Progress 10/01/08 to 09/30/11

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Apples are an important crop in New York State. New York is the second largest producer of apples in the United States with an average of 25 million bushels of apples produced annually by a total of approximately 694 commercial growers and annual sales reaching $261 million (USDA NASS, 2008; http://www.nass.usda.gov/). There are an estimated 17,000 people who work in the handling, distribution, marketing, processing and shipping of apples in New York State. Bountiful apple harvests would not exist if it were not for bee pollinators. Successful apple production requires pollination by insects, primarily bees. In 2008, we began a project to investigate the abundance and diversity of native bees in apple orchards in NY State. Our goal was to determine if native bees provide a viable alternative to honey bees in apple pollination and to provide growers with advice on how to maintain native bee diversity and abundance. Specifically, our project has two main goals: (1) assess grower awareness and perceptions regarding pollination services provided by native bees and (2) survey bee diversity and abundance in apple orchards of various size and management regime. Methods 1. Grower survey In Spring, 2009 we conducted a survey of the approximately 690 commercial apple growers in New York state with the help of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York Field Office. Our survey included 24 questions related grower practices and perceptions about native bees as pollinators. An initial survey was conducted by mail with additional respondents contacted by phone. A total of 262 growers in 43 counties responded to all or part of the survey. The survey included statistics on the size of the orchard, the management practices used (conventional, IPM, or organic), and the number of apple varieties grown. This initial survey of New York apple growers provides baseline information on current management practices, knowledge and willingness to enhance wild bee pollination in apple orchards. 2. Bee survey In May 2009 to May 2011 we conducted biodiversity surveys of native bees in 22 orchards in Wayne County, NY, a major apple-growing region of NY. On warm, sunny days between 10am and 2pm we netted bees visiting apple blossoms in 10 orchards using the following two methods: (1) "General collecting" consisted of walking along rows of apple trees and netting any native bees we observed landing on or flying around apple blossoms. We did not collect honey bees during this type of survey and our goal was to characterize the diversity of native bee species present in each orchard. (2) "Time-trial collecting" consisted of collecting all bees (honey bees and native bees) during 15-minute intervals. For 15 minutes we walked down a row of apple trees and collected any bees observed. The 15-minute timed collections gave us information on bee abundance (numbers of individuals of different species) per unit time. These collections allowed us to compare both overall bee abundance as well as the relative abundance of native vs. honey bees. PARTICIPANTS: EJ Blitzer, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (post-doc) Mia Park, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (graduate student) Lori Moshman, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (undergraduate student) Julia Brokaw, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (undergraduate student) Christine Santiago, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (undergraduate student) Calvin Howard, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (undergraduate student) Jamer Bellis, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (undergraduate student) Andrew Debevec, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (undergraduate student) Keri San Miguel, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (temporary tech) Nancy Adamson, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (temporary tech) Jim Eve, Eve Farm Services (collaborator) TARGET AUDIENCES: Local Farmers (especially apple farmers) NY State residents The scientific community PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
1. Grower survey Two hundred sixty-two growers responded to the survey from over 43 counties. Growers surveyed provided a spatially representative sample of New York as shown by comparing percent apple growers by county from 2009 census data and percent respondents by county. Growers employed a variety of pest management regimes, with the majority using Integrated Pest Management (IPM). In terms of acres in production, respondents also represented state averages. Summary of grower responses: 59% of growers considered CCD a threat to successful apple production 85% of growers viewed native bees as important apple pollinators 68% of growers said they would consider management practices that would promote native bee diversity and abundance 93% of growers take pollinators into consideration when they select and apply pesticides 75% of growers estimate the number of native bee species in apple orchards to be less than 10 (the actual number is >80). 2. Bee survey Our bee survey revealed that there is an impressive diversity of bee species in the 22 orchards we have surveyed to date. Over our three-week collecting effort, we collected over 8000 specimens, which have now been individually labeled, identified to species, and entered into our Biota database. We collected a total of 102 species, which is approximately twice the number we expected based on a previous survey of bees in apple orchards in NY State (Gardner & Ascher 2006). Many of these species appear to be important apple pollinators, especially members of the genera Andrena, Osmia, and Bombus. Across all 22 orchards, native bees outnumbered honey bees in our 15-minute samples by a small margin. Our project involved significant student training. Mia Park, a graduate student in the department of Entomology, participated in the study by developing sampling protocols, contacting and communicating with growers, developing grower survey questions, collecting bees, databasing bees, and performing bee identifications. Our project employed six undergraduate students (Lori Moshman, Julia Brokaw, Christine Santiago, Calvin Howard, Jamer Bellis, Andrew Debevec), all of whom helped with bee survey work, bee databasing, bee identifications, and data analysis. These students gained considerable expertise in bee biology, taxonomy, computational biology, and pollination biology. We interacted significantly with growers in the study. We published a preliminary report on our project in the Spring 2010 issue of the New York State Fruit Quarterly (see below). Our report summarized the results of the grower survey, provided an analysis of native bee diversity and abundance in apple orchards, and provided suggestions to growers on what strategies to use to maintain a thriving native bee population. We are working closely with Jim Eve (Eve Farm Services) to disseminate our results and to identify growers/orchards for subsequent surveys. We are consulting with Julie Caroll (NY State Statewide Fruit IPM coordinator, NYSAES, Geneva, NY) to provide information to growers who are shifting from conventional orchard management to IPM and organic cultivation.

Publications

• No publications reported this period

Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/10

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Apples are an important crop in New York State. New York is the second largest producer of apples in the United States with an average of 25 million bushels of apples produced annually by a total of approximately 694 commercial growers and annual sales reaching $261 million (USDA NASS, 2008; http://www.nass.usda.gov/). There are an estimated 17,000 people who work in the handling, distribution, marketing, processing and shipping of apples in New York State. Bountiful apple harvests would not exist if it were not for bee pollinators. Successful apple production requires pollination by insects, primarily bees. In 2008, we began a project to investigate the abundance and diversity of native bees in apple orchards in NY State. Our goal was to determine if native bees provide a viable alternative to honey bees in apple pollination and to provide growers with advice on how to maintain native bee diversity and abundance. Specifically, our project has two main goals: (1) assess grower awareness and perceptions regarding pollination services provided by native bees and (2) survey bee diversity and abundance in apple orchards of various size and management regime. Methods 1. Grower survey In Spring, 2009 we conducted a survey of the approximately 690 commercial apple growers in New York state with the help of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York Field Office. Our survey included 24 questions related grower practices and perceptions about native bees as pollinators. An initial survey was conducted by mail with additional respondents contacted by phone. A total of 262 growers in 43 counties responded to all or part of the survey. 2. Bee survey In May 2010 we conducted biodiversity surveys of native bees in 10 orchards in Wayne County, NY, a major apple-growing region of NY. On warm, sunny days between 10am and 2pm we netted bees visiting apple blossoms in 10 orchards using the following two methods: (1) "General collecting" consisted of walking along rows of apple trees and netting any native bees we observed landing on or flying around apple blossoms. We did not collect honey bees during this type of survey and our goal was to characterize the diversity of native bee species present in each orchard. (2) "Time-trial collecting" consisted of collecting all bees (honey bees and native bees) during 15-minute intervals. For 15 minutes we walked down a row of apple trees and collected any bees observed. The 15-minute timed collections gave us information on bee abundance (numbers of individuals of different species) per unit time. These collections allowed us to compare both overall bee abundance as well as the relative abundance of native vs. honey bees. In both "general collecting" and "time-trial collecting", bees were killed in cyanide killing jars and later mounted on insect pins. Specimens were ultimately labeled with a unique barcoded label and subsequently entered into a relational database (Biota). Specimens were then determined to species using available taxonomic literature as well as comparison to authoritatively identified specimens in the Cornell University Insect Collection. PARTICIPANTS: Mia Park, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (graduate student); Michael Orr, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (undergraduate student) Lori Moshman, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (undergraduate student) Jim Eve, Eve Farm Services (collaborator) TARGET AUDIENCES: Local Farmers (especially apple farmers) NY State residents The scientific community PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Results 1. Grower survey Two hundred sixty-two growers responded to the survey from over 43 counties. Growers surveyed provided a spatially representative sample of New York as shown by comparing percent apple growers by county from 2009 census data and percent respondents by county. Growers employed a variety of pest management regimes, with the majority using Integrated Pest Management (IPM). In terms of acres in production, respondents also represented state averages. Summary of grower responses: 59% of growers considered CCD a threat to successful apple production 85% of growers viewed native bees as important apple pollinators 68% of growers said they would consider management practices that would promote native bee diversity and abundance 93% of growers take pollinators into consideration when they select and apply pesticides 75% of growers estimate the number of native bee species in apple orchards to be less than 10 (the actual number is >80). 2. Bee survey Our bee survey revealed that there is an impressive diversity of bee species in the 10 orchards we surveyed. Over our three-week collecting effort, we collected over 2000 specimens, which have now been individually labeled, identified to species, and entered into our Biota database. We collected a total of 81 species, which is approximately twice the number we expected based on a previous survey of bees in apple orchards in NY State (Gardner & Ascher 2006). Many of these species appear to be important apple pollinators, especially members of the genera Andrena, Osmia, and Bombus. Across all 10 orchards, native bees outnumbered honey bees in our 15-minute samples by a small margin. Overall, our second year of surveying bees has yielded exciting insights into the potential importance of native bees in agricultural pollination of apples. Numerically, our surveys suggest that native bees are very abundant in apple orchards and a number of previous studies have suggested that native bees, such as Andrena (Kendall 1973, Kendall & Solomon 1973), Osmia (Bosch & Kemp 2001) and Bombus (Thomson & Goodell 2001) are effective vectors of apple pollen. Our project involved significant student training. Mia Park, a graduate student in the department of Entomology, participated in the study by developing sampling protocols, contacting and communicating with growers, developing grower survey questions, collecting bees, databasing bees, and performing bee identifications. Two undergraduate students, Michael Orr and Lori Moshman, participated in the survey, developed the system for barcoding bees and the Biota database, and identified bees to species. These students gained considerable expertise in bee biology, taxonomy, computational biology, and pollination biology. We interacted significantly with growers over the past year. We published a preliminary report on our project in the Spring 2010 issue of the New York State Fruit Quarterly (see below). We are working closely with Jim Eve (Eve Farm Services) to disseminate our results and to identify growers/orchards for subsequent surveys.

Publications

• Park, M.G., M.C. Orr, & B.N. Danforth (2010). The role of native bees in apple pollination. New York State Fruit Quarterly 18(1): 21-25. Available at: http://www.nyshs.org/fq/10spring/the-role-of-native-bees-in-apple-pol lination.pdf

Progress 10/01/08 to 09/30/09

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Apples are an important crop in New York State. New York is the second largest producer of apples in the United States with an average of 25 million bushels of apples produced annually by a total of approximately 694 commercial growers and annual sales reaching $261 million (USDA NASS, 2008; http://www.nass.usda.gov/). There are an estimated 17,000 people who work in the handling, distribution, marketing, processing and shipping of apples in New York State. Successful apple production requires pollination by insects, primarily bees. Methods 1. Grower survey In May 2009 we conducted a survey of the approximately 690 commercial apple growers in New York state with the help of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York Field Office. Our survey included 24 questions related grower practices and perceptions about native bees as pollinators. An initial survey was conducted by mail with additional respondents contacted by phone. A total of 262 growers in 43 counties responded to all or part of the survey. The survey included statistics on the size of the orchard, the management practices used (conventional, IPM, or organic), and the number of apple varieties grown. This initial survey of New York apple growers provides baseline information on current management practices, knowledge and willingness to enhance wild bee pollination in apple orchards. 2. Bee survey At the same time (May 2009), we conducted biodiversity surveys of native bees in 12 orchards in the vicinity of Ithaca, NY. On warm, sunny days between 10am and 2pm we netted bees visiting apple blossoms in 11 orchards using the following two methods: (1) General collecting consisted of walking along rows of apple trees and netting any native bees we observed landing on or flying around apple blossoms. We did not collect honey bees during this type of survey and our goal was to characterize the diversity of native bee species present in each orchard. (2) Time-trial collecting consisted of collecting all bees (honey bees and native bees) during 15-minute intervals. For 15 minutes we walked down a row of apple trees and collected any bees observed. The 15-minute timed collections gave us information on bee abundance (numbers of individuals of different species) per unit time. These collections allowed us to compare both overall bee abundance as well as the relative abundance of native vs. honey bees. In both general collecting and time-trial collecting, bees were killed in cyanide killing jars and later mounted on insect pins. Specimens were ultimately labeled with a unique barcoded label and subsequently entered into a relational database (Biota). Specimens were then determined to species using available taxonomic literature as well as comparison to authoritatively identified specimens in the Cornell University Insect Collection (http://www2.entomology.cornell.edu/public/IthacaCampus/CUIC.html). PARTICIPANTS: Mia Park, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (graduate student); Michael Orr, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (undergraduate student) Lori Moshman, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (undergraduate student) Jim Eve, Eve Farm Services (collaborator) TARGET AUDIENCES: Local Farmers (especially apple farmers) NY State residents The scientific community PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
Results 1. Grower survey Two hundred sixty-two growers responded to the survey from over 43 counties. Growers surveyed provided a spatially representative sample of New York as shown by comparing percent apple growers by county from 2009 census data and percent respondents by county. Growers employed a variety of pest management regimes, with the majority using Integrated Pest Management (IPM). In terms of acres in production, respondents also represented state averages. Summary of grower responses: 59% of growers considered CCD a threat to successful apple production 85% of growers viewed native bees as important apple pollinators 68% of growers said they would consider management practices that would promote native bee diversity and abundance 93% of growers take pollinators into consideration when they select and apply pesticides 75% of growers estimate the number of native bee species in apple orchards to be less than 10 (the actual number is >80). We are developing an article on our grower survey for publication in the Fruit Quarterly in the coming year. 2. Bee survey Our bee survey revealed that there is an impressive diversity of bee species in the 11 orchards we surveyed. Over our three-week collecting effort, we collected over 3000 specimens, which have now been individually labeled, identified to species, and entered into our Biota database. We collected a total of 81 species, which is approximately twice the number we expected based on a previous survey of bees in apple orchards in NY State (Gardner & Ascher 2006). Many of these species appear to be important apple pollinators, especially members of the genera Andrena, Osmia, and Bombus. Across all 11 orchards, native bees outnumbered honey bees in our 15-minute samples by a small margin. Our project involved significant student training. Mia Park, a graduate student in the department of Entomology, participated in the study by developing sampling protocols, contacting and communicating with growers, developing grower survey questions, collecting bees, databasing bees, and performing bee identifications. Two undergraduate students, Michael Orr and Lori Moshman, participated in the survey, developed the system for barcoding bees and the Biota database, and identified bees to species. These students gained considerable expertise in bee biology, taxonomy, computational biology, and pollination biology. We interacted significantly with all growers in the study. Many growers were interested in discussing ways to enhance the native bee fauna in their orchards. An op-ed piece based on our project was published in the Ithaca Journal in July 2009. We are working closely with Jim Eve (Eve Farm Services) to disseminate our results and to identify growers/orchards for subsequent surveys. We are consulting with Julie Caroll (NY State Statewide Fruit IPM coordinator, NYSAES, Geneva, NY) to provide information to growers who are shifting from conventional orchard management to IPM and organic cultivation.

Publications

• No publications reported this period