6-1-95
   I often check fields for pollinator activity.  Last week I looked at a
watermelon field, with no beehives in sight, and on several counts, averaged
35 - 40 bees (all honeybees) sighted in one minute.  I do not know if there
were wild bees, or beehives placed out of sight.  It was about four acres,
and was just beginning to bloom.  It was bounded by swampland with hardwood
forest, so there could have been some wild honeybees.
 
   Today, I looked at a 60 acre field that was a dismal sight.  It was
planted March 15 and should have some nearly ripe fruit.  There was a
scattering of crown bloom that looked fairly good, but it was very sparse.
 Fruit that formed within the past two to three weeks was mostly grotesquely
deformed, and fruit that formed in the last week mostly consisted of small
wrinkled sacks that probably will soon drop off.
 
   The farmer, a young man, was very discouraged.  He had spent a lot of time
removing deformed fruit.  The vines had been planted early, and looked
healthy and vigorous.  There was a lot of bloom.
 
   At mid-morning (maximum pollinator activity) on a partly cloudy, 80 degree
day (ideal pollinating weather) with plenty of soil moisture, I watched for
five minutes and saw only 2 honeybees and 2 tiny solitary bees.
 
   The farmer had not yet identified his problem, though he knew he had one.
 He was just beginning to suspect pollination.  He said he had seen carpenter
bees working some on the early bloom, and he showed me their nest sites in an
old packhouse.  This would account for the earlier set, but they had gone
into the dormant period about 2 - 3 weeks ago.   Thank God for carpenter bees
(which so many people are determined to exterminate)!
 
   There was a large acreage of woodland surrounding, but it had all been
clearcut, removing wild honeybee next sites.
 
   I tell growers of vine crops that they should be able to stand still in
the field during maximum pollinator activity, and count 50 bees of any kind
within one minute.  Then they know they are in good shape.
 
   Three years ago, in the majority of watermelon, cuke, cantaloupe, and
squash fields, we achieved that count easily after placing the hives.  Today,
the majority of the fields fall below that level, even after we place the
bees.
 
   While carpenter bees were plentiful throughout the area this spring, I
have yet to locate any bumblebee nests, and have seen only a dozen or so
foraging.  I usually see a lot of solitary bees on cucurbits.  These are also
very rare this year.  I had severe losses last season during cotton bloom
from pesticide misuse, and I assume the bumble bees and solitary bees were
affected similarly to honeybees.  Cotton acreage has increased dramatically
in the past three years, and misuse of pesticides is making me seriously
think of quitting.
 
   I also watch markets closely.  The early watermelons from south Florida
had many symtoms of poor pollination; less than 25% appeared well pollinated.
 The last pickings did improve somewhat.
Right now the melons are coming in from north Florida and south Georgia, and
they look pretty good, with 65 - 70% well pollinated.
 
    Very few consumers, and even a surprising number of growers don't know
why the melons are of such poor quality.
 
   This young man did everything right, except pollination, and could have
made a killing on the early market, but he will only have late, and low
priced melons now.  I hope he does not get discouraged and quit.  We have so
few young farmers.
 
Copyright, 1995,  Dave Green
Permission granted to reproduce for non profit purposes, with attribution.
 Contact author for commercial reproduction.
 
[log in to unmask]    Dave Green
Eastern Pollinator Newsletter
PO Box 1215, Hemingway, SC   29554