Last week
the Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture (ATTTA), in partnership with the
Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture (NSDA) and the Resilient Agriculture Landscape
Program (RALP) hosted a session on protecting pollinators from environmental
stressors in Masstown, NS (with a virtual option to join). To learn more about
this important event read this week’s blog.
Review: Protecting Pollinator Session
The ATTTA
team is involved in an ongoing initiative to educate and support beekeepers and
blueberry growers to protect both managed and wild pollinators from
environmental stressors, and to provide suitable habitat for pollinators. Last
year, ATTTA published a guide on protecting pollinators from pesticides on wild
blueberry fields (https://www.perennia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/P2C_WildBlueberry_Guide_ENG-FINAL.pdf). It was agreed that publishing this
guide would be the starting point for a series of industry education opportunities
around protecting both managed and wild pollinators. To meet this initiative,
ATTTA worked with the NSDA to organize this event that occurred last week in
Nova Scotia. The session was well attended with approximately 30 in-person
industry representatives and an additional 60 participants online.
The event
consisted of two excellent guest speakers. Professor Nigel Raine (Rebanks
Family Chair in Pollinator Conservation, School of Environmental Sciences,
University of Guelph) is a global leader in the fields of behaviour ecology and
conservation of pollinators, and has spent most of the last decade working on
the impacts of environmental stressors (such as pesticide exposure) on wild
bees. His work combines internationally excellent research, and engagement with
policymakers and other conservation stakeholder groups.
Professor Raine
discussed the global decline in insect biodiversity, which includes the decline
of pollinating species. Currently, 4% of bees are at risk of extinction. The
world is losing their biodiversity of pollinators due to the impacts of habitat
loss, pathogens, pesticides, invasive species, climate change, and the
interactions of these factors. Climate change is impacting the geographic range
of pollinators, where with increasing temperatures various species are moving
northward. Additionally, climate change is affecting the timing and range of
flowering plants, which impacts the forage available to pollinators. Professor Raine
discussed what society can do to help maintain the biodiversity and abundance
of pollinators. For example, society can plant species of plants that will
provide ground nests for wild bees and that will provide forage for
pollinators. It is essential that humans work to protect pollinators for our
own food security considering that 75% of major food crops depend on
pollinators.
The second
speaker of the session was Dr. Nancy McLean. Dr. McLean (Associate Professor
and Assistant Dean, Dalhousie University Faculty of Agriculture, Department of
Plant, Food, and Environmental Sciences) is trained in agronomy and plant
genetics. She has worked at the Dalhousie Faculty of Agriculture since 1986,
and teaches several courses that cover her research interests of forage crop
management, cover crops, and plant-pollinator interactions.
Dr. McLean
discussed plant-pollinator interactions. She explained how some bees are
generalists (pollinating a variety of species) and some are specialists. Dr. McLean
discussed buzz pollination, which is a technique used by some bees (ex. bumble
bees) where the rapid vibrations of an insect’s wings causes the plant to
release pollen. Mclean explained that pollen quality differs between various
plant species. For bees, plants that produce pollen with greater that 20% crude
protein are considered an excellent source of pollen. When considering what
species to plant for pollinators it is important to consider the amount of
protein available within the pollen, the amount and quality of nectar produced
by the plant, and the bloom period of the plant. It is important that
pollinators have forage available throughout the season, which requires a
variety of plants with varying bloom periods. Dr. McLean has done considerable
research on good seed mixes for pollinators, considering factors such as pollen
and nectar quality, bloom period, cost, presence of weeds in farm land, and
multi-purpose (riparian zones). Dr. McLean’s recommended seed mix consists of
timothy, alsike clover, red clover, sweet clover, birdsfoot trefoil, and
phacelia.
The event
also consisted of a small tradeshow. There was representation from the Nova
Scotia Beekeepers’ Association, Veseys Seeds, Halifax Seed Company, and
Dalhousie Extended Learning. Executive members of the Wild Blueberry Producers
Association of Nova Scotia were also in attendance. Thank you to all
presenters, tradeshow representatives, industry representatives, and to all
those who attended the event. We look forward to continuing the discussion and
education on protecting pollinators.
Connecting with ATTTA Specialists
If you’d like to connect with ATTTA specialists or learn more about our program, you can:
visit our website at https://www.perennia.ca/portfolio-items/honey-bees/
Email attta@perennia.ca
