Our knowledge has been expanding to include information about wild pollinators
as public awareness first began with managed honey bees, but the necessary research
areas are still quite vast with many unknowns. Many studies have since acknowledged the importance of wild pollinators to agriculture, but challenges in measuring
their contributions and declines persist; as new species of bee are still being
identified, how many have also gone extinct? Merely importing more managed
honey bees to offset other pollinator losses is not the ideal answer, as doing so
merely increases operating costs and causes more problems for the remaining local
populations.
Much like climate change, which is a long-term and very complex event covering
multiple ecological systems, different parties must actively participate and cooperate
to properly address pollinator decline.
Both hobbyist and commercial beekeepers should investigate many avenues to
maintain hardy managed populations, which would lower operating costs and help
reduce disease transmission to local wild pollinators. In light of available research, a
few specific recommendations are as follows:
1. Beekeepers in northern regions with temperate and continental climates may
adopt honey bee breeds such as the Russian bee, which are adapted to harsh
winters and resistant to mites.
2. Beekeepers in southern regions of the Americas where Africanized honey bees
have invaded may participate in breeding programs to select for the Africanized
bee’s positive traits while making it more manageable.
3. Introduce additional diversity to honey bee stocks such as bees carrying the
Varroa-sensitive hygiene trait.
Farmers can assist long-term pollinator health by creating and maintaining
diverse habitat on their lands and reducing pesticide use whenever possible. Even
backyard gardens can be converted to pollinator-friendly micro-habitats.
1. Add diverse floral plants to appropriate areas around crops and other unused lands
such as ditches and forest edges.
2. Favor native plants.
3. Use pesticides sparingly or not at all.
The pesticide industry has little incentive to protect pollinators as their revenues
are not directly affected by pollinator decline, but government legislation will impact
their interests as more research is accumulated and regulations created [120]. In the
United States, the comprehensive 2015 “Pollinator-Friendly Best Management
Practices for Federal Lands” document can be adopted at all levels of government
including state and city. This and related federal pollinator documents are located at
the US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service and the US Environmental
Protection Agency website [120–123]. Private landowners can also adopt these
general recommendations where applicable.
Two possible avenues to apply pollinator-friendly best management practices
include incentives and state mandate:
1 Understanding, Conservation, and Protection of Precious Natural Resources: Bees
43
as public awareness first began with managed honey bees, but the necessary research
areas are still quite vast with many unknowns. Many studies have since acknowledged the importance of wild pollinators to agriculture, but challenges in measuring
their contributions and declines persist; as new species of bee are still being
identified, how many have also gone extinct? Merely importing more managed
honey bees to offset other pollinator losses is not the ideal answer, as doing so
merely increases operating costs and causes more problems for the remaining local
populations.
Much like climate change, which is a long-term and very complex event covering
multiple ecological systems, different parties must actively participate and cooperate
to properly address pollinator decline.
Both hobbyist and commercial beekeepers should investigate many avenues to
maintain hardy managed populations, which would lower operating costs and help
reduce disease transmission to local wild pollinators. In light of available research, a
few specific recommendations are as follows:
1. Beekeepers in northern regions with temperate and continental climates may
adopt honey bee breeds such as the Russian bee, which are adapted to harsh
winters and resistant to mites.
2. Beekeepers in southern regions of the Americas where Africanized honey bees
have invaded may participate in breeding programs to select for the Africanized
bee’s positive traits while making it more manageable.
3. Introduce additional diversity to honey bee stocks such as bees carrying the
Varroa-sensitive hygiene trait.
Farmers can assist long-term pollinator health by creating and maintaining
diverse habitat on their lands and reducing pesticide use whenever possible. Even
backyard gardens can be converted to pollinator-friendly micro-habitats.
1. Add diverse floral plants to appropriate areas around crops and other unused lands
such as ditches and forest edges.
2. Favor native plants.
3. Use pesticides sparingly or not at all.
The pesticide industry has little incentive to protect pollinators as their revenues
are not directly affected by pollinator decline, but government legislation will impact
their interests as more research is accumulated and regulations created [120]. In the
United States, the comprehensive 2015 “Pollinator-Friendly Best Management
Practices for Federal Lands” document can be adopted at all levels of government
including state and city. This and related federal pollinator documents are located at
the US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service and the US Environmental
Protection Agency website [120–123]. Private landowners can also adopt these
general recommendations where applicable.
Two possible avenues to apply pollinator-friendly best management practices
include incentives and state mandate:
1 Understanding, Conservation, and Protection of Precious Natural Resources: Bees
43