People, Events and News

Survey shows better results for pollinators, but losses remain significant

A yearly survey of beekeepers shows fewer colony losses occurred in the United States over the winter of 2013-2014 than in recent years.

However, beekeepers say losses remain higher than the level they consider sustainable. According to survey results, total losses of managed honey bee colonies from all causes were 23.2 percent nationwide. That number is above the 18.9 percent level of loss that beekeepers say is acceptable for their economic sustainability, but is a marked improvement over the 30.5 percent loss reported for the winter of 2012-2013, and over the eight-year average loss of 29.6 percent.

More than three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants rely on pollinators, such as bees, to reproduce, meaning pollinators help produce one out of every three bites of food Americans eat.

There is no way to tell why the bees did better this year, according to both Pettis and Dennis vanEngelsdorp, a University of Maryland assistant professor who is the leader of the survey and director of the Bee Informed Partnership. This year, almost two-thirds of the beekeepers responding reported losses greater than the 18.9 percent threshold.

“Yearly fluctuations in the rate of losses like these only demonstrate how complicated the whole issue of honey bee heath has become, with factors such as viruses and other pathogens, parasites like varroa mites, problems of nutrition from lack of diversity in pollen sources, and even sublethal effects of pesticides combining to weaken and kill bee colonies,” said Jeff Pettis, co-author of the survey and research leader of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland. ARS is USDA’s chief intramural scientific research agency.

The winter losses survey covers the period from October 2013 through April 2014. About 7,200 beekeepers responded to the voluntary survey.

A complete analysis of the bee survey data will be published later this year. The summary of the analysis is at http://beeinformed.org/results-categories/winter-loss-2013-2014/.

Earlier this year, USDA made $3 million available to help agriculture producers in five states (North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan) provide floral forage habitats to benefit pollinating species on working lands. The Honey Bee Pollinator Effort is intended to encourage farmers and ranchers to grow alfalfa, clover, and other flowering habitat for bees and other pollinators.

The President’s fiscal year 2015 budget proposal provides $71 million for pollinator health activities through multiple USDA agencies. This includes an increase of $40 million in combined mandatory and discretionary funds to advance efforts, in consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency and other Federal partners, to respond to the decline in honey bee health and ensure their recovery.
 

Terra Nova Nurseries debuts 2014-2015 virtual catalog

Terra Nova Nurseries has introduced a 2014-2015 interactive, digital catalog.

The catalog allows users to peruse dozens of varieties, including photographs and growing information for individual plants. Clicking on certain photographs, or plant names, will take the user to a plant-dedicated page that provides in-depth cultural information.

There is also information on Terra Nova’s social media presence, how to connect with the grower, and details on the free tags that come with each shipment.

For more: http://goo.gl/ukEwCs
 

Friends of Long Island Horticulture announce 2014 research grant recipients

The Friends of Long Island Horticulture announced the recipients of the 2014 research grant competition.

This year, $25,618 in grants was awarded for nine different research projects. Last year $18,740 in grants was awarded for eight different research projects. The generosity from the contributors to the Friends’ fund-raising campaign has allowed these research projects to be funded.

The Friends of Long Island Horticulture was organized in 1993 by individuals in the New York horticulture industry. The group formed in order to raise funds to support the research and educational efforts of Cornell University’s Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center (LIHREC). To date, nearly $500,000 has been awarded through the competitive grant process.

The list of 2014’s funded projects include:

• Determination of spotted wing drosophila host preferences and wild host impact, and continuation, of field population monitoring on Long Island, Dr. Faruque Zaman.
• Evaluation of atrazine alternatives for efficacy of weed control in sweet corn on Long Island, Dr. Andrew Senesac.
• Development of standardized Best Management Practices (BMP) for disposing of running bamboo, after removal from landscapes, Dr. Andrew Senesac.
• Tomato variety trial evaluation, Sandra Menasha.
• Evaluation of cucumber varieties resistant to downy mildew, Dr. Margaret McGrath.
• Comparison of efficacy, phytotoxicity, and other characteristics of copper fungicides, Dr. Margaret McGrath.
• Investigating the use of fertilizers and vermicompost extract to manage fusarium wilt in basil, Dr. Neil Mattson and Margery Daughtrey.
• Control of wax scale on nursery ornamentals, Dan Gilrein.
• Long-term evaluation of asparagus cultivars for disease-resistance and spear production, Dr. Mark Bridgen.

Millcreek Gardens expanding plant lines

Millcreek Gardens has expanded its plant offerings by creating a new product for customers and growing a vegetable line.

It developed the Kitchen Essentials culinary herb six-pack to give consumers an easy grab-n-go herb garden. The six-pack tray contains herbs in 3-inch pots with an easy-to-carry handle and features six of the following top herbs: basil, chives, cilantro, parsley, mint, oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, and tarragon.

Millcreek Gardens has also begun a trial program of growing vegetables. It is currently growing beans, broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrot, cucumber, eggplant, squash, tomato, pepper, wheatgrass, and zucchini. Vegetables are grown in 3-inch pots and sold 12 pots per flat.
 

Intergalactic greenhouses

A vital piece of potential space colonization is the development of plant growth on foreign planets.

To achieve that goal, NASA is exploring the construction of a greenhouse on Mars. The organization is eyeing a 2021 date for the project, according to www.space.com. The project has been given the name the Mars Plant Experiement (MPX), and could help lay the foundation for the colonization of Mars.

MPX would employ a clear “CubeSat” box — the case for a cheap and tiny satellite — which would be affixed to the exterior of the 2020 rover. This box would hold Earth air and about 200 seeds of Arabidopsis, a small flowering plant that’s commonly used in scientific research, www.space.com reports.

The seeds would be given about two weeks to grow, and immediately receive water upon touchdown.