IN YOUR ORCHARD
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate: The “Chain” of Pollination Players The Almond Board of California has created a great illustration for understanding the somewhat complex communication channels during pollination with all the various players involved. They call it the pollination “Communication Chain,” and for good reason. The idea here is that there are several necessary participants that must be in constant communication during pollination. When the chain is strong and connected, our pollination investment is sound, diversified, and paying dividends for all. When even one link breaks, the pollination investment is compromised and becomes riskier. In all ways, almond farmers and beekeepers want a well-balanced, diversified portfolio for their pollination investment, being as risk averse as possible. To do this, the chain must be strong and connected at all times. Here are the links in the chain:
Beekeeper
Bee Broker
Owner/Lessee
Farm Manager
PCA
Applicator
Sprays: Protecting Our Crop and Our Pollination Investment Just like us, beekeepers take a big, deep breath every time they place bees on our property. Why ? Because they, too, are making an investment, and it has huge risks that are almost completely out of their control. Every time they pollinate, they are entrusting their bees, the engine of their business, to the grower. It has become abundantly clear through scientific research that tank mixing can be disastrously hazardous to both adult bees and developing bee larvae. Indeed, tank mixing, and likely, adding adjuvants ³, is the bee and investment killer. If we tank mix, we just tanked our pollination investment, and, killed the investment the beekeeper made in us and our operations. One of the most outstanding things I have ever heard about honey bees is their inability to fly if water, or any water-type watery substance, is applied to their wings. It is possible for the bees to fly again once the wings are dry from water, but any surfactant- or oil-like material is completely inhibiting. In other words, if we’re spraying while they’re flying, bees are probably dying — we could literally be spraying our investment to death! We spray at night. No exceptions. Better coverage, better bee activity in the day, better for all parties. The Proper Habitat: A Hedge Toward Strengthening Our Investment Year-Over-Year Simply put, providing habitat and fresh water is akin to starting an investment at the start of a bull market. These actions provide a margin of safety and a return on investment well beyond not taking risky actions (tank mixing, spraying bees in the day, adjuvants). This might sound like a stretch but let me explain.
3 See, for example, the research of Diana Cox-Foster’s, et. al.: Chronic exposure to an agricultural spray adjuvant and honey bee pathogen causes synergistic mortality in larval honey bees (Apis mellifera) J Fine, C Mullin, D Cox-Foster. 2016 International Congress of Entomology. Pollinators as keystones of agriculture and natural ecosystems: Impact of organosilicone spray adjuvants on their health and reproduction. D Cox-Foster, E Klinger, W Doucette. ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 258. Altered Feeding Behavior and Viral Detection in Honey Bees Exposed to Organosilicone. M Thompson, E Klinger, K Kapheim, D Cox-Foster. An inert pesticide adjuvant synergizes viral pathogenicity and mortality in honey bee larvae. JD Fine, DL Cox-Foster, CA Mullin. Scientific reports 7 (1), 1-9. Impacts of honey bee viruses, an agricultural adjuvant, and their interaction on blue orchard bee (Osmia lignaria) larval development. N Boyle, MKF Williams, E Klinger, D Cox-Foster, T Pitts-Singer. Entomology 2019.
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ALMOND FACTS
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