Understanding the nutritional landscape of blueberry pollination systems to enhance commercial honey bee colony health

Commodities

• Fruits: berries (blueberries)
• Animals: bees
• Animal Products: honey

Practices

• Animal Production: animal protection and health, feed/forage
• Crop Production: beekeeping, crop improvement and selection, cropping systems, pollination, pollinator habitat, pollinator health, varieties and cultivars
• Education and Training: decision support system, demonstration, extension, mentoring, on-farm/ranch research
• Production Systems: agroecosystems

Commercial blueberry pollination
relies heavily on honey bees, yet beekeepers routinely report that
colonies return from blueberry pollination weakened and symptomatic
of stress or disease. Poor nutrition can exacerbate disease
susceptibility and impair colony growth and brood development,
contributing to elevated colony losses. Despite Washington's scale
of blueberry production (over 18,000 acres of blueberries grown
annually), we lack cultivar-specific data on pollen and nectar
quality and quantity, and an understanding of what alternative
forage is available to bees within these pollination
landscapes.

This project will thus address these gaps in research and (1)
characterize the floral resources that honey bees forage on before,
during, and after blueberry blooms across four farms that vary in
region (Eastern vs. Western Washington) and in the availability of
nearby supplemental forage (with and without); and (2) quantify
pollen and nectar nutritional metrics (protein, lipid and sugar
content) for multiple blueberry cultivars. Using standardized
laboratory assays and pollen identification methods, we will
connect forage access and cultivar quality to indicators of colony
nutritional intake.

We will translate results into practical guidance for beekeepers
and growers. Deliverables include cultivar-specific recommendations
for supplemental feeding, context-specific stocking-rates, and
outreach through beekeeper association talks, grower field days,
and research and extension publications. By improving nutrition
during blueberry pollination, beekeepers can reduce risk of colony
loss within the blueberry system and growers can maintain reliable
pollination services. These findings will also support native wild
bees in these cropping systems. These findings will support the
environmental, economic, and social pillars of sustainable
agriculture.

Research
objectives:

Objective 1: Determine landscape and
supplemental forage effects on bee nutrition during blueberry
pollination.

Objective 2: Compare nutritional
differences between pollen and nectar across blueberry
cultivars.

Education
objectives:

Objective 1: Generate applied
strategies, and dissemination of results through extension and
education for stakeholders.

Objective 2: Analyze and publish data
to ensure access for researchers.