THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 30, 1997 TAG: 9701300358
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY JEFFREY S. HAMPTON, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: 79 lines
Farmers are feeling the sting of a beleaguered bee population.
During the last 10 years, two small parasites have decimated the honey bee population, alarming Albemarle area agricultural experts.
Honeybees are essential to the pollination of apples, blueberries and vine crops such as cucumbers and watermelons.
``There will be no cucumbers without insect visitation,'' said Adolphus Leonard, a bee inspector with the N.C. Department of Agriculture.
Scientists, extension agents and beekeepers met Tuesday at the Pasquotank Agricultural Extension Building in Elizabeth City to discuss the bees' plight.
``We are very concerned,'' Dr. John T. Ambrose, a professor and apiculturist at N.C. State University, said from his office Wednesday. ``This is a serious problem.''
Nationally, 30 percent of the managed honeybee colonies and 90 percent of the wild colonies have disappeared in the last five years, Ambrose said.
``People are calling to say, `I'm just not seeing bees in my back yard anymore,' '' Ambrose said.
``It's been terrible,'' said J.C. Ferrell of Pasquotank County, who has been a beekeeper since 1972. Ferrell once had 20 hives. But last year, the mites destroyed his last four hives.
In the past, agriculture extension agents spent little time worrying about pollination. But without wild bees, beekeepers take on a major role in crop production. Agents across the state are recruiting farmers to establish bee hives where there are none.
Studies have shown that cucumbers and watermelons do not fruit without a bee visit. For the best fruit, the plants need 12 to 18 bee visits, Ambrose said. The problem extends to other vegetables, too.
``Home gardeners are complaining about yields of cucumbers, squash and pumpkins,'' said Tom Campbell, agricultural extension agent for Pasquotank County. Campbell blames such problems on the lack of bees.
Scientists like Ambrose are busily researching ways to control the two types of mites causing all the trouble.
Tracheal mites, first found in North Carolina in 1984, feed on the body fluids of the bee. Menthol crystals are the only known chemical treatment.
Varroa mites, first found in the state in 1990, are the most serious bee pests. These mites are about the size of a seed tick and feed on bee larvae from the outside. Beekeepers control varroa mites by inserting a strip in the hive treated with a chemical called Apistan.
So far, domestic bees are responding to the keepers' chemicals.
``We have the managed bee population stabilized,'' Ambrose said. ``There is no practical way to treat the feral (wild) bees. We should be able to treat the managed bees and have that spill over into wild colonies. This is something, in time, we will correct. It will be a number of years before feral bee colonies recover.''
There are over 12,000 beekeepers in North Carolina - more than any other state, according to a pamplet published by the N.C. State Beekeepers Association. North Carolina's managed bees:
Make about 6 million pounds of honey a year valued at $5.5 million.
Produce 120,000 pounds of beeswax.
Contribute $30 million to the agricultural economy through pollination.
Ferrell has made candles, furniture polish and lubricants from his bees' wax. The bees also produce a natural antibiotic called propolis, Ferrell said.
He gives away much of the honey his hives produce. For Ferrell, a deputy with the Pasquotank County Sheriff's office, beekeeping is just a hobby. Bee proponents want others to get interested in their industry.
A new wooden hive and supplies cost about $110. Three pounds of bees from a mail-order catalog - complete with a queen bee - sells for $30. One pound of bees contains about 40,000 insects. A hobbyist can spend as little as three or four hours a week to take care of a hive, Ferrell said.
Bees pollinate or fertilize plants by crawling into the flower to get to the nectar. In the process, pollen attaches itself to hairs on the bee. As the bee gathers nectar, the pollen passes from the male parts to the female parts of the plant and begins the process of making fruit. Bees use nectar for making honey.
There are several types of honey, depending on where the bee gathers nectar. The most prevalent honey in North Carolina comes from the tulip poplar, Ambrose said. It has a dark color. Clover produces a light-colored honey. Bees can make honey from any plant that produces nectar.
``One of the major honey plants in North Carolina in the last few years is cotton,'' Ambrose said.
For information on beekeeping call Campbell at 338-3954.