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South Africa - Bee health in the seed industry


South Africa
May 19, 2022

Bees are as important as water for food production and seed companies and farmers should collectively invest in protecting our bee population but also in facilitating healthy colonies.

Honey bees have been playing a crucial role in food production for thousands of years. Humans have kept bees to harvest honey but also to assist with crop pollination. Across the world, millions of hectares of fruit, vegetables, oilseeds and legume crops depend on insect pollination.

Many commercial food crops in South Africa are dependent on bees for pollination. Without the pollination service insects, and especially the service that honey bees provide, it would be difficult for farmers to produce many crops and realise a profitable yield. Some crops may even fail altogether.

These include:

  • Vegetables such as beetroot, celery, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, peppers, cucumbers, and carrots,
  • Grains such as sunflower, canola, rapeseed, alfalfa,
  • Forage crops such as clover
  • Beans and sprouts
  • Herbs such as mustard, caraway, coriander, cardamom, and fennel.

Bees are as important as water for food production and seed companies and farmers should collectively invest in protecting our bee population but also in facilitating healthy colonies.
Bees as pollinators make out 80% of the insect population on vegetable seed crops, says Nico Mienie, Seed Production – Logistics Manager at Kleinkaroo Seed Production. The other 20% of pollinating insects consists of spiders, flees, butterflies, moths etc. The biggest challenge during pollination of seed crops, is to ensure that the seed plantings are acceptable to the bees during pollination.
But although many crops are dependent on pollinators, the same crops are also threatened by weeds, insect pests and disease. Pesticides are one of the solutions in the farmer’s tool box to protect their crops. But according to Dr Lukeshni Chetty, General Manager at the South African National Seed Organisation (SANSOR), crop protection must go hand in hand with the protection of pollinators.

With the majority of food crops being pollinated by bees, dwindling colonies pose a threat to agriculture. “While pesticides are often cited as one of the major reasons for declining bee numbers, there are actually multiple contributing factors. Monocultures and a lack of biodiversity are actually a greater problem,” Dr Chetty says.
Some of the reasons for the decline of bee numbers are:

  • Insufficient forage opportunities

Insufficient forage areas lead to insufficient honey and pollen reserves to carry bees through winter or a period of forage shortage. Bees require a diverse diet. Moving a colony from one sunflower field to the other for weeks and thus only providing one food source for weeks on end is not conductive to good bee health. Healthy swarms need a varied diet to produce healthy offspring.

  • Pesticides including seed treatments – especially systemic chemicals. Bees are susceptible to many broad spectrum insecticides and the indiscriminate use of these chemicals can be detrimental to bee colonies.
  • ​​Parasites.
  • Disease.
  • ​The loss and destruction of habitat.

Most pollinator poisoning occurs when pesticides are applied indiscriminately to flowering crops, pastures and weeds. The following guidelines should be followed when controlling pest insects Dr Chetty advises:

  • Scout to determine the economical threshold of the insect damage before spraying. The idea is not to eliminate all pest insects. Successful pest management is about finding the best solution to combat or deter those insects that can destroy crops while at the same time supporting beneficial insects like bees and other pollinators.
  • Take great care when, where, and how to apply insecticides.
  • Implement biological control methods as part of an integrated pest management system.
  • Before making an application, be aware of any pollinators such as honeybees and hives nearby.
  • Communicate with neighbouring farmers and beekeepers.
  • To reduce bee losses, farmers must adhere to the recommendations on the crop protection product labels. Most problems occur when people apply products outside the registration recommendations.
  • During the flowering phase of crops and trees, select the least harmful insecticide to bees and other beneficial insects and spray in the late afternoon or at night.
  • Do not spray in windy conditions when the spray may drift onto adjacent lands supporting foraging bees or other pollinators.
  • Avoid using dust products.
  • Do not use herbicides on flowering weeds near orchards or fields. Weeds should be controlled before flowering or by mechanical methods such as slashing.
  • Pesticide use should be kept to a minimum while there are hives on a property or when hives are installed permanently. Avoid using pesticides near the hives altogether.
  • Educate field workers or applicators to ensure they make informed decisions regarding pesticide applications and that they follow the product labels.
  • Always consider biodiversity and environmental safety.

Intensive farming practices led to the destruction of large suitable forage areas for bees. This also led to the reduction in the diversity and quantity of nectar available for bees, leading to poor nutrition for bee colonies.

Field netting and greenhouses

To pollinate vegetables produced in greenhouses, honey bees will need to be kept in the greenhouse. The greenhouse must, however, provide the right conditions for the bees to thrive. Honeybees are extremely sensitive to temperature changes and when using bees for pollination in greenhouses great care must be taken to keep the temperature as even as possible and not above 45˚C.

The use of netting to protect crops from hail, wind and birds is becoming increasingly popular among vegetable and fruit growers but if not done correctly, can seriously affect pollination. Farmers should be able to lift the ends or sides of netting during flowering to aid pollination.

“It is key to talk to beekeepers before the netting is installed. Some type of netting will result in no bees being able reach the crops or bees can become entangled in some types of netting. Netting can also increase humidity and therefore the need to use fungicides to manage diseases. Farmers are advised to take all these factors into consideration,” says Dr Chetty.

What can be done?

Without nature’s pollination services many crops may fail and the agricultural industry would struggle.

According to Dr Chetty there are certain principals that farmers should consider when protecting their crops. “An integrated pest management strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests and their damage through a combination of techniques such as chemical, cultural and biological control as well as targeted habitat management like increased plant diversity, should be implemented.”

She adds that farmers can support pollinator health by implementing sustainable, pollinator-friendly practices on-farm such as the planting of cover crops such as clover, vetch and lucerne. Farmers can also consider planting wildflower strips providing hives with an additional feed source. Plants that can sustain honey bee colonies include African blue basil, lavender, bottlebrush, aloes, and flowering blackjacks. Bee forage areas can be planted on rocky outcrops, around and between crop fields and on road verges.

Product stewardship is essential and requires collaboration, engagement and support by all stakeholders. With proper stewardship, the broader industry can assure that best practices are being consistently implemented for with the safety of users, consumers and the environment in mind. This will include managing any risks to pollinators.

The following practises are recommended:

  • Use conservation agricultural practices.
  • Make use of an integrated pest management system.
  • Use pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides responsibly on and off the farm.
  • Use softer crop protection chemicals – specifically bee friendly products.
  • Make use of biological control methods.
  • Create a habitat that sustains and enhances pollinator colonies on the farm.
  • Plant appropriate vegetation that can act as refuge areas for the pollinators.
  • Do not clean planter equipment/hoppers near fields, especially around flowering plants.

More about SANSOR

SANSOR has served the needs of the South African Seed Industry for 30 years. Today, we support 118-member seed companies in various ways: from maintaining local and international seed certification standards, to ensuring that seed is produced, multiplied and marketed according to legislated standards and systems.
https://www.sansor.org

 



More news from: SANSOR - South African National Seed Organisation


Website: http://www.sansor.org

Published: May 25, 2022



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