Author
 |
Kemp, William - Bill |
|
BOSCH, JORDI - USU - BIOLOGY DEPT. |
|
Submitted to: American Bee Journal
Publication Type: Popular Publication Publication Acceptance Date: 4/17/2002 Publication Date: 7/1/2002 Citation: KEMP, W.P., BOSCH, J. A SIX-LEGGED SECRET TO IMPROVE FRUIT TREE POLLINATION. AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 2002. 142(7):501-503 Interpretive Summary: The worldwide pollination of insect-pollinated crops has traditionally depended on a single species, the honey bee, for many decades the only pollinator available commercially in large numbers. In the past decade, the number of honey bee hives available for commercial pollination in the United States has seriously declined. As a result, other pollinator species are being developed for particular crops. One such species, the blue orchard bee, is native to North America, and has been developed as a pollinator for orchard crops. It is also known as the orchard mason bee, because it uses mud to build its nests. Most of the pioneering research on the biology and management of the blue orchard bee has been conducted by the USDA-ARS Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory, in Logan, Utah. In an invited American Bee Journal article, we describe a management system using the blue orchard bee - now becoming commercially available in North America - for the pollination of early-flowering fruit tree crops like cherries. This article provides a summary of a recently published book entitled ¿How to Manage the Blue Orchard Bee as an Orchard Pollinator¿ http://www.sare.org/htdocs/bobflyer.htm Technical Abstract: The worldwide pollination of insect-pollinated crops has traditionally depended on a single species, the honey bee, for many decades the only pollinator available commercially in large numbers. In the past decade, the number of honey bee hives available for commercial pollination in the United States has seriously declined. As a result, other pollinator species are being developed for particular crops. One such species, the blue orchard bee, is native to North America, and has been developed as a pollinator for orchard crops. It is also known as the orchard mason bee, because it uses mud to build its nests. Most of the pioneering research on the biology and management of the blue orchard bee has been conducted by the USDA-ARS Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory, in Logan, Utah. In an invited American Bee Journal article, we describe a management system using the blue orchard bee - now becoming commercially available in North America - for the pollination of early-flowering fruit tree crops like cherries. This article provides a summary of a recently published book entitled ¿How to Manage the Blue Orchard Bee as an Orchard Pollinator¿ http://www.sare.org/htdocs/bobflyer.htm |
