Researchers Work to Solve Bee Problems
Researchers at the Pollinating Insect-Biology, Management, Systematics Research Lab on the USU campus are working to combat the problems caused by the dwindling honeybee population.
James Cane, researcher for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said honeybee numbers plummeted in the ’90s due to an exotic mite that was introduced illegally, and they have not recovered since. “Colony collapse,” as it has been coined, led to many bees abandoning their hives and dying, and researchers are trying to figure out why the problem is continuing today.
“Some beekeepers have taken tremendous losses,” Cane said
In order to counter the decline of bees, the U.S. Department of Agriculture set up the Pollinating-Insect Biology Lab on the USU campus to fight the problems caused by colony collapse. Cane said as part of his research, he is trying to find alternate species of wild bees that can work for crop pollination.
“We’re focusing on doing the research to find supplement bees to cover the honeybee decline,” Cane said.
Cane said the U.S. Department of Agriculture first set up a bee research lab in Logan because of work with alfalfa crops. They found that the number of crops produced coincided directly with the type of bee that was pollinating the crop. By using alfalfa leaf-cutting bees, the crops went from 2,100 pounds per acre to more than a half a ton clean seed per acre.
“The bees made all the difference,” Cane said.
Cane said there is no comparable lab in the entire western hemisphere to the one that is located on the USU campus.
The lab has also been successful in introducing the squash bee to squash and pumpkin crops in order to allow farmers to use the honeybee for other purposes.
Currently, Cane said they are working with the blue orchard bee and trying to mass produce it for commercial pollination. Cane said the work, which was pioneered in the USU Bee Biology and Systematics Lab, could prove to be beneficial for almond crops because they can fly in cooler weather than honeybees, thus making it better for early-season pollination.
“It’s a major undertaking,” Cane said. “They are already being used, but we are trying to scale it up.”
In an article in The Deseret News, Rosalind James, supervisory research entomologist, said in 10 years the blue orchard bee may be able to half the crop.
Cane said while some beekeepers may feel threatened by the work happening at the Bee Biology Lab, others are realizing it could be profitable work. With losses due to lack of honeybees, Cane said the beekeepers are looking into using a second kind of bee.
“Who knows bees better than beekeepers?” Cane said. “They’ve got it down.”
Many beekeepers make a living by renting out bees for agricultural crops like apples and pumpkins. Cane said the costs to get the bees to crops and the money the beekeepers make from the pollination fee about even out, and beekeepers make most of their profit from the honey produced as a result of pollination. This practice of migratory bee keeping can be traced back as far as the Egyptians, Cane said.
However, Cane said beekeepers will not be the only ones affected by the loss of honeybees. Cane said many crops, including almonds, could dwindle due to lack of pollination.
“If bees disappear, almonds in particular will be in bad shape,” Cane said.
Cane, who has been working with bees for about 25 years, said he first became interested in entomology and botany in middle school. It was because of his passion for both insects and plants that Cane said he first became interested in honeybee research.
“I wanted to do research without killing insects or plants, and pollination was introduced to me as a way to work with both,” Cane said.
Cane said his experience in Logan has been fruitful and that the 200 to 300 bee species here in Cache Valley have lent themselves well to his study. Currently, Cane said he is working on two types of conservation. First, he is involved with trying to figure out why there has been such a sharp decline in honeybee numbers and how to prevent it, and secondly, Cane said he is also working on a restoration project to assist growers with rebuilding plants.
By focusing on restoring flowers, Cane said it helps feed the bees and prevent extinction.
Cane is also involved in educating school kids on the pollination process.
“A lot of kids, before they pick up on their parents’ fears, are interested in bees,” Cane said. “It’s something that they can relate to because they see them everywhere.”
Cane said when it comes to preserving bees, even the smallest things, like educating children, can help.
-amanda.m@aggiemail.usu.edu