Image Credit: Edwin Remsberg
Dr. Dennis vanEngelsdorp doesn’t mind getting stung by bees. In fact, the world-renowned honeybee research expert actually makes sure that he’s bitten by the buzzers at least once per month!
“It helps keep up my immune system,” says the Acting State Apiarist for Pennsylvania's Department of Agriculture. vanEngelsdorp, who was a guest speaker for IAA lecturer Meredith Epstein’s Topics in Sustainable Agriculture class, works as an assistant professor in UMD’s Department of Entomology. He is a prominent researcher who studies honeybee decline, including Colony Collapse Disorder — the alarming, worldwide disappearance of worker bees and Western honey bees.
“Bees are pollinators, and they are of importance to agriculture. But they are on the decline. In fact, on average, 30% of colonies die every winter, which is a major concern,” the scientist laments.
vanEngelsdorp stated that people are panicked because the United States’ honey supply is dwindling. “But the value of honey is minimal compared to the value of honeybees as pollinators. One in every three bites of food we eat is directly or indirectly pollinated by bees,” he said.
This means that although we as consumers won’t starve without bees, it does mean we won’t have a variety of food without bees as pollinators. Of the two and a half million colonies in the United States, half of them are trucked around the nation.
“The colonies are like moveable pollination services,” said vanEngelsdorp. “The typical East coast beekeeper would be in Florida and would then go to PA to do apples. Then, he’d go to Maine to do blueberries before driving to Massachusetts to do cranberries. Then he’d be off to Delaware to do cucumbers and melons before heading back to California to harvest almonds, which are the most important crop in terms of the bee industry.”
According to the bee buff, 80% of the world’s almonds are from the West Coast, meaning that they are a precious product in terms of revenue. “Commercial beekeeping in the U.S. is unique because it’s the last migratory agricultural commodity,” said vanEngelsdorp.
A leading issue is the threat of the vicious Varroa Mite, a parasite that originated on the Asian honeybee. These mites weaken bees by sucking their blood and may transfer a deadly virus from bee to bee.
“There’s no doubt that what’s killing the colonies,” the professor says grimly. But even though the future of the bee population is bleak for now, vanEngelsdorp remains positive that we can help reverse their plight—and he has devoted his career to ensuring that can happen.
“We need bees!” he said. “It’s so important to find out what we can all do to improve their population and support native pollinators.” One of his top suggestions is to provide more habitat for pollinators rather than the “green deserts” of perfectly manicured lawns. In a timely fashion, the Public Health Garden here on campus is planting a pollinator garden this spring, and the new Terp Farm will be incorporating pollinator habitat into its crop plan.
“Dr. vanEngelsdorp's talk made me truly appreciate the work of bees and the importance of keeping our ecosystem in balance. We all have a role to play if we want food diversity and the beauty of flowers,” said Rose Marie Daniere, a Sustainable Agriculture major at the IAA.
