Subject: A Case of Pollination Failure

From: [email-masked] (Pollinator)
Date: 1 Jun 1995 22:43:37 -0400

6-1-95
   I often check fields for pollinator activity.  Last week I looked at a
watermelon field, with no beehives in sight, and on several counts,
averaged 35 - 40 bees (all honeybees) sighted in one minute.  I do not
know if there were wild bees, or beehives placed out of sight.  It was
about four acres, and was just beginning to bloom.  It was bounded by
swampland with hardwood forest, so there could have been some wild
honeybees.

   Today, I looked at a 60 acre field that was a dismal sight.  It was
planted March 15 and should have some nearly ripe fruit.  There was a
scattering of crown bloom that looked fairly good, but it was very sparse.
 Fruit that formed within the past two to three weeks was mostly
grotesquely deformed, and fruit that formed in the last week mostly
consisted of small wrinkled sacks that probably will soon drop off.

   The farmer, a young man, was very discouraged.  He had spent a lot of
time removing deformed fruit.  The vines had been planted early, and
looked healthy and vigorous.  There was a lot of bloom.

   At mid-morning (maximum pollinator activity) on a partly cloudy, 80
degree day (ideal pollinating weather) with plenty of soil moisture, I
watched for five minutes and saw only 2 honeybees and 2 tiny solitary
bees.

   The farmer had not yet identified his problem, though he knew he had
one.  He was just beginning to suspect pollination.  He said he had seen
carpenter bees working some on the early bloom, and he showed me their
nest sites in an old packhouse.  This would account for the earlier set,
but they had gone into the dormant period about 2 - 3 weeks ago.   Thank
God for carpenter bees (which so many people are determined to
exterminate)!

   There was a large acreage of woodland surrounding, but it had all been
clearcut, removing wild honeybee next sites.

   I tell growers of vine crops that they should be able to stand still in
the field during maximum pollinator activity, and count 50 bees of any
kind within one minute.  Then they know they are in good shape.

   Three years ago, in the majority of watermelon, cuke, cantaloupe, and
squash fields, we achieved that count easily after placing the hives. 
Today, the majority of the fields fall below that level, even after we
place the bees. 

   While carpenter bees were plentiful throughout the area this spring, I
have yet to locate any bumblebee nests, and have seen only a dozen or so
foraging.  I usually see a lot of solitary bees on cucurbits.  These are
also very rare this year.  I had severe losses last season during cotton
bloom from pesticide misuse, and I assume the bumble bees and solitary
bees were affected similarly to honeybees.  Cotton acreage has increased
dramatically in the past three years, and misuse of pesticides is making
me seriously think of quitting.

   I also watch markets closely.  The early watermelons from south Florida
had many symtoms of poor pollination; less than 25% appeared well
pollinated.  The last pickings did improve somewhat.
Right now the melons are coming in from north Florida and south Georgia,
and they look pretty good, with 65 - 70% well pollinated.

    Very few consumers, and even a surprising number of growers don't know
why the melons are of such poor quality.

   This young man did everything right, except pollination, and could have
made a killing on the early market, but he will only have late, and low
priced melons now.  I hope he does not get discouraged and quit.  We have
so few young farmers.

Copyright, 1995,  Dave Green
Permission granted to reproduce for non profit purposes, with attribution.
 Contact author for commercial reproduction.

[email-masked]    Dave Green
Eastern Pollinator Newsletter
PO Box 1215, Hemingway, SC   29554
[email-masked]                                   Dave Green
Dave's Pollination Service         Eastern Pollinator Newsletter
PO Box 1215, Hemingway, SC    29554

---

From: [email-masked] (Pollinator)
Date: 3 Jun 1995 15:44:54 -0400

[email-masked] (Peter Amschel):

>  That is a sad story, about the young farmer and the crop failure. Is
there a moral to the story?

    Do we need to improve our pollination education?

    The extent of knowledge on pollination, even of many involved in
agriculture is a general impression that bees are good, but little
knowledge of specifics.

    You can go to many markets and immediately identify half - pollinated,
poor quality produce.  You'd be amazed how even extension agents will see
a poorly pollinated squash, cuke, or melon and immediately identify dry
weather as the culprit.  Of course I hadn't told them that it was from an
irrigated field.

    Some crops you can't see the loss so clearly, but you can taste it. 
Much of the fruit that you think isn't ripe, isn't ripe because it can't
ripen; it is only partly pollinated.  Had any starchy apples lately? 
Count the seeds.  Threw away the last cantaloupe without finishing it?

    A study a few years back comparing cantaloupe fields stocked at one
hive per acre, and three hives per acre, showed almost seven tons per acre
more production with the higher rate.  Interestingly a large part of this
weight was in sugar.  Yup, the bees put the sweetness in!    Well actually
the pollination process releases the chemicals that cause growth and
ripening.  If only half the seeds are pollinated......

    They say, the bee goes to the flower, and the fruit SETS.  What kind
of fruit?
I want a quality fruit.

---

From: Gordon Scott <[email-masked]>
Date: 6 Jun 1995 17:49:48 +0100

> there a moral to the story?

There are many morals to a story like that, and IMHO we must all try  to
see  as  many as we can.  I find it satisfying and encouraging that Dave
looks so closely at the whole picture.  We have here a guy of many years
experience who knows that the 'youngsters' must _learn_ the truth.  Just
telling us/them that they have to do X, Y and Z is not enough -- we/they
have  to  _understand_  it  too.   True wisdom, I think.  I hope I shall
eventually match his hopes and expectations.

Regards,
-- 
Gordon Scott	[email-masked]		100332,3310 on CompuServe
Newsletter	[email-masked]	ditto
		Beekeeper, Kendo Sandan, sometime sailor.
		Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG22 5HP, UK