FOR BEES, MITES MAKE BLIGHT CROPS MAY SUFFER AS A RESULT.Byline: Susan Abram Staff Writer PIRU PIRU Public Information Reference Unit PIRU People in Red Uniform (band) - In the world of beekeepers, mention a mite and the word stings. It has been that way for more than a decade, as local and national beekeepers struggle to keep their honeybees mite-free. But this year's rainfall and cooler temperatures, along with a lower population of bees and a short pollination pollination, transfer of pollen from the male reproductive organ (stamen or staminate cone) to the female reproductive organ (pistil or pistillate cone) of the same or of another flower or cone. season, may combine to decrease a still to be determined crop of California almonds, among other crops grown in the state that rely on honey bees to pollinate pol·li·nate also pol·len·ate tr.v. pol·li·nat·ed also pol·len·at·ed, pol·li·nat·ing also pol·len·at·ing, pol·li·nates also pol·len·ates To transfer pollen from an anther to the stigma of (a flower). blossoms. And it's all the fault of an eight-legged parasite about the size of a grain of salt. ``We've had a tremendous problem with the mites,'' a stern Red Bennett, owner of Bennett Honey Farm in Piru, said recently. ``The mites have developed a resistance. It's made beekeeping beekeeping or apiculture Care and manipulation of honeybees to enable them to produce and store more honey than they need so that the excess can be collected. Beekeeping is one of the oldest forms of animal husbandry. a very damaged industry.'' Anecdotally, some beekeepers nationwide have lost up to 75 percent of their colonies due to the mites. ``We lost 60 percent of our colonies last winter,'' Bennett said. The varroa var·ro·a n. A reddish-brown, oval mite (Varroa jacobsoni) that is a parasite of honeybees. [New Latin Varroa, genus name, after Marcus Terentius Varro.] mite, one of two types that arrived in California from the East Coast, attacks both the adults and the brood, by attaching itself to the bee and sucking its blood, weakening the life span of its prey. Infestations of varroa will kill honeybee honeybee Broadly, any bee that makes honey (any insect of the tribe Apini, family Apidae); more strictly, one of the four species constituting the genus Apis. The term is usually applied to one species, the domestic honeybee (A. colonies. Pesticides that once eradicated the mites no longer work, and beekeepers are now relying on research to find a solution. But even if a pesticide is found to work, it would require approval by several federal agencies. ``The downside is its impact to California agriculture,'' said Mark Hoppe, president of the Beekeepers Association of Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . ``When I was doing a much larger commercial business, I would charge $30 per hive for four weeks to put the bees in the almonds orchard. What's going on What's Going On is a record by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. Released on May 21, 1971 (see 1971 in music), What's Going On reflected the beginning of a new trend in soul music. today, it's $130.'' In addition, almond orchards have expanded to 550,000 acres statewide, from Bakersfield and northward. There are at least 6,000 growers in California. ``We require more bees than any other crop,'' said Colleen col·leen n. An Irish girl. [Irish Gaelic cailín, diminutive of caile, girl, from Old Irish. Aguiar, spokeswoman for the Modesto-based California Almond Board. California almonds serve 100 percent of the nation, producing about a billion pounds a year. Seventy percent of the almonds are exported to Spain and Germany, where they are used in pastry-making. About half the honeybee colonies used to pollinate the blossoms are from out-of-state, costing at least $800,000. This year's rainy seasons and cooler temperatures shortened the blooming cycle by three weeks, Aguiar said. Bees also don't pollinate in rain. This year, almond growers paid an average of $100 per colony, compared with $50 last year, a result of the mites. Growers use two colonies of bees per acre of trees. How that affects this year's crop is still to be determined. ``The almond industry has always been concerned about it,'' Aguiar said. ``Pollination research is part of our overall research budget.'' Meanwhile, Piru's Bennett said he is using strains of bees that have a tolerance to the mites, to see if they will make the others stronger. He said that he remains concerned about the future of the profession itself. ``There's not as many beekeepers,'' he said. ``Its too difficult to keep bees alive. Susan Abram, (661) 257-5255 susan.abram(at)dailynews.com |
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