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Honeybees: Our valuable friends
Jan 30, 2012 02:17 PM
Honeybees are the most economically valuable pollinators of agricultural crops worldwide. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said honeybees pollinate about one-third of the U.S. diet. One-third of the estimated value of commercial honey bee pollination is alfalfa, mostly alfalfa hay and 10% for apples, 6-7% for almonds, citrus, cotton and soybeans. More than 2 million bee colonies are rented for pollination, the Dakotas accounted for a combined 27% of all bee colonies, with California at 14%, and Florida at 7%, and about 4% -5% is accounted in Idaho. About half of the nation’s honeybee colonies (an estimated 1.3 million colonies) are used to pollinate California’s current 550,000 acres of almond trees.
Honeybees are not just used for pollination. Doctors use the honeybee’s stings to help relief arthritis. In ancient Egypt, they used honey for medicine. They helped pollinate farms in the Dark Ages as well. Honeybees have been around longer than humans. Bee pollen has also been used for other health benefits.
As the demand for bees increases, the colonies have been decreasing. In 2006, scientists coined a new term, Colony Collapse Disorder, to report number of bee colony losses and die-off. Beekeepers in 35 states have reported losses. The National Research Council literature reports losses due to bee pesticide, parasites, pathogens and disease.
Since we are a pesticide company, we have regulations to help protect the bees and their colonies. Those regulations are written on the labels of the chemicals we use. One of the regulations is not to spray flowering trees while in bloom.
As homeowners, we also have a responsibility to protect the bees and their colonies. Read your labels and understand the chemicals you use. And if you have any neighbors that have colonies, let them know before you spray so they can help protect them.
If we use the right chemical at the right time, we are insuring that the bees will be around to continue benefiting mankind by pollinating our crops and serving in other useful ways.
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Honeybees: Our valuable friends
Honeybees are the most economically valuable pollinators of agricultural crops worldwide. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said honeybees pollinate about one-third of the U.S. diet. One-third of the estimated value of commercial honey bee pollination is alfalfa, mostly alfalfa hay and 10% for apples, 6-7% for almonds, citrus, cotton and soybeans. More than 2 million bee colonies are rented for pollination, the Dakotas accounted for a combined 27% of all bee colonies, with California at 14%, and Florida at 7%, and about 4% -5% is accounted in Idaho. About half of the nation’s honeybee colonies (an estimated 1.3 million colonies) are used to pollinate California’s current 550,000 acres of almond trees.Honeybees are not just used for pollination. Doctors use the honeybee’s stings to help relief arthritis. In ancient Egypt, they used honey for medicine. They helped pollinate farms in the Dark Ages as well. Honeybees have been around longer than humans. Bee pollen has also been used for other health benefits.
As the demand for bees increases, the colonies have been decreasing. In 2006, scientists coined a new term, Colony Collapse Disorder, to report number of bee colony losses and die-off. Beekeepers in 35 states have reported losses. The National Research Council literature reports losses due to bee pesticide, parasites, pathogens and disease.
Since we are a pesticide company, we have regulations to help protect the bees and their colonies. Those regulations are written on the labels of the chemicals we use. One of the regulations is not to spray flowering trees while in bloom.
As homeowners, we also have a responsibility to protect the bees and their colonies. Read your labels and understand the chemicals you use. And if you have any neighbors that have colonies, let them know before you spray so they can help protect them.