Commercial Delivery of the Blue Orchard Bee for Orchard Pollination

The European honey bee is responsible for 80% of the insect pollination in the U.S. While this bee is an excellent generalist pollinator, research has shown that certain crops may be better pollinated by other bee species. The blue orchard bee has been shown to be a superior pollinator of apples, almonds, cherries and other crops. This bee is currently available from a handful of suppliers, but the low supply has meant that only backyard gardeners buy them at the current prices. In order to deliver this species as a pollinator to commercial agriculture, we need to grow a large supply of these bees. We propose to work cooperatively with personnel at ARS, Oregon State University and growers to begin increasing a large population of these bees on meadowfoam, a winter annual oilseed crop, grown in Oregon. Meadowfoam growers will benefit from improved pollination and reduced honey bee costs. We will also demonstrate that these been can be managed for commercial pollination of several commercial crops grown in California such as almonds, cherries, and plums.