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Wednesday, July 2, 2003 Pollinators
and Pesticides: A Deadly Combination Unfortunately, for nature, within ten years the wild honeybee will cease to exist. Educated estimates predict this downfall to be directly caused by diseases and foreign mites, however, the number one enemy and killer is people using harmful chemicals. Anyone using hazardous pesticides, whether it involves homeowners or licensed landscape technicians, can unknowingly destroy this beneficial insect. A little knowledge and understanding regarding this dilemma may prevent the termination of this good bug while still eliminating the bad ones.
Honeybee history and plant biology The honeybee, sweet bee, or Apis mellifera was first introduced to North America from European settlers in the 1620s. They were kept for their honey, combs, and wax. While these products are still desirable today, the most valuable contribution of their labor is the increased production of nearly every flower, fruit, vegetable, nut, and grain that we enjoy, not only visually, but for consumption as well. Many of our most beloved plantings are a result of basic plant biology with the male and female parts coming together through cross-pollination. This automatically occurs when the honeybee searches for food for her colony. During a plant visit, a worker bee is exclusively searching for pollen and nectar. Pollen will be fed to the larvae as a needed protein, while nectar is stored as honey for the adult bees to consume. Foraging bees will visit up to 100 flowers of the same species during a single trip and because of their hairy bodies, will easily collect pollen grains to cross-pollinate the next similar plant. Ultimately, the survival of her hive and our plant species is joined together interdependently. Essentially, one cannot live without the other. So, why is pollination important to people? Modestly stated, pollinators provide approximately one-third of all the food we consume. Now there is a reason for concern and involvement. Our food supply is directly related to plants and the busy bee. Hopefully, this three-way affiliation will persevere so that we may all reap the beauty and benefits of the pollination process.
Honeybee society and anatomy In order to appreciate honeybees, it is helpful to understand how they live. They are considered social insects meaning their entire existence is dependent upon cooperatively working together. Their society has a hierarchy driven through three individual types of bees - the queen, the male drone, and the female worker. The queen is the true mother of the hive with her only duty being to perpetuate the species through laying up to 2,000 new eggs daily. She has worker attendants that surround her to make sure she is fed, groomed, massaged, and protected. There is only one queen. She can live productively for about 2-3 years. The male drones are large and unable to sting or collect honey. Their only purpose is to serve the queen, if necessary, through mating. If mating occurs, they die instantly. If mating does not occur, they are ejected from the hive each fall season and consequently starve to death. New drones are reared the following spring. There are approximately 1,000 drones each breeding season. The female workers perform all the work in the hive. They are the ruling power of the colony and regulate its economy. They ventilate, secrete wax, build the comb, gather the pollen and nectar, cap the cells of honey, feed and rear the brood, clean, attend to the queen, throw out the drones, guard, protect, and scout. They are small in size, but are the hive powerhouses numbering about 30,000 or more. They live about 5-6 weeks and literally work themselves to death. Each member of this circle performs its job to the fullest to keep the hive strong. There are no slackers or lazy inhabitants. When a queen is no longer productive, she will be replaced - drones are kept around only during the mating season workers begin their tasks as soon as they emerge from their cells. Order and organization rules in their home. They are immaculate in house cleaning duties and will take daily "cleansing" flights for elimination. It is not uncommon to see workers crawling away from the hive as they are dying. This is done to not burden their sisters with body removal. This amazing group is so perfectly encapsulated and well run, it is hard to think of hurting them with chemicals. The honeybee body is also another wonder. Nature has covered them with tiny hairs that pick up pollen, automatically, and move it from plant to plant. Even though the worker bee stuffs pollen into unique pollen pockets on each back leg to transport to the hive to feed the babies, its "hairy" body is pollinating plants for us to produce our food sources. Unfortunately, these hairs will collect anything powder-like on a plant. Hence, powdered pesticides are mortal.
Pesticide alert Interestingly, many of the "bad" bugs are found destroying the very same plants that the "beneficial" bee is foraging on to feed her colony. Spraying or powdering with pesticides on anything that moves is a senseless routine. Approximately 99.5 percent of all bee kills occur when they pick up insecticide residues while visiting blooming plants. Too often a worker bee will go about her business of feeding the hive and unknowingly pick up poisons that we have applied. If she doesn't die immediately, she will return to her hive to annihilate the whole colony. With a little patience and guidance for control methods other than pesticides, hopefully, we can protect not only our plants, but also the invaluable honeybee.
Pesticide alternatives Try "hand-picking" off unwanted intruders. Many destructive insects can be seen. Two obvious examples are the tomato hornworm and the Japanese beetle. Remove them manually and squash or drown them in soapy water. Mix-up and use "natural" homemade sprays. Many household ingredients that kill germs do a great job on destroying unwanted bugs. Items like diluted antimicrobial dish soap or mouthwash have proven effective. Purchase less potent insecticides. Two safer products to try are Insecticidal Soaps or BT (Bacillus thuringiensis). Try purchasing and using biological control agents. These are parasitic and predatory insects actively introduced into your yard to eat the enemy. This is simply bugs eating bugs or survival of the fittest. Examples of helpful insects are ladybugs, pirate bugs, praying mantis, and green lacewings. Gardening supply stores and the Internet have suggestions and ordering information depending on what is bugging your plants. Don't plant seeds that have been genetically altered with pesticides. As these plants mature and germinate, bees naturally pollinate them and die. If you must use a pesticide, use it wisely. Read all of the instructions and warnings before use. Pesticides that will harm bees will list this warning: "BEE CAUTION: MAY KILL HONEYBEES IN SUBSTANTIAL NUMBERS. This product is highly toxic to bees exposed to direct treatment or residues on blooming crops and weeds. Do not apply this product or allow it to drift to blooming crops or weeds if bees are visiting the treatment area." Believe it. Never apply sprays at dawn or during the day. ONLY spray in the evening. Bees forage from sun-up to sundown and then return to the hive for the night. Hopefully, the toxicity will lessen overnight. Never, ever use "powder" pesticides. Nature has cleverly covered a bee's body with fine hairs for pollination. Powders will stick to these hairs and not only kill the bee, but the entire colony when she returns home. When shopping for any pesticide, don't just look or ask for what will "kill" the bad bugs. Also inquire if it is safe for bees. Don't mindlessly buy the market favorite and in the process of using it destroy everything visiting your plants including bees, butterflies and humming birds. Be aware that the most common products available for purchase are also the most lethal to pollinators (Sevin, Diazinon, and Malathion). Honeybees are a remarkable part of nature. They mind their own business, provide for their family, work together perfectly, and give us increased food supplies through pollination. They deserve our respect and protection from devastating pesticides. Additional reading materials and research information can be found from The University of Georgia College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences, Athens. The Web site is www.uga.edu/caes/insectlab/ or www.ent.uga.edu/bees/. Another valuable source of related information through a local group is The Tara Beekeepers Association at www.gabeekeeping.com. This organization meets the third Monday of every month at 7:30 p.m. at The Reynolds Nature Preserve in Clayton County. Call 404-366-6404 for questions, answers, or help. (Debi Cziok is a hobbyist beekeeper, avid gardener, and Fayette County resident. Look for more "bee" related articles in future Home and Garden sections.)
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