1. Bee Issues in Agriculture and
Potential Impacts on the
Processing Industry
Hannah Gaines Day and Claudio Gratton
Department of Entomology
University of Wisconsin-Madison
20. Systemic pesticides
• Benefits
– Very effective
– Less toxic to birds and mammals
– Effective longer
• Drawbacks
– Present in nectar and pollen
– Remain in environment longer
– Toxic to bees
21. How important are bees?
• 85% of all flowering plants (Ollerton et al. 2011)
• 35% of global crop production (Klein et al. 2007)
R. Winfree
22. One in every three bites you eat is
dependent on insect pollination.
DIRECTLY
23. One in every three bites you eat is
dependent on insect pollination.
INDIRECTLY
34. Native bees are also great
crop pollinators
• Active earlier in season
and day
• Collect both pollen and
nectar
• Buzz pollination
• No rental fees
• Keep honey bees
moving
• Not susceptible to
honey bee diseases
35.
36. Solitary bee life cycle
Spring
Winter
Fall
Summer
(Photos: Dennis Briggs)
37. Bee diversity in Wisconsin
• Cranberry ~180 species (H. Gaines Day, unpubl.)
• Pickling cucumber ~60 species (Lowenstein et al. 2012)
• Apple ~70 species (R. Mallinger, unpubl.)
39. Native bees and crop pollination
Winfree, R. et al.. 2008. Wild bee pollinators provide the majority of crop visitation across land-use gradients in
New Jersey and Pennsylvania, USA. Journal of Applied Ecology 45:793-802.
Photo: Rachael Winfree
60. Honey bee decline and pesticides
• Multiple routes of exposure (Krupke et al. 2012)
– Planter dust, contaminated soil
61. Honey bee decline and pesticides
• Multiple routes of exposure (Krupke et al. 2012)
– Planter dust, contaminated soil
– Weedy flowers near treated fields
62. Honey bee decline and pesticides
• Multiple routes of exposure (Krupke et al. 2012)
– Planter dust, contaminated soil
– Weedy flowers near treated fields
– Contaminated pollen and nectar
Purdue extension
Photo: Bob Hammond, CSU Coop Ext
63. Honey bee decline and pesticides
• Multiple routes of exposure (Krupke et al. 2012)
– Planter dust, contaminated soil
– Weedy flowers near treated fields
– Contaminated pollen and nectar
– Contaminated water
64.
65. How are we addressing these issues?
• Research
• New EPA labeling
• Corn Dust Research Consortium
– Industry, government, university, non-profit
– Develop new lubricants and polymers to reduce
dust and contamination in dust
66. Why do these issues matter to you?
• Pollinator-dependent crops
• Your actions have broader effects than the
field boundaries
• Everyone needs to eat
Purdue extension
68. What can you do to help?
• Identify and preserve native bees and bee
habitat already present on your farm.
• Provide flowers and nesting resources.
K. Ullmann
Photo: Bob Hammond, CO Coop Ext
69. What can you do to help?
• Identify and preserve native bees and bee
habitat already present on your farm.
• Provide flowers and nesting resources.
• Adjust current practices to protect bees.
– Spray timing, drift, chemistries
75. Further resources
Gratton Lab at UW-Madison
http://gratton.entomology.wisc.edu/
My contact information:
Email: hgaines@gmail.com
Cell: 774-392-0498
