BLUEBERRIES AND POLLINATION SERVICES 

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Original Article Published in BeesCene, Winter 2023 

By Nuria Morfin 

  During the Education Days at the recent BCHPA AGM, we had a section dedicated to blueberries and pollination services. It came as no surprise to offer presentations and a panel discussion on this topic since it’s well understood that both industries are interconnected. There were two main objectives during the Education Days: a) to connect with the blueberry industry, and b) to supportthe economic analysisof blueberry pollination services led by Dr. Miriam Bixby. 

 Bee hives in high bush blueberries. Photo Nuria Morfin 

 

Connecting with Agricultural Partners 

The beekeeping industry is not isolated, we depend on many factors to be successful; this is very evident for beekeepers that provide pollination services. However, understanding how crop production and beekeeping works is key for a healthy and profitable collaboration between industries, including blueberry production. The BCHPA has a long history of connecting with agricultural partners, and now with the BC- TTP operating, we’ll aim at working on a strategy to make these connections meaningful. 

 

Blueberry Production 

Highbush blueberries are an important food source, and their production has rapidly expanded on a global scale due to their high demand, palatability and nutritional value (USDA, 2021). Highbush blueberryproduction has an estimated value of CAD $364 million in Canada, with an export value of CAD $533 million,and British Columbiais one of the largest producers of highbush blueberries in the world, contributing to food security (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2023). Highbush blueberry varietiesdepend on insect pollination to reach optimal yields; crop yield can decrease 30 to 50% without pollination and berry weight is positively correlated with pollinator abundance (Isaac and Kirk, 2010; Morandin and Law, 2021). 

However, there is an estimated unfulfilled demand of 30,000 honey bee colonies for blueberry pollination in BC, which presents an opportunity for commercial beekeeping (AF, 2022). Blueberry pollination seems to cause detrimental effects on honey bee colonies used for this service. For example, beekeepers report signs of European foulbrood (EFB) and weak colonies coming out of pollination, which is reflected in economic losses, as these colonies will not manifest their full potential of honey and/or nuc production (Dufour et al., 2020; Thebeau et al., 2023). 

During the AGM Education Days, we learnedmany things about the blueberry industryin BC and some of its challenges, with some similarities to those faced by beekeepers such as labour availability, climatic challenges, pests and diseases, rapid urban growth and high land prices. It should be noted that pollination was highlighted as one of their challenges, which is linked to fruit qualityproblems. Interestingly, 99% of blueberry production happens in the Lower Mainland, where there are approximately 1,271 beekeepers managing~50% of the total colonies registered in BC. 

Thus, it appears that we have a great potential for collaboration to strengthen both industries but it’s not an easy task, as some of the problems faced by beekeepers are linked to environmental stressors like humid and cold springs that preventcolonies from growingearly in the season when blueberry pollination is needed. Also, beekeepers face difficulties linkedto logistics and crop management practices, for instance around placement of the hives within blueberry fields. In addition, to their detriment, not all blueberry growers rent bees for pollination services, indicating a need for education amongst the growers regarding the benefits of increased pollination. 

 

What can we do?  

  1. Economic analysis of blueberry pollination services 

  The BCHPA, with help from stakeholders and the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food, is looking at strategies to connect with blueberry growers, to overcome the difficulties around pollination services. The first step is to conduct an economic assessment of blueberry pollination. This study is currently being led by Dr. Miriam Bixby with the support of the BC- TTP and with the financial aid of Project Apis m. 

There have been two focus groups in 2023, one at the Western Apicultural Society (Calgary, AB) and the second at the BCHPA Education Days (Abbotsford, BC). These focus groups shed light on the main issues faced by growers and beekeepers; it allowed us to hear from stakeholders, government representatives and extensionists. Based on the responses of the focus group, a survey will be designed and sent to beekeepers across North America to investigate the economics behind pollination services. 

 

In addition to this study, there are a number of research initiatives to support bee health in stock used for pollination services. For more information visit: https://www.bcblueberry.com/bc-blueberry-council 

  1. Revising of the proposed pollination model 

A revision of the blueberry and beekeeping industries was done in 2021, and a pollination contract was drafted.A signed agreement could provide legal protection to beekeepers and growers with written expectations from both sides. To resume the efforts of designing a pollination contract, we ask beekeepers and growers to help revise the Blueberry Pollination Model. This document provides an overview of both industries and summarizes possible practical solutions based on other pollination models, like hybrid canola and almond pollination services. 

 Please read the Proposed Pollination Model and share your thoughts. 

In addition to this, we plan to continue conversations with our agricultural partners, so please: 

Join our conferences, 

Participate in focus groups and discussions, 

Share your suggestions and concerns 

If you have any questions or suggestions, please send us an email at info@ttp-bchpa.ca. Your comments would be very valuable to design action plans to strengthen collaborations and look for commercial opportunities for beekeepers in BC. 

 Incidence of disease in colonies doing blueberry pollination.          

Photo Sarah Wood 

 Tatyana Sopka (UofS volunteer), Julia Common and SarahWood conducting researchin blueberries. 

Photo Nuria Morfin 

Other Strategies to Mitigate Colony Shortages in Blueberry Pollination 

from Blueberry Pollination, a documentput together in 2021 by Paul van Westendorp 

Access to US Bees 

Canada restricts the import of US honey bee coloniesin hives. This is the so-called “No Comb” Law which was put into place in the early 1900s to prevent US beekeepers of accessing Canadian floral resources and returning to the US with a honey crop. In recent decades the primary purpose of the No Comb Law is to protect against the introduction and spread of bee diseasesand pests. A proposal to import US colonies on comb for BC blueberry pollination is a non-starter. 

Presently, Canadian beekeepers can only import bee packages under (federal) CFIA permit from Australia, New Zealand, Ukraine and Chile. Transportation costs and other handling fees have made these packages very expensive. Since the bees from the southern hemisphere are in the opposite season (~early fall), additional problems have often been encountered in productivity and queen survival. 

A standard bee package consists of a ventilated box container with 2 lbs (~1kg) of bees with a caged queen. After delivery, the imported bees are “shaken” into empty bee hives and provided supplemental feed to stimulate brood rearing. 

Normally, bee packages are delivered in April.A 2 lb bee package contains approximately 8,000 bees which is not sufficient to meet the population size of a standard pollination unit. Earlier delivery may be possible. 

US bee packages would be cheaper and their delivery more secure than from overseas sources. While the import of US packages will not directly solve the blueberry growers’ challenge of securing sufficient colony numbers, it could benefit growers indirectly as US bee packages are expected to stabilize BC beekeeping operations through winter loss replacements and strengthening weak colonies. 

Native Pollinator Enhancement 

Blueberry and cranberry evolved in the cold and wet bog environments of the northern hemisphere. Various bumblebee species co-evolved and became highlyefficient pollinators of these plants. 

To overcome the challenges of accessing nectar at the bottom of the blueberry’s tubular corolla and dislodge its sticky pollen, bumblebees developeda long proboscis (~tongue) and the ability to “buzz” pollinate. (Buzzing happens after the bumblebee has landed on the flower and rapidly contracts and relaxes its flight muscles without moving its wings). Bumblebees also became tolerant to forage during cool and wet conditions. 

Even though bumblebees are highly efficient pollinators in blueberries, there are never enough bumblebees to meet all the pollination requirements of commercial plantings. It has been estimated that a maturestand of highbushblueberry produces 4.5 - 5.0 million flowers per acre. Also, flowers require multiple pollinator visitations to optimize fruit set and fruit uniformity. Only honey bee colonies can meet those requirements. 

Studies have shown that a diversity of pollinator species in a crop setting results in higher crop yields and quality compared to a crop with only one or few pollinator species. 

 Blueberry Flowers. Photo Nuria Morfin 

In the early 2000s, BC commissioned a study to enhance bumblebee populations in and near blueberry plantings. The study quickly concluded that planting bee forage along the edges of fields and the preservation of riparian zones were key factors in sustaining and increasing native pollinator populations. 

While blueberries are a valuable food source for wild pollinators during flowering, the non- availability of forage sources afterwards has often led to the collapse of bumblebee nests. Continued availability of bee forage through the spring and summer seasons will lead to greaterpollinator diversity in thelocal environment. It will also reduce growerdependency on honey bee colonies. 

A selection of forage bee forage plants can be found at www.gov.bc.ca/foodforbees.  

 

Acknowledgements: We thank Anju Gill (Executive Director, BC Blueberry Council), Eric Gerbrandt (Research Director, BC Blueberry Council),Carolyn Teasdale (Industry Specialist, BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food), and Paul van Westendorp (Provincial Apiarist, BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food) for sharing their expertise during the BCHPA Education Days. Also, thank you to Peter Awram and John Gibeau for sharing theirexperiences as commercial beekeepers, and to all the blueberry growers, beekeepers and researchersthat contributed during the focus group and panel discussion. 

We are grateful for the financial support of the BC government through the BC Ministryof Agriculture and Food to the BC Technology TransferProgram, and we thank Project Apis m for their financial aid to conductthe study ‘Truecosts of blueberry pollination services: an economicapproach to sustainable blueberry pollination in North America.’ Also, thank you to Heather Higo for the valuable suggestions for this note. 

 References 

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. (2023). Statistical overview of the Canadian fruit industry, 2022. Available at https://agriculture. canada.ca/en/sector/horticulture/reports/statistical-overview- canadian-fruit-industry-2022 

British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Food (AF) (2022) Beekeeping Production and market estimates 2022. Available at https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and- industry/agriculture-and-seafood/statistics/market-analysis-and- trade-statistics/api_2022_production_stats_final.pdf 

Dufour, C., Fournier, V., & Giovenazzo, P. (2020). The impact of lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) and cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) pollination on honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colony health status. Plos one, 15(1), e0227970. 

Isaacs, R., & Kirk, A. K. (2010). Pollination services provided to small and large highbushblueberry fields by wild and managed bees. Journal of Applied Ecology, 47(4), 841-849. 

Morandin L., & Law K. (2021). Protecting pollinators from pesticides 

- High blueberry. Blueberry Partnership Canada 

Thebeau, J. M., Cloet, A., Liebe, D., Masood, F., Kozii, I. V., Klein, 

C. D., & Wood, S. Are fungicides a driver of European foulbrood disease in honey bee colonies pollinating blueberries?. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11, 9. 

US Highbush Blueberry Council. National Economic Impact Study (2021) Available at https://ushbc.blueberry.org/wp-content/uploads/ sites/5/2021/03/FINAL-U.S.-USHBC-EIR-Infographic-2021- Online.pdf