Hi all

As you can imagine, there are countless studies supporting the need for honey bees in pollinating apples as well as so many other fruits. Most of these studies acknowledge the role of wild bees including native and non-native species. The chief difference between managed and non-managed bees is that when a beekeeper contracts for pollination, he or she is bound to provide the pollination. 

Wild bees are variable, abundant some years and not others, and are not obligated to show up. Suppose apple growers stop using honey bees because researchers at Cornell said they don't need them. And then they get a poor crop. Are the researchers going to feel responsible? Whereas, beekeepers bust their backs all winter down in Florida or the Carolinas to have the bees in good shape to do the job the beeks are paid to do.

Having sufficient bees for pollination of apples is not just about getting a lot of apples, it's about getting well pollinated fruit which is of high quality. Often the growers use thinning sprays to reduce the numbers which results in a better quality crop. Producing top quality fruit is not easy, and growers are unlikely to leave much to chance, like whether there are bees in the orchards. 

Recommendations for enhancing wild bee populations are speculative at best, and bringing wild bees into an ag setting puts them in conflict with many standard agricultural practices such as tilling and spraying. As I have said in the past, to promote wild bees by championing them as tools for agricultural use is the wrong approach and may do more harm than good.

PLB

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