Thanks to a devastating string of hurricanes and late-season freezes, the past few years have been very difficult on Georgia farmers. As legislators scramble to their aid, another looming problem promises even more difficulties – honey bee deaths.
Honey bees are responsible for helping to pollinate a wide variety of Georgia cash crops, including watermelons, blueberries, and peaches. Researchers such as the University of Georgia’s Keith Delaplane, director of the school’s Honey Bee Program, say the annual economic impact of bee pollination in Georgia is more than $365 million, a total “equivalent to 13 percent of the total production value of crops studied and 3 percent of the total production value of Georgia’s agricultural sector.”
While bee populations have been in decline for most of the past 20 years, this past winter saw more colonies die than any other this decade, according to a new study from the aptly named Bee Informed Partnership, an organization featuring researchers from Auburn University and the University of Maryland. That could spell bad news for local farmers, especially in middle Georgia, who count on honey bees to help increase their crop yield.
There’s also the honey bee industry itself, both in terms of honey production and bee-keeping – a small, yet bustling cottage industry.
Scientists and researchers have been digging into the root causes behind honey bee decline for years. One problem is the prevalence of certain pesticides, meant to target more menacing insects but often catching wandering bees in the crossfire. Another is habitat destruction – beef and other livestock farms are not suitable for bees, who need flowering plants from which to draw nectar. A third is the parasitic Varroa mite, a tiny creature that feeds on honey bees and has devastated bee populations worldwide since escaping from Asia in the 1980’s.
Luckily beekeepers can treat colonies for mites, and even feed them if nectar supplies are low. Researchers also encourage the public to plant flowers that bloom during the summer and early fall, when bees have a tougher time finding enough food. Those steps, along with organizations like the Bee Informed Partnership keeping close tabs on hive numbers and health nationwide, will hopefully help to curb the hive-loss that is hurting farmers in Georgia and throughout much of the rest of the country.
