

Un-bee-lievable Bees were brought to the Americas from Europe in the 17 th century for their use in producing wax and honey. It is believed they originally migrated to Europe from Africa. (Source: Today, managed bees are responsible for $15 billion in agricultural crops each year, and native pollinators add another $3 billion. (Source:

More Than Just Honey Though bees are typically associated with honey, there are actually more than 100 crops that rely on bees for pollination. The California almond crop alone uses 1.3 million colonies of bees for pollination, approximately one-half of all the honey bees in the United States.

More Than Just Honey In the U.S. each year, honeybee service accounts for: – Oranges: million dollars – Grapes: 27 million dollars – Apples: 1,352.3 million dollars – Watermelons: million dollars – Cucumbers: 281 million dollars – Almonds: million dollars – Squash: 21.6 million dollars – Cherries: million dollars

Higher Demand For Pollinators

The earth’s population is estimated to increase by 2.5 billion people in the next 40 years, meaning there will be 9 billion mouths to feed by (Source: In the future, an ever-growing population will become more dependent on efficient agriculture, including insect pollination, for global food supply.

Pollinators in Peril

Pollinator Populations in Decline Numbers of native pollinators have declined dramatically in the last 40 years. Some causes of this are loss of natural habitat, intensification of modern agriculture practices and Colony Collapse Disorder.

Loss of Habitat Loss of natural habitat, namely food and nesting areas, is a key factor in bee population decline. Riparian forest buffers, hedgerows, and windbreaks make great habitats for bees because they often include bee- pollinated plants, stable untilled areas for ground nests, snags and pithy stems for tunnel- nesting solitary bees, and cover for bumble bee colonies

Loss of Habitat For a population to thrive, bees need: – Access to a diversity of plants with overlapping blooming times so that flowers are available to forage from early in the spring until late in the fall. – A place to nest. Most bees nest in small warrens of tunnels and cells they construct underground. Others nest in tree boles, underground, under clumps of fallen grass or in narrow tunnels in dead trees left behind by beetle larvae.

Agricultural Practices While smaller farms are often adjacent to areas of natural bee habitat, many of today’s large farms have less nearby habitat to support native pollinators.

Agricultural Practices Monoculture agriculture has led to the elimination of fencing between smaller fields. Such fencing created buffer strips where native flowering plants could grow, providing suitable habitat for the native pollinator population. Removal of these buffer strips has a destabilizing effect on native pollinator habitat.

Agricultural Practices While broad-spectrum insecticides are a valuable tool in modern agriculture, many of these products can be toxic to bees if applied improperly. It is critical to read the label and apply pesticides responsibly, keeping in mind application time and location to avoid harming bees.

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) Colony Collapse Disorder is a mysterious phenomenon, first reported in 2006, characterized by the sudden die-off of honey bee colonies. When a hive is affected by CCD, a highly unusual number of adult bees are lost while the colony still contains abundant honey, a healthy queen, and a healthy brood. Dead bees are not found inside hives diagnosed wit CCD.

CCD has resulted in losses of 32 to 36 percent of managed colonies in U.S. beekeeping operations during the past several years. (Source: It has been estimated that 31 percent of commercial bee operations in the U.S. suffered from CCD during the winter of (Source: Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)

Scientists are still unsure as to the causes of CCD. Some possibilities include: – pathogens or parasites in the bees and brood – stress to the bees and brood – chemical residue/contamination in the wax, food stores, and bees There are multiple stresses and differences between primary and secondary stressors – lack of genetic and lineage diversity in bees A recent study linked the Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV) to affected hives. Scientists continue to investigate this disease as a potential cause of CCD. Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)

What Can FFA Students Do?

In the same way that we rely on pollinators for the success of crops, bees and other pollinators rely on us to maintain a safe environment for them. By planting buffers, hedgerows, and gardens, employing agroforestry practices and following responsible crop protection guidelines, we can help make our farms and homes hospitable for bees. The Role of Students

Attract Pollinators Install nest boxes for native bee populations as your SAE Project. Collect and sell honey for a fundraiser.

Create Pollinator Habitats Cultivate native plants to provide nectar for pollinators at your school and home

Educate Through PALS Teach younger children the importance of pollinators to our food system. Help them plant a pollinator garden at their school. Take younger children on a pollinator walk to identify pollinators in your area.

Operation Pollinator

Syngenta and Pollinators Recently, Syngenta launched the Operation Pollinator ™ Project, a global initiative that aims to restore native pollinator populations in agricultural landscapes by working to create essential habitats on farmland.

Operation Pollinator Science-Based Solutions The Operation Pollinator Program relies on science- based solutions, practical and cost-effective conservation methods and broad collaboration: – Builds upon proven results from existing program in UK and other parts of Europe. – Syngenta provides local expertise and services and continues to improve solutions through scientific research

Operation Pollinator Collaborative Approach Syngenta collaborated with many different partners to develop pragmatic solutions that will benefit pollinators and growers – Growers, land managers, NGOs and government agencies – Agronomy and entomology experts at the University of California – Davis, Michigan State University and the University of Florida – Industry partners such as the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation and Applewood Seed Company (preferred seed provider)

Operation Pollinator Environmental Benefits Establishing habitats and margins for pollinating insects has broad environmental effects: – Significantly increases pollinator populations and hugely benefits butterflies and other insects – Creates habitats for small mammals and farmland birds – Potential to reduce soil erosion and helps protect valuable water resources – Creates a more sustainable and economic farming system

Operation Pollinator Increased pollinator populations benefit growers on many levels: – Potential to improve crop yield, quality and profitability while reducing pollination costs – Potentially meets local pollination needs for growers of key crops where insect pollination is critical – Potential to increase biodiversity on the farm and long-term sustainability of crops that require insect-mediated pollination. Grower Benefits

Get Busy Helping Bees! Bees and other pollinators are a vital resource in protecting our ecosystems and in food production. Growers can take action to help protect honeybees by following application guidelines, supporting honey bee research and restoring natural habitats on farms.

For more information, visit or call the Syngenta Customer Center at SYNGENT(A) ( ). ©2012 Syngenta. Important: Always read and follow label instructions before buying or using Syngenta products. The instructions contain important conditions of sale, including limitations of warranty and remedy. Operation Pollinator ™ and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company.