Native Pollinators: Habitat Conservation for Wild Bees Presented by Mace Vaughan, Director The Xerces Society Pollinator Conservation Program Photo: Edward S. Ross

What is the Xerces Society An international non-profit that works to protect wildlife and biodiversity through the conservation of invertebrates. Photo: © Edward Ross

The Xerces Society Agricultural Pollinator Program What is the Xerces Society The Xerces Society Agricultural Pollinator Program Mission: Support the sustainability and profitability of farms, while conserving habitat for pollinators and wildlife. Photo: © Edward Ross

Talk Outline Talk Outline Importance of pollinators for crops and wildlife Declining pollinators Research on native bees and crop pollination Research linking natural habitat and crop pollination Biology and habitat needs Three-step approach to pollinator conservation Financial opportunities available to growers for bee conservation I’m going to present a lot of information. My goal is not for you to remember all of it, but certainly by the end of the afternoon you should have an increased understanding of the role pollinators, where you might find habitat that supports pollinators, as well as a framework for understanding how to improve this habitat on your farm or backyard. Photo: Bruce Newhouse

Importance of Pollinators Pollinators provide an ecosystem service that enables plants to produce fruits and seeds. About 70% of the world’s plants require a pollinator 35% of crop species, worldwide Value of crops in U.S.: $18 to $27 billion One in three mouthfuls of food and drink we consume Photo: USDA-ARS/Peggy Greb

Importance of Pollinators Photo: Karen Ward, NPS © Marie Read Fruits and seeds are a major part of the diet of about 25% of birds, and many mammals Pollinators are food for wildlife © NRCS Jeff Vanuga © Robert Parks

Main Groups of Pollinators Photos: James Cane; Jeff Adams; Dana Ross; Bruce Newhouse Photos: Mace Vaughan, Bob Hammond, David Inouye, Bruce Newhouse

Bees: The most important pollinators Bees provide for their young Bees actively collect and transport pollen Bees exhibit flower constancy Bees regularly forage in area around nest Photo: Edward S. Ross

The Pollination-for-Hire Industry Most pollination is - and will continue to be - done by the European honey bee. This leaves us reliant on a single pollinator, one that is experiencing many problems. Managed hives of the European honey bee can take credit for most crop pollination, but there is trouble in relying on a single pollinator as we know with the probs facing European honey bees. Photo: USDA-ARS/Scott Bauer

Crop Pollination: Honey bees in decline Fewer honey bees available 50% decline in managed hives since 1950 70-100% decline in feral colonies 2006-07: 31% losses 2007-08: 36% losses Causes: Disease, pests, honey prices, and Colony Collapse Disorder May not have noticed a shortage this year because of bees being shipped in from Australia. Photo: USDA-ARS/Scott Bauer

Crop Pollination: Honey Bees in Decline Colony Collapse Disorder In 2006-7, about 25% of beekeeping operations in the U.S. lost an average of 45% of hives. Price for honey bee rentals for crop pollination likely to rise: already reported higher for blueberries in New England and at least one big supplier in PA doesn’t have enough bees to fulfill apple contracts in NY.

Crop Pollination: Honey Bees in Decline Colony Collapse Disorder Disease/pathogen? Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus? New strain of Nosema? Pests? Poor diet? Insecticides? Stress? We are familiar with Nosema apis (Fall/Winter), but new Nosema = N. ceranea (seems to hit in the summer and acts faster) Photo: USDA-ARS/Scott Bauer

Crop Pollination: Honey Bees in Decline Honey bee colony rental rates for selected California crops, 1995–2005. “Average fees jumped from $35 per colony in the late 1990s to $75 in 2005 (Burgett, 2005; Burgett et al., 2004), and fees can go as high as $150 per colony (http://beesource.com/pov/traynor/bcnov2005.htm).” FROM THE NAC “Status of Pollinators” The prices = result of: (1) good rental markets, (2) the probs of honey beekeeping, and (3) decline in honey prices

Crop Pollination: Honey Bees in Decline 2008 2007 Honey bee colony rental rates for selected California crops, 1995–2005. Plus almonds, 2006-2008 2006 “Average fees jumped from $35 per colony in the late 1990s to $75 in 2005 (Burgett, 2005; Burgett et al., 2004), and fees can go as high as $150 per colony (http://beesource.com/pov/traynor/bcnov2005.htm).” FROM THE NAC “Status of Pollinators” The prices = result of: (1) good rental markets, (2) the probs of honey beekeeping, and (3) decline in honey prices

Native Bees Also in Decline Habitat loss, pesticides, exotic bee diseases One of the West’s most common bumble bee species in rapid decline

Pollinator Decline: real or hyperbole? Ask this man. Why Do Bees Matter? Pollinator Decline: real or hyperbole? Ask this man. China: World’s largest apple producer 40% of crop is hand pollinated Photo: Business Week

Importance of Native Bees What does all this mean for the sustainability of crop pollination? Photo: Mace Vaughan

Crop Pollination: Important to diversify May not have noticed a shortage this year because of bees being shipped in from Australia. With fewer bees available, important to… Diversify pollinators for production agriculture Expand habitat to support honey bees and native bees Photo: Bob Hammond, CO Coop Ext

Crop Pollination: Native bees Research demonstrates contribution of native bees to crop pollination: 51 species recorded visiting tomato, sunflower, or watermelon in California More than 80 bee species recorded visiting berry crops in Massachusetts, Maine, and Nova Scotia Most of these native species are solitary, unlike the highly social honey bee. Photo: Matthew Shepherd

Crop Pollination: Native bees Native bees are very efficient: active earlier and later in the day collect both pollen and nectar buzz pollination keep honey bees moving no rental fees Native bees can supplement honey bees if they are hard to acquire. Most of these native species are solitary, unlike the highly social honey bee. Photo: Mace Vaughan

Native Bees Keep Honey Bees Moving Example: sunflower pollination When native bees were present, the seed set in hybrid sunflower fields more than doubled. Might also be the case in other sp where pollen needs to transfer between cultivars (e.g. apples) Photos: Sarah Greenleaf

Native bees buzz pollinate tomato Example: cherry tomatoes When native bees were present, the production of Sungold cherry tomatoes almost tripled. Most people don’t think of tomatoes needing pollinators, but with pollinators produce better crop. (Tomatoes = buzz pollinated) Photo © Burpee; Mace Vaughan

Managed native bees in orchards Example: Blue orchard bee 300 individual females for a acre of almond orchard compared to 1 to 2.5 hives of honey bees (10,000 to 25,000 bees) Photo: Stephen Buchmann

Wild Native Bees and Almonds: studies are underway Wild native bees in almond Wild Native Bees and Almonds: studies are underway Challenge: almond blooms very early Preliminary studies show: 10+ species of unmanaged native bees Quite a few flies Abundance lower than mid-summer UC Berkeley conducting a study in Colusa Co. and Yolo Co. Almond bloom early (not native to CA) not much flying Flies = syrphid, bombeleid NOTE: in Israel at least 18 sp visit native almonds (Chris O’Toole, pers. observation) Pic = Andrena on almond © Sarah Greenleaf

Value of Natural Areas Pollinators need habitat. The amount of natural areas on or close to the farm is a major influence on diversity and abundance of bees. Photo: Sarah Greenleaf

Example: farms in Mid-Atlantic region Value of Natural Areas Example: farms in Mid-Atlantic region In 90% of farms studied in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, wild native bees provided all pollination needed for watermelon. Interesting situation because even the most intensively farmed landscapes, field size still less than 5 acres with lots of weeds and other small areas of habitat scattered about (within a couple hundred meters of fields). I think that this provides interesting lessons for the Midwest and west on the value of small areas of bee habitat scattered throughout the landscape: hedges, windbreaks, weedy borders, natural areas, etc. Photo: Rachael Winfree

Example: watermelon in California Value of Natural Areas Example: watermelon in California If more than 30% of the area within 1.2 km of a field is natural habitat, growers can achieve full pollination of watermelons by native bees in the Central Valley. Photo: Mace Vaughan