Blue Sky Bee Supply Blog

A pollination biologist from Stellenbosch University is using quantum dots to track the fate of individual pollen grains. This is breaking new ground in a field of research that has been hampered by the lack of a universal method to track pollen for over a century.In an article published in the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution recently, Dr Corneile Minnaar describes this novel method, which will enable pollination biologists to track the whole pollination process from the first visit by …

University of California economists estimate U.S. exporters of 10 fruits and nuts to China and other markets could see a loss of $2.64 billion a year due to new tariffs — and up to $3.34 billion a year when the potential effect on other markets is considered.Daniel Sumner and Tristan Hanon, of the Agricultural Issues Center and Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at UC-Davis, recently released the study in the wake of increasing tariffs levied by the U.S. and China on v …

Specialty crop growers use fungicides to protect against many serious plant pathogens, but they also must take into consideration the potential harm fungicides present to honey bees needed for pollination. To manage fungal diseases, fungicides are applied to the crops at strategic times throughout the growing season, including during bloom. When bees are foraging on blooming crops, they can become exposed to fungicides and other crop protectants. In some instances, fungicide labe …

In spite of concerns about freezing weather during almond bloom, the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is predicting a record crop in 2018.MODESTO, Calif. – According to the NASS 2018 Almond Subjective Forecast issued today, California almond orchards are expected to produce 2.30 billion pounds of nuts this year, up 1.3% from last year’s 2.27 billion-pound crop.[1]“Almond farmers used a variety of techniques to manage freezing nighttime temperatures i …

Blue Orchard Bee (Osmia)Image Credits:USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab via Flickr (Homepage Image Credit: Suzi Rosenberg via Flickr)Colony collapse disorder has devastated honeybee populations over the past decade and brought a major push from beekeepers and scientists to commercialize a native pollinator for orchards in California and beyond. The most promising pollinator for the job is the blue orchard mason bee (Osmia lignaria). The challenge: figuring out how to produce enough of the fi …