1. Nova Scotia Kevin Bekkers, PEng.Margaret Cornect NS Department of AgricultureApiarist

2. How Important are Insects for Pollination of Agriculture Crops Very Important ? Some what ? Unknown ? Let’s take a closer look ……...

3. Importance of Plant Pollination Approximately 3000 plants world wide used for food production Of those only 300 grown widely around the world 12 of which make up 90% of worlds food supply 7 Grains – Rice, wheat, corn, sorghums, millets, rye and barley Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Cassavas, Bananas and coconuts

4. Grains are wind or self pollinated, Coconuts are wind and partially insect, remaining are propagated asexually or develop pharthenocarpically 2/3 worlds population is in Southeast Asia where the staple diet is rice.

5. Superficially it would appear that insect pollination has little affect on world’s food supply. So where do bees fit and what do they pollinate? More importantly who eats the food they pollinate? Considering the number of people in the world living in poverty, perhaps that changes results.

6. 1/3 North American diet dependent on insect pollination This food comes from two sources 1) Animal products – poultry, beef, pork, dairy products are derived one way or another from legumes Legume crops such as alfalfa and clover are produced from seeds pollinated by honey bees

7. 2) Fruits, Vegetables and Nuts Apples, cherries, peaches, pears, prunes, cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, pumpkin, squash, mustard, buckwheat, fababeans, blueberries, melons, grapes, almonds, etc. Dependent upon insect pollination

8. Fats and Oils More than ½ the worlds diet of fats and oils come from oilseeds dependent or benefit from insect pollination. (oil palm, olives, peanuts, soybeans, sunflower, canola)

9. Yield Benefits of Pollination Farmers can provide all the ingredients to grow a good crop, with the exception of weather. Example Apples -Create the orchard, prune the trees, select the variety, frost protection, fertilize, irrigate, manage pests, etc. -If sufficient blossoms are not pollinated the input costs may exceed the crop yield. -Maximize the potential of the crop with honey bees -Farmers cull apples under good pollination to improve size

10. Ecological Relationship Productive farm crops produced by limited strains of plants makes the food supply vulnerable to plant enemies. Irish Potato famine 1840’s Cross pollination can be a means of preventing such disasters.

11. Economic value of pollination $6 Billion in crop value was attributed to honey bee pollination in the US in 1967, The honey and beeswax produced were valued at only $45 Million In other words honey bee colonies are worth 100 times as much to the community as they are to the beekeeper.

12. 1998 Canadian Data Total value of Honey Bees to Canadian Agriculture $782 million 8 times greater than the value of honey and wax which was worth $93.5 million The value of honey bee pollination represents 21% of the total farm value of approximately 26 crops in Canada.

13. Crop Value Examples 1998 Quebec apple crop value was 22.6 million of which 90% was credited to Honey Bee Pollination The Canadian blueberry crop yield relies 85% on Honey Bee Pollination

14. NS Beekeeping 275 Beekeepers in NS 18,500 Colonies Only 25 Beekeepers with greater than 50 Colonies These 25 Beekeepers represent 95% of the NS Industry Average Commercial Beekeeper 650 colonies

15. NS Beekeeping 2 sources of income for Beekeepers Hive Rental for Pollination Main Source Honey / Wax Sales 16,500 colonies used in Blueberry Pollination Farm gate value for Beekeepers of $1,700,000

16. Hierarchy of the hive Queen – only one per hive Lay upto 1500 eggs/day Workers – female, nurse bees, wax building, pollen/water collection Drones – males only purpose is to mate with a virgin queen, cannot even feed themselves Mating – takes place in flight queen mates with 10 drones

17. Egg to Adult Cycle

18. Year in the life of a Beekeeper Margaret Cornect, Guysborough County Overview of each of the seasons, Challenges of beekeeping Products produced Rewards

19. Spring Unwrapping hives

20. Spring Maintenance

21. Going to Blueberry Field

22. Bear Damage at Blueberry Field

23. Maintenance at Blueberries Top Supering for honey Swarm control Queen rightness

24. Summer Bees are back at home yards – Apiary Adding honey suppers Swarm control Bear Patrol

25. Catching Swarms

26. Who said it was easy?

27. Lost Swarm Building New Home

28. Bear Damage

29. Sometimes only two options

30. Fall Maintenance Harvesting Honey, Packaging & Marketing Checking Mite levels Treating for Mites Feeding Medicated Sugar Syrup

31. Removing Honey from Hives

32. Extracting the Honey

33. Storing Honey & Packing

34. Products From the Hive

35. Marketing

36. Varroa Mite

37. Winter