The Importance of Pollinators in South Dakota Agriculture
Volunteers by Nature
Pollinators play an important role in keeping our food chain afloat. Without pollinators like bees, butterflies, moths, and even bats, many of the foods we eat would no longer be available. In fact, it’s estimated that one out of every three bites of food we eat is thanks to pollinators! Because honey bees live in hives of up to 60,000 bees, have built-in pollen baskets on their legs, and are curious foragers that visit multiple species of flowers and feed sources on a single trip, they are excellent pollinators.
To understand more about the role that honey bees play in the ecosystem and how we can protect their survival, we spoke with Kelvin Adee. Kelvin, along with his siblings Bret and Marla, are the third generation of beekeepers that operate the nation’s largest beekeeping operation – Adee Honey Farms, which is based in Bruce, South Dakota. He also recently served as President of the American Honey Producers Association, and in that role he advocated for policy that will allow these tiny critters to keep doing their important work and providing that sweet honey for generations to come.
Q: Describe the pollination process and the role of bees.
A: Honey bees feed on the nectar from the plants, and when doing so, pollen gets stuck to the bee. When the insect flies to the next plant, it brings that pollen along with it and thus the process of fertilization occurs. Without even knowing it, bees play a vital role in our food chain. Maybe that’s why they are recognized as the state insect of South Dakota!
Did you know that South Dakota’s state insect is the honey bee? Pretty sweet if you ask us!
Some crops are self-pollinating – like soybeans. This means that they have flowers that contain both male and female parts and can self-fertilize. However, there are studies that show that introducing bees to a soybean field can increase yield by 20% or more. On the other hand, some crops like corn are wind-pollinated, meaning that wind moves the pollen from the male flowers to the female flowers. In this case, bees can still be helpful partners to move the pollen between corn tassels. Lastly, some foods require pollinators to get the job done. These include many fruits and vegetables we love to eat, like almonds, apples, blueberries, cherries, melons, and pumpkins to name a few.
Q: Where do you place your honey bees, and what do you look for when looking for a new landowner to partner with?
A: We partner with local farmers and landowners across the region to place hives on their land where the bees will spend their South Dakota summers. We have a lot of long-standing partners that have allowed us to share their land with our bees for years. When looking for a landowner to partner with, there are a few things we scout for – proximity to flowers that can serve as a food source, a nearby water source, and a reasonable distance from the owner’s home to avoid the bees causing trouble with the owners. It’s also nice to have CRP ground available nearby, since that typically has a variety of nectar sources naturally available.
In addition, it’s helpful to partner with landowners that are communicative of their pesticide use. Pesticides that are short-residual have reduced toxicity on plants after 24-48 hours of use, so if we are notified of spraying in advance, we can confine our bees to areas outside of the spray during that window. When it comes to longer-residual, systemic pesticides, we avoid placing our bees near those areas as the pesticides are present in the plant throughout the entirety of its lifecycle. We understand that there are economic factors that landowners are considering when introducing pesticides, but ultimately, reduced pesticide use is ideal when considering a habitat for honeybees.
Q: What would the food supply look like without pollinators?
A: We can thank pollinators like bees for one out of every three bites we eat, so when looking at what the food system would look like if bees were to go extinct, the availability and price of adding color to our plates would be much different. You’d be eating a lot more grains and a lot less fruits and vegetables. Even feeding cattle would become a lot more difficult, as alfalfa and other food sources may be less prevalent in a bee-less world.
“Pollinators are a vital aspect of food security.”
Q: We also can thank bees for the amazing product they produce – honey! How is honey production affected by the availability of pollination sources for bees?
A: The United States’ production of honey has dropped significantly over the past few decades. The production per hive has also decreased according to the USDA. This is largely due to the lack of vegetation and feed sources available for bees. The more CRP acres or marginal ground containing floral sources and even ditches that contain milkweed, flowers, clovers, or alfalfa, the more feed sources available for bees and other wildlife to thrive in.
Did you know honey tastes differently based on what food sources the bees feed off of?
Q: What can consumers do to support beekeepers and ensure that these tiny insects thrive for generations to come?
A: There are lots of ways for consumers to take action and support pollination efforts.
Purchase local honey. According to the USDA, in 2021 the United States produced 126 million pounds of honey, but we consumed over 600 million pounds of honey. That means a lot of our honey is imported, and the imported honey isn’t regulated like other food products are with testing for quality. In fact, testing has shown that some of the honey on store shelves isn’t honey at all and is actually mixed with other cheaper syrups that dilute the product and its benefits. Purchasing from local beekeepers is the best way to support the sustainability of local beekeeping operations, and if that’s not an option, check your honey for the mandatory country of origin labeling to determine the source of the honey.
Share the importance of pollinators with your friends and family in order to bring awareness to this issue.
Plant wildflowers and other nectar sources on your land, especially if you own large plots of land.
