From: "Bill Truesdell" <[log in to unmask]>

> They cost a lot more per acre to maintain, especially if you are a large
> operation.

    Bill introduces a point that I think a lot of the solitary bee
proponents miss, that is that they have their own problems, one of which is
the high labor cost.

    They are likewise subject to their own set of parasites, predators and
diseases, which of course can become much more significant when they are
concentrated for managed pollination.  And when concentrated for several
years, they also tend, inexplicably, to dwindle. There probably are more
pathogens than known.

   In the context of modern monoculture (which I don't forsee reverting to
polyculture anytime soon), the advocates of these bees, are often guilty of
hype.  We probably err when we speak of them as "alternative pollinators,"
which suggest that they can replace honeybees. We would be wiser to speak of
"supplemenetal pollinators."

   One of the points I have tried to make with my web page is that
pollinators are not interchangeable. Each has strengths and weakness, and
each varies in appropriateness for a particular task. Often the best
pollinator is a mix of pollinators.

    Please understand that I am NOT dissing blue orchard bees, or orchard
mason bees, or whatever you may call them. I have long been an advocate of
their study and development of their use for pollination. I am only
suggesting some reasonable caution in promoting them as a panacea for our
pollination problems.

   We need to focus a great deal more attention on ALL our pollinators.
Did you know there is a firm that markets blowflies for pollination?  I have
seen cucumbers nicely pollinated entirely by bombyliid flies.  This helps us
understand that different plant species have different pollination
mechanisms. Some are quite adaptable and generalist pollinators can function
quite well. A few plant species are so highly adapted that there is only one
pollinator, and its loss will mean the loss of that species of plant.

   The bickering that is sometimes seen between solitary bee proponents and
pollinating honeybeekeepers is not a good thing. Both groups are natural
allies, and should be working together, to build better pollination
management for our food crops, as well as to promote healthy biodiversity
wherever possible.

Dave Green   SC  USA
The Pollination Home Page:  http://pollinator.com