Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/14
Outputs
Target Audience: The target audience for the efforts reported here are the approximate 450 Maine wild blueberry growers. This group frams mostly in Washington county (ca. 70%). The median age is about 60 years old and about 30% are full-time growers.Most growers are conventionally based growers that practice IPM (80%) and almost 20% are organic.Eighty percent of the grpwers are male, but 40% farm with a spouse. Most of the growers are white, although the Passamaquoddy tribe owns and farms a substantial amount of land (ca. 2,000 acres). Rose et al. (2010) describes in much more detail the Maine wild blueberry grower target audience. My efforts for adressing the target audience have been directed at oral presentations and written Extension Factsheets. I made three oral presentations in the past year and I am currently working on rewritting a Factsheet on utilization of commercial bumble bees for pollination with my collaborator, Mr. Gaetan Chiasson, from New Brunswick, Canada, Provincial Blueberry Specialist. Changes/Problems: There were no major changes or problems in the approaches used in this project What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? This project has afforded the opportunity to train 2 graduate students and a total of 7 undergraduate students in pollination ecology and bee biology. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The results of this project have been published in 3 scientific peer reviewed journal articles and 1 Extension videos and 1 forth coming Extension updated bumble bee management factsheet. In addition, 6 oral presentations at scientific meetings and 5 grower presentations and field day workshops were delivered during this project. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Under the goals set for this project I accomplished the foillowing. I developed new guidelines for managing commercial bumble bees in wild blueberry in Maine. A new Extension factsheet will be coming out on this during the spring of 2015. I also investigated the risk of disease from commercial bumble bee use that might affect native wild bumble bee populations and found no evidence for such a risk. I have also secured funding through a cooperative project with the Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Department to initiate a citizen science survey of native bumble bee abundance and distribution throughout the state of Maine. The last accomplishment was to increase the use of bumble bees as an alternative pollinator (substitution for honeybees) in wild blueberry. Currently, as of spring 2014, 3100 quads are brought into Maine for pollination. At the recommended rate of 1 quad / acre this suggests that about 3100 acres of wild blueberry or about 1% of the crop is being pollinated by commercial bumble bees.
Publications
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Progress 10/01/12 to 09/30/13
Outputs
Target Audience: The target audience is the community of Maine wild or lowbush blueberry growers (approximately 450). This audience represents an older segment of the Maine population (on average > 65 yrs) and it also represents a segment of the population that has a low level of education. The largest ethnic segment in the community is the Passamaquoddy tribe that manages extensive blueberry land holdings. My efforts for adressing the target audience have been directed at oral presentations and written Extension Factsheets. I made three oral presentations in the past year and I am currently working on rewritting a Factsheet on utilization of commercial bumble bees for pollination with my collaborator, Mr. Gaetan Chiasson, from New Brunswick, Canada, Provincial Blueberry Specialist. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Training has been received by one of my graduate students, Ms. Kalyn Bickerman. She has developed a cooperation with Dr. Troy Anderson at Virginia Tech. University. His knowledge of toxicology has helped us greatly in determining how exposure to insecticides affects bumble bee health. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? So far our results have been disseminated through three published scientific journal articles and five oral presenttions to blueberry growers in Maine. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Two project objectives have not been fully completed and they will be addressed over the next year. they are: obj 2. Disease Assessment: Estimate disease in commercial and native bumble bees in blueberry growing areas that have relied extensively on commercial bumble bees in the past decade for pollination and in growing areas where bumble bees have not been used before. I HAVE CONTINUED TO ASSESS DISEASE INCIDENCE IN BUMBLE BEES IN ADDITIONAL FIELDS AND PLAN ON CONDUCTING A LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS OF DISEASE TO DETERMINE IF HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS ARE RELATED TO BUMBLE BEE HEALTH; and obj 3. Native Bumble Bee Fauna Survey: Conduct a survey of native bumble bee species in blueberry fields and compare the survey to one conducted in 1997 and 1998. This study is not complete. It was initiated in 2009 and it will be finished in the summer of 2014. Currently I have collected and identified over 1,000 bumble bee specimens throughout the state. At this point we have definitive evidence that the high abundance and common nature of B. terricola is no longer the case. It is now spatially rare in Maine, and could be extinct in southern New England. It is also noteworthy that B. borealis, a species thought to be quite rare in the U.S. is quite abundant in northern Aroostook County. This project was not written specifically as an integrated proposal, but I have been updating blueberry and other small fruit growers on best management practices with bumble bees and I plan to write two extension bulletins on bumble bee best management with my colleague Mr. Gaetan Chiasson. One bulletin will be in English and one will be in French.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The projects that have been met in this project are:1. Management of commercial bumble bees: Investigate specific behaviors and biology of the commercial bumble bee for the purpose of enhancing pollination in lowbush blueberry; and2. Disease Assessment: Estimate disease in commercial and native bumble bees in blueberry growing areas that have relied extensively on commercial bumble bees in the past decade for pollination and in growing areas where bumble bees have not been used before. Several outcomes have been produced from this project. Management techniques for the commercial bumble bee, Bombus impatiens, specific to lowbush blueberry production have been developed. The role of bear protection, insecticide exposure to foraging workers, spring feeding, pollen and brood extraction, hive orientation, and improved hive bodies have been evaluated. In addition, techniques for measuring colony strength and the hive stocking density for optimal yield in blueberry fields have been determined. Commercial bumble bees also have diseases. I conducted several studies to assess the impact of these diseases and the likelihood that commercial bumble bees are a threat to wild native bumble bees in Maine. I was not able to show a significant risk for commercial bumble bees foraging in the same area as native bumble bees to transmit the most prevalent pathogen, Nosema bombi. However, there is still concern that commercial bumble bees may be of concern relative to recent declines in wild native bumble bees. Because of this I have initiated a statewide survey of the bumble bees of Maine to determine if Maine has lost diversity since the 1960s. The outcomes already accomplished have been transferred to blueberry growers during the annual blueberry schools. However, an updated bumble bee management University of Maine Cooperative Extension Factsheet is planned for publication and distribution during this last year of the project. So far the impacts have been that blueberry growers are diversifying their pollination tactics, away from a sole reliance on honey bees, and included in this progress is the adoption of commercial bumble bees. I expect that a few more growers may adopt bumble bees as honey bee rentals continue to rise, but the main impact of this project is that blueberry growers will become more knowledgeable in the use of this pollinator and become more cost effective in their deployment.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Bushmann, S.L., F. A. Drummond, L. A. Beers, and E.Groden. 2012. Wild bumblebee (Bombus) diversity and Nosema (Microsporidia: Nosematidae) infection levels associated with lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) production and commercial bumblebee pollinators. Psyche 2012, Article ID 429398, 11 pp., doi:10.1155/2012/429398.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Drummond, F.A. 2012. Commercial bumble bee pollination of lowbush blueberry. Intl. J. Fruit Sci. 12(1-3): 54-64.
- Type:
Books
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Rose, A., F.A. Drummond, D.E. Yarborough, and E. Asare. 2013. Maine wild blueberry growers: A 2010 economic and sociological analysis of a traditional Downeast crop in transition. Maine Agricultural & Forest Experiment Station Miscellaneous Report 445.
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Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The outputs for our commercial bumble bee research that was completed in 2012 were presented to Maine wild blueberry growers in four University of Maine Cooperative Extension grower meetings. These meetings were held at three commercial fields in May 2012 and at the University of Maine Blueberry Hill Research Farm in July 2012. About 260 growers attended these meetings. Oral presentations were presented providing up to date information on management of commercial bumble bees specifically in wild blueberry. In addition, a Powerpoint presentation and scientific journal paper was published in order to reach the scientific community interested in using Bombus impatiens for pollination of blueberry. The Powerpoint presentation was given at the annual North American Blueberry Research and extension Workers meeting in Kalamazoo, Michigan. PARTICIPANTS: The participants on my commercial bumble bee research project are Dr. David Yarborough of the Maine Cooperative extension. Dr. Yarborough has been involved in organizing grower field meetings for my presentations. He also will be involved in assisting me write and publish an extension bulletin on bumble bees. Dr. Guy Chaisson in New Brunswick, Canada has been a collaborator of mine and he has been involved in conducting paired experiments with me for the past three field seasons. We plan to collaborate on writing an extension fact sheet in both English and French. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience for this project are the wild blueberry growers in Maine and New Brunswick, Canada. There are 435 blueberry growers in Maine and several hundred in New Brunswick. A survey conducted in 2010 was used to collect a baseline on grower knowledge in regards to commercial bumble bee use. We hope to conduct a followup survey in 2014 in order to determine their adoption and knowledge of commercial bumble bees. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Our research has determined the number of bumble bees to monitor in a field setting in order to estimate colony strength. This information will allow growers to monitor their own colonies to determine if they have the necessary field force to provide adequate pollination. In addition, we determined that limiting both pollen and nectar stores in the colony will stimulate foraging. However, bumble bees can starve quickly with the onset of cold, wet weather and so we have decided not to recommend this drastic step which only results in a 10-20% increase in foraging rates. The most interesting finding during this period was that bumble bee visits to blueberry flowers can increase the pollination efficacy of honey bees. This occurs due to bumble bees dislodging large amounts of pollen from the flower and upon subsequent visitation by honey bees, an increase by 100% of the pollen picked up by honey bees results in greater proportion fruit set. I am in the process of writing an extension publication on bumble bee use by wild blueberry growers to extend this knowledge to the grower community.
Publications
- Drummond, F.A. 2012. Commercial bumble bee pollination of lowbush blueberry. Intl. J. Fruit Sci. 12(1-3): 54-64.
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Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: On 25 May 2011, four bumble bee quads were placed in a blooming lowbush blueberry field in Winterport, Maine. The quads were obtained from Koppert, Inc. (Romulus, MI). Each of the four hives in each quad was randomly delegated to each of four treatments. There were four replicates in a randomized block design (quad as a block). The treatments were: 1) no colony manipulation (control, referred to as brood + sugar), 2) all brood in colony removed, referred to as sugar, 3) all sugar syrup that comes with shipped colony removed, referred to as brood, and 4) both brood and sugar removed, referred to as no brood or sugar. Quads were opened in a dark laboratory on 23 May and with the aid of a red light the treatments were imposed. Starting on 28 May and continuing on days 3, 7, 10, 13, and 14 June bees returning to each hive were counted for 1 minute early in the morning and then again in the evening just prior to dusk. The sequences of the hives counted were randomized at each time period. A multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to determine if differences in bee activity were due to treatment manipulations. RESULTS: Colonies that had sugar syrup removed or both brood and sugar syrup removed, foraged more actively throughout bloom (F(3,12) = 6.952; P = 0.006). However, there was a time x treatment interaction (F(15,30) = 19.814; P < 0.0001) suggesting that the increased foraging activity was not consistent. CONCLUSIONS: The enhanced foraging activity of the colonies without sugar syrup and those without brood and sugar syrup suggest that if bumble bee colonies are provided with ample sugar syrup they will forage less than if they have no reserves in the colony. However, this increased foraging activity only appeared to last for the first few days of foraging. Thus, manipulation of colonies at the onset of bloom is most likely not a management practice that should be practiced since adverse weather conditions could lead to starvation of colonies if no adult food is accessible in the hive. PARTICIPANTS: In addition to the PI, Dr. Frank Drummond, who does all of the research and extension outreach, Dr. David Yarborough is involved as the blueberry fruit extension specialist. His role is to help disseminate management practices regarding commercial bumble bees and to assist in identifying grower participants for the research. TARGET AUDIENCES: Maine lowbush blueberry growers, about 500 in the state of Maine, a small percent of these growers and farm workers are Native Americans of the Passamaquoddy tribe. Efforts for reaching the audience is focused on face to face interactions. Twilight grower meetings are held three times during the growing season in three regions of the state. In addition, one annual field day is held in Jonesboro, Maine and one winter blueberry school is held in three areas of the state. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: no changes in methodology or objectives for this reporting period
Impacts
Blueberry growers continue to increase their adoption of bumble bees for pollination. A 9% increase in the use of bumble bee colonies was seen in 2011. However, as growers become more accustomed to using bumble bees, more growers voice their concerns about quality control of colonies, meaning that several growers felt that within their complement of bumble bee colonies, several colonies showed little to no flight activity during bloom. In order to enhance flight activity our 2011 research results suggest that growers prevent access to bumble bee colony access to the sugar syrup that is supplied with the colonies by the bee rearing company. Four extension talks (three twilight meetings in growers fields and one field day at the University of Maine Blueberry Hill) were given to Maine lowbush blueberry growers in June and July of 2011. The focus of these talks was how to manage bumble bees for pollination in lowbush blueberry and their potential to transmit mummy berry disease.
Publications
- Drummond, F.A. 2012. Commercial bumble bee pollination of lowbush blueberry. Small Fruit Journal, IN PRESS.
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Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Four extension talks were given to Maine lowbush blueberry growers in June and July of 2010. The focus of these talks was how to manage bumble bees for pollination in lowbush blueberry and their potential to transmit mummy berry disease. PARTICIPANTS: In addition to the PI, Dr. Frank Drummond, who does all of the research and extension outreach, Dr. David Yarborough is involved as the blueberry fruit extension specialist. His role is to help disseminate management practices regarding commercial bumble bees. TARGET AUDIENCES: target audience: Maine lowbush blueberry growers, about 400 in the state of Maine, a small percent of these growers and farm workers are Native Americans of the Passamaquoddy tribe efforts for reaching audience: much of the effort is focused on face to face interactions. Twilight grower meetings are held three times during the growing season in three regions of the state. In addition, one annual field day is held in Jonesboro, Maine and one winter blueberry school is held in three areas of the state. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The only outcome that I can report upon is that Maine lowbush blueberry growers have been increasing the number of commercial bumble bees hives that they use each year since the initiation of my research. This increase in the use of bumble bees is not evenly distributed over the four groups or types of growers. Organic growers rely upon bumble bees the most (31%) a d this compares to an equal investment by these growers in honey bees (38%). Conventional and no-spray growers use bumble bees at a low rate (8% and 0%) compared to a relatively high investment in honey bees, 75% and 50%; respectively. Twenty-seven percent of IPM growers invest in bumble bees whereas 88% of them rent honey bees.
Publications
- Bell, D.J., L.J. Rowland, and F.A. Drummond. 2010. Does pollen neighborhood affect berry yield in lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) Small Fruit Journal.
- Drummond, F.A. 2010. Commercial bumble bee pollination of lowbush blueberry. Small Fruit Journal.
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