Volume 30, Issue 9, September 2011 Wild Bees, continued on page 2 Growing Season Models and Alerts: http://agsci.psu.edu/frec Wild Bees as Alternative Pollinators in Pennsylvania Apple Orchards David Biddinger, Ed Rajotte, Neelendra Joshi and Amanda Ritz, Penn State Department of Entomology Almost 100 crop species in the U.S. rely to some extent on honey bee pollination and the value of honey bees to U.S. agriculture is estimated to be $15 billion annually ($1.4 billion for apple). Collectively these 100 crops make up about 1/3 of the US diet and consist mainly of high-value specialty crops (i.e., fruit, vegetable and nut crops) that provide the bulk of vitamins and other nutrients that contribute to healthy diets. Honey bees are currently the most valuable pollinators in agriculture, because they are well understood, relatively easy to maintain, movable, and able to communicate rapidly the locations of new food sources. Honey bee populations, however, have declined for the past several years to the point that total reliance on them is increasingly risky. Since 2006, North American beekeepers lost approximately 1/3 of the honey bee colonies each year due to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and losses at this level or higher will probably continue in the near future. These losses were in addition to declines caused by the introduction of two parasitic mite species; viral, fungal, and bacterial diseases; insecticide poisoning; and agricultural intensification of crop monocultures which have removed much of the adjacent flowering and nesting resources. Despite increased need for pollination services for crops such as the $2 billion almond industry, honey bee colonies had already declined by over 40% in the U.S. since 1947, even before CCD. Importation of bees from outside the U.S. to meet the demand for pollination began in 2005, but is a very risky solution because it greatly increases the chances of introducing new pests and pathogens to all of our bee species. The economic impacts of pollinator shortages on US specialty crops such as fruit, vegetables and nuts could be considerable. Inadequate pollination can reduce crop quality as well as yield in these crops. In apple or pear, pollination efficiency affects seed set which in turn affects size and quality, and hence the profitability to growers. The most conspicuous consequence of honey bee declines since CCD, has been a dramatic increase in the costs of producing bees which translates into rising costs In this Issue  Wild Bees as Alternative Pollinators in PA Apple Orchards  eXtension.org Announces it’s On-line Resources on Apple Growing  Brown Marmorated Stink Bug—Be Viligant!  Apple Crop Load Management Workshop  Educational Opportunities Photo by Bruce Hollabaugh