Be Kind to Bees

The buzz: Be kind to bees

Source: http://www.strausnews.com/articles/2008/10/17/the_chronicle/news/4.txt

Local farmers find that TLC and good bee hygiene boosts crop yields

By Edie Johnson

Chester — In this season of abundance, we are fortunate to live among farmers who keep our tables well supplied with fresh fruits and vegetables right through to Thanksgiving. But let us not forget to thank other hard workers on our behalf: those busy pollinators, the bees. Without them, farmers would find nothing in their fields to harvest.

But bees are in danger because of a recent phenomenon called colony collapse disorder, which has dwindled their numbers and threatened a good portion of our food sources. But some local hives, and innovative treatments, may help. This year, hives had to be shipped in from the South to help farmers in Chester and Blooming Grove, and so far they are doing fine.

When not busy at his regular “city job,” Ken Steger raises goats and tends beehives at his Chester home. He bought some imported hives this year along with Guy Jones of Blooming Hill Organic Farm on Route 208 (www.bloominghillfarm.com), which produces organic vegetables for many posh New York City restaurants and markets. He also farms land in Chester’s famous black dirt area and runs a fascinating co-op farm in the mucklands by Otterkill Road under the trestle in Mountainville (pictured below). Jones offers a wide variety of herbs, fruits, vegetables, organic granolas, a secret recipe mint ice tea, and organic farming information (see links on his Web site), and crafts. His farm has been active for over 20 years and is featured in epicurean magazines. Many consider him the local guru of organic and cooperative farming.

Hives from the South were shipped to Jones’ farm before. But 15 years ago, and then twice again last year, a couple of what are known locally as the “Oxford Road Bears” destroyed the hives. Steger and Jones have since moved the hives to the black dirt site, which bears apparently do not like as much.

Foot baths for bees

Steger said local bees are healthy because of the special care and immaculate conditions they enjoy here. His bees are washed daily — not the bees themselves, but the storage frames they live in. It’s called a “foot bath” because the solution used at the entrance of the hive to clean the frames keeps the bees from spreading germs. His bees are also fed a sugar syrup to keep them well-nourished when they do not find nectar in flowers. Steger attributes the bee crisis across the country to a weakened immune system. Some of the immunity-fortifying species that bees feed on have been nearly eradicated, he explained. And the conditions are unhealthy in some commercial hives, which are often overcrowded and don’t even allow the bees to develop honeycombs. Jones said he’s seen a significant increase in the yield of his crops because of the bees. One of the more unusual crops grown at Blooming Hill Farm is buckwheat, which Steger uses to make his distinctive honey. Blooming Hill is not the only farm to benefit from this bee project. Most bees travel six to eight miles in their search for nectar, so they expect other large farms, particularly in Chester, such as Pine Hill Farm and Roe’s Orchards on Route 94, to benefit too. And these benefits extend beyond crops. As their business grows, local farms are branching out. Pine Hill sells pottery, and Roe’s offers a wide variety of homemade jams in addition to their famous cider.

The threat of sprawl Some speculate that the bees’ problems are due to urban sprawl. As developers clear ground for new houses, hedgerows and other nectar-gathering grounds are bulldozed. What the bulldozers don’t remove is clipped short by the new homeowner or poisoned with weed killers. Bees have a very complex social structure that requires a joint effort to develop the myriad combs that make a healthy hive. Limit their choice of flowers, and the bees may be deprived of nectars important to a healthy immune system. Local planning boards are helping by asking developers to retain hedgerows and buffer lands. There are many benefits to these natural buffers. One of them is providing places where bees can gather nectar.

Recent developments that give hope to farmers include better urban planning, less use of pesticides, and improved organic farming techniques. The average homeowner can help too, by planting a few fruit trees in the yard. When they swarm in every spring, the bees sip first from dandelions, clover, forsythia, and lilacs. Then they switch to the annual and perennial flowers that brighten our gardens. They proceed finally to our crops, especially cucumbers, squash, grapes, pumpkins, and corn. With every bite, we can thank the bees for our plenty. Steger and Jones will do their part to make sure they stay happy, healthy, and, as we naturally expect from bees, busy. Photo by Edie Johnson

Boom and bust In ancient times, the Pharisees would send bee hives downriver to help establish a new farming community. In more recent times, our own pioneers brought hives from Europe, taking them along as they traveled South and West because they knew they were crucial for a full harvest. Farmers in the 19th century started to build large storage frames that allowed commercial pollination to develop. Beekeeping has become a big business in the United States. About 1,000 breeders transport bees across the country in huge commercial vans. Commercial breeders winter the bees over in areas of the South so they will be primed to do their work early in the spring. Some farming activities, such as the almond tree groves in California, would be devastated without them. As recently as the 1940s, the United States boasted 5 million healthy bee colonies. Today, this number has dwindled to about 2.3 million. Experts find diseased and sometimes completely empty hives, and have still not been able to determine where the bees have gone. Sometimes bees will make their hives underground.

These experts say the causes of colony collapse are complex, and that the disorder is not due to one factor alone. But one of the main culprits is a small brown mite, similar to a tick, that came from Asia. In past years beekeepers had antibiotics to keep parasites under control, but they have now developed resistance to the medicine and in recent years bees have been disappearing by the millions. About bees Bees include four broad categories that help pollinate crops. About 4,500 species of bees are native to the United States and Canada. Bees are tended both by small local beekeepers and large commercial breeders. Natural varieties live in the remaining hedgerows and forests. In recent years, bees have been imported from Italy, Russia, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. Some of the natural varieties that thrive along local hedgerows seem to have developed hardier strains, and some of the imported bees seem to be resistant to colony collapse disorder. On the other hand, bees imported from Australia are suspected to have brought the current virus in the first place. Every variety has its own characteristics. Some are friendly, others aggressive and likely to sting. Some are productive, others less so. Bees produce different flavors of honey, depending on the kinds of nectar they thrive on. While a queen bee may live several years, worker bees die after they build their hive and bring in the nectar.