By: Tahnea Locklear

Extension Community and Rural Development Agent

N.C. Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center

 Did you know our state insect is the honeybee? Honeybees pollinate over 100 food crops in America and we can thank them for at least one-third of our food. Pollination (the transfer of the male pollen to the female structure of a flower) is what leads to fertilization and growth of fruit and seeds. Some North Carolina crops that can’t be produced without the aid of honeybees are cotton, soybeans, apples, peaches, cantaloupe, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, watermelon, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, okra, turnips, and cabbage. We owe honeybees a debt of gratitude for all they do: they pollinate food and fiber crops our farmers grow; they pollinate fruit and vegetable plants in our backyard gardens; they produce honey-that amazing nutritional and medicinal sweetener; they provide beeswax for lip balms, lotions, soaps, and candles; they pollinate flowers, bushes, and ornamental trees that beautify our lawns; and they are responsible for countless species of wildflowers, shrubs, and trees that create the natural world we and other creatures depend upon. It is no stretch of the imagination to say that our diet, our ecosystems, and our U.S. economy are dependent upon the humble honeybee!

Perhaps you’ve heard about the alarming decline of honeybees in the past twenty years. Particularly, since 2006 there have been massive disappearances of tens of thousands of colonies. Of the likely three main contributing factors only beekeepers can really help with the problems of parasites and diseases, but almost all of us can help lessen the threat they face from pesticides. Most adults in our county fall into one or more of these categories: gardener, homeowner, or farmer and we can take simple steps to help protect honeybees. We can all eliminate or minimize pesticide use, or at least use great care when applying them. Two pesticides that are relatively non-toxic are Bt caterpillar controls and pyrethrum. Before you purchase pesticides, check the N.C. Agricultural Chemicals Manual online at https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/north-carolina-agricultural-chemicals-manual for lists of pesticides and their degree of toxicity to honeybees. Follow label instructions carefully. Only apply pesticides when there is no wind or breeze to avoid drifting. Sprays and granulars are usually safer to bees than dusts, which drift more. Do not apply pesticides to flowering plants that are attracting bees. Since most honeybees stop foraging by 4 p.m. gardeners and homeowners should apply pesticides only in the late afternoon or evening. Likewise, farmers will do a great service to these helpful little pollinators by spraying crops only late in the day. Landowners who lease to farmers can respectfully ask the farmer to spray only after 4 p.m. when bees aren’t active. Some farmers are already doing this and it’s much appreciated by local beekeepers (and bees too, I’m sure!) Bees need quality food sources and can forage up to 5 miles from their hive. In addition to minimal and wise use of pesticides, we can help honeybees by planting our yards and gardens with a diversity of bee-attracting groundcover, flowers, shrubs, and trees that bloom at different times of the year. An excellent list of plants good for bees and native to this region is online at http://growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu/growingsmallfarms-pollinatorconservation/.

Some information provided comes from an article by Danny Lauderdale and Sarah Roberson, Pitt County Cooperative Extension Agents. I hope you have an increased appreciation for honeybees and a desire to reduce pesticide harm to them.

For more information, please contact Tahnea Locklear, Extension Community and Rural Development Agent with North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center, at 671-3276, by E-mail at Tahnea_Locklear@ncsu.edu, or visit our website at //robeson.ces.ncsu.edu/.

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