"not as prone to the headline-catching colony collapse disorder that has decimated honeybee populations, says Cornell entomology professor Bryan Danforth."

Then maybe they don't need to be included in the NYS Pollinator Protection Plan after all?

"An individual visit by a native bee is actually worth far more than an individual visit by a honeybee," Danforth added. "Honeybees are more interested in the nectar. They don't really want the pollen if they can avoid it. The wild, native bees are mostly pollen collectors. They are collecting the pollen to take back to their nests."

Then why don't my hives in apple pollination gain any weight? I have never seen any appreciable amount of apple nectar in my hives. I know only one NY beekeeper who sells Apple Honey. 

I would love to know what makes Danforth think that one bee is only interested in the nectar and the other only interested in the pollen. They both take pollen back to their nests, don't they? It isn't like the honeybee shunts the pollen outside the hive.

I may be being defensive because I'm a beekeeper. Duh!!

I don't think there is enough known or appreciated about what goes on in an orchard or grove during bloom to say that one species of bee is superior over another, implying that one is not necessary to successfully pollinate a fruit crop. 

My blueberry grower, in NC, has seen for himself what it is like for him and his blueberries when he has relied only on native pollinators, the NC blueberry bee, when he has relied on supplemental pollination by purchased bumblebees, and when he has taken care to not harm the blueberry bee and paid a beekeeper to supply beehives. He finds he get the best crop when he encourages the Native Pollinator Population by paying attention to when they are going to be there and also paying a beekeeper to bring in hives. I am slowly getting him to realize that bees fly, so setting them down in small drops is not necessary to get the coverage he wants.

I guess I would want to know from Danforth whether he is aware of that. I would also like to know from the Cornell IPM Program Director, Jennifer Grant, if the Cornell IPM Program is encouraging fruit and vegetable growers in NY to not employ beekeepers. I know there is a pamphlet that was produced by the IPM Program which speaks to that idea.

I would love someone to do a study to determine how much growers spend on each thing they do, pay money for, to produce and harvest a crop. I suspect that per acre paying a beekeeper to place beehives in their orchard or grove is the least expensive thing they pay for which insures the quality of their crop.

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