Over The Fence Newsletter Bucks County Cooperative Extension

Pollinators and Penn State
Scott Guiser, Extension Educator, Penn State Extension, Bucks County

Pollination: the transfer of pollen from the male part of plants to the female parts, usually resulting in fruit set and seed formation. In almost all cases fruit formation (and seed formation) requires pollination. Insects are the primary way that pollen is moved from male to female plant parts of fruiting plants.

So what? I think we can all agree that the world wouldn’t be the same without apples, peaches and pears...not to mention strawberries, cantaloupe and onions. Onions? Yes, onions. I know an onion isn’t a fruit but most onions are grown from seed and that seed is the result of pollination. Many important seed crops rely on honey bee activity. In fact, honey bees alone annually pollinate about $14 billion worth of food crops...one-third of the nation's produce.

Honey bees are not the only pollinator. In fact, honey bees are not native to North America, so they have not evolved along with many of the native plants that exist here. That doesn’t stop them from pollinating native plants. Honey bees are considered one of the best pollinating insects because they develop large populations (up to 50,000 bees per colony) and once they start working a particular flower type they stay with it. And they are quite content to be manipulated by people. Beekeepers “keep” bees in boxes and can move them to crops that need pollination. Bees are shipped, flown and trucked across the county and even between continents to get important pollination jobs done. Apples and blueberries are crops we are familiar with in the Northeast U.S. that use honey bees; but the big crop that requires honey bee pollination is almonds. Can you believe that about two-thirds of the honey bee colonies in the U.S. take a truck ride to almond farms in California in late winter each year to do that work? More than a million colonies make the trip.

That’s why when honey bee colonies began to “collapse” and bees began to disappear in 2007 it got a lot of attention. Penn State is playing an important role in trying to sort out what happened. Bees have had serious, known pest problems that have resulted in honeybee losses in the last 20 years. Now, a new, unknown force is at work. For the full story go to http://aginfo.psu.edu/PSA/08WinSpr/bees.html

So, honey bees are a big deal but they are not the only pollinators. Lots of pollination goes on without the activity of any insect. Birds do it; bats do it; even educated rats do it. Some plants are wind pollinated. What many folks don’t know is that many insects besides honey bees provide pollination. If you don’t believe me, just stand next to a flowering plant and watch quietly for a few moments. You’ll be amazed that the number and variety of bugs that visit for a sip of nectar, inadvertently picking up pollen and spreading it as they move from flower to flower. Some times they are purposefully harvesting pollen to feed their youngsters. Pollen is protein rich.

What does this mean to the backyard gardener? Well, with the decline of honey bee population you may be wondering how all of the backyard fruit trees, berries and other crops that require insect pollination are being served. In most cases it is the native pollinators. Although their colony numbers are small they make up for this by working hard under tough conditions. And there are many different species at work.

So when you see a bug, even ones that appear a bit menacing such as a wasp or bumblebee, give it a break. First they are very unlikely to sting and their activity just might be more important that you think…pollinating your neighbor farmer’s pumpkins or adding size to that melon in your garden. You’re not the only one at the table either. Lots of birds and other animals enjoy a tasty berry.

You’ll be hearing more about native pollinators. Their important part in maintaining plant diversity, their role in agriculture and simple appreciation of the wonders of nature make them worthy of attention. Penn State Master Gardeners will establish a pollinator friendly garden this year as part of a Penn State project to raise awareness of the need to conserve these important garden friends. Stay tuned for more details and information about how you can create pollinator friendly environment. Start today; give a bug a hug…OK, maybe not but give a bug a break and begin to appreciate their part in the bigger gardening picture. For more about Penn State’s role check out this website: http://www.ento.psu.edu/HoneyBeeResearch.html

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Master Gardener Corner

Come to Neshaminy Manor Center and see our demonstration gardens! Master Gardeners have been as busy as bees planting and labeling outstanding trees, shrubs, perennials and annual flowers. The gardens include a “rock” garden with low growing plants, a dry shade area, a pollinator garden and a sunny, annual planting. We’ve also established more than 30 outstanding trees on the Neshaminy Manor Center Grounds through Southeastern Pennsylvania’s “Tree Vitalize” program and local grants. Come and see interesting tree species such as Parrotia persica, Amur Chokecherry, Showy Mountain Ash, two of the disease resistant elms, and our growing collection of maple species.

Focus on Penn State Plant Pathology

Plant diseases are often difficult for gardeners (and professionals) to diagnose. Fortunately, many of the leaf spots and surface leaf diseases of trees and shrubs are not plant killers. Apple scab, powdery mildew, cedar apple rusts and many others are common and unsightly but not deadly. In most cases you can simply ignore them.

On the other hand, some diseases such as fire blight, many of the root rots and vascular diseases such as verticillium wilt and Dutch Elm Disease can kill plants.

Penn State has an outstanding website that describes the symptoms and treatments for more than 200 plant diseases. Check it out at http://www.ppath.cas.psu.edu/EXTENSION/PLANT_DISEASE/

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Scott Guiser, Extension Educator/Horticulture
and
Sue Schneck, Master Gardener Coordinator

May/June 2008