Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116Pollination 18 www.seed.ab.ca | Advancing Seed in Alberta DESPITE some doom and gloom reports of the demise of bee populations and a murderous rampage by pesticide applicators going after mosquitos in the southern U.S., the good news is bees are still doing well in Alberta. However, as an agricultural commodity that depends on other commodities and vice versa, beekeepers and crop producers need to work together. With careful management of honeybees, as well as additional food and habitat for wild pollinators, canola growers and producers of other flowering crops, such as buck- wheat, can count on a well-pollinated crop. It all comes down to communication to ensure healthy crops and hives, according to a beekeeper in Stony Plain, Alta. Lee Townsend suggests it’s easy to blame farmers when issues arise over bee health, such as is happening with the neonicotinoid debate, but he says keepers need to take some responsibility for looking after their operation. “In the mid-2000s, we had issues and we couldn’t figure it out,” Townsend explains. “We formed an alliance to develop a hive health initiative and, in three years, we understood our issues and were well equipped to deal with them. We had trouble with varroa mite controls no longer working and we had to figure out how to get ahead of them. We also looked at hive location and using good bee stock. It was a lot of work but we got it turned around. We never considered neonicotinoids or any other agro- chemical to be a problem for the bees. Pesticides only become a problem if bees are weakened for other reasons.” In the end, Townsend suggests good management of bee colonies is the most important aspect of production, which requires working alongside neighbours. He says if there could be a benefit of all the negative publicity over the last few years, it would be the increased knowledge about the bee industry. One way growers can help bee producers and reap the ben- efits of having bees in the neighbourhood is to provide additional food that will keep both wild and managed bees in the area. Researcher Jessamyn Manson, an adjunct professor of biologi- cal sciences at University of Alberta, says keeping wildflowers or seeded forage crops along the verges of a field will keep bees in closer proximity to flowering crops. “Scientific data suggests that more bees and more types of bees are good for seed yield,” Manson reports. “Bees are a resource that are already in the environment and, if we can manage them for better use, crop producers will benefit.” Manson adds wild pollinators can actually do a better job pol- linating some crops than honey bees, but if provided, there can be enough food for all pollinators. She says wild flowering plants and nesting habitat at the edge of the field will encourage wild pollinators to overwinter, which will put them in a good position to start work in the spring. She has some concerns about pesti- cides and would like to see a system of integrated pollination and pest management. Another beekeeper and the former chair of the Alberta Bee- keepers Bee Health committee agrees with Manson’s suggestion of providing bee habitat on the verges. Adam Ovinge would like to see the wasteland corners of pivot irrigation seeded to bee forage as well. “We’d like to see a cover crop in those areas,” Ovinge explains. “This would benefit the environment and protect pollinators. It would reduce discing or plowing to keep weeds controlled and Bees are the oft misunderstood and unsung heros of agricultural production. GOOD BUZZ GOOD BUZZ How to get a Bees are still doing well in Alberta. Photo: Janet Kanters