RJ Wolcott

Lansing State Journal

SUTTONS BAY - Francis Otto spent more than $27,000 this year on honey bees.

Getting his nearly 2,000 acres of cherry and apple groves pollinated meant renting 457 honey bee hives for two to three weeks this spring.

He’d like to decrease his reliance on honey bees by attracting more native bees using irresistible flowers planted near his crops.

“There are several hundred species (of wild bees) out there (in Michigan), I’m just trying to stimulate their availability (near my orchards),” Otto said.

Like other large-scale farmers, Otto uses non-native honey bees because there aren't enough wild bees nearby. Wild native bee populations in Michigan have declined as their habits -- forested areas and brush-laden land -- have been developed into farmland or residential and commercial uses.

Relying too heavily on non-native honey bees has its problems. Honey bee populations have declined in recent years thanks to colony collapse disorder, where hives are abandoned by worker bees, and other diseases that are spread in hives. Additionally, demand has skyrocketed among almond growers in California, who are willing to pay significantly more for honey bees than farmers in Michigan.

That left Otto with two options: continue to lean on honey bees and risk a shortage in future seasons, or find a way to get more wild bees interested in his crops.

Michigan State University is playing a key role in helping to find a solution. Two years ago, Otto started planting flowers around his orchards at the recommendation of MSU researchers. Now that the plants have had time to get established, Otto said he's seen more native bees buzzing around. It makes sense given that wild bees need the pollen and nectar from flowers to survive and feed their young.

Initial research has shown this improves pollination and leads to larger fruit harvests, a key factor in what consumers pay for fruit at the store.

Michigan field crops bring in more than $5 billion to the state annually. Many of those crops, from blueberries to tart cherries, require pollination. Threats to bees represent a threat to dinner tables across the country.

Delta Twp. beekeepers forced to remove hives

Officials with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, which monitor the health of pollinators and other insects, admit there could be issues with honey bees down the line.

“It’s sustainable at the moment,” said Mace Vaughan, co-director of Xerces' Pollinator Conservation program. “But we’re not sure about the future in terms of possible disease, stress on bees or colony loss.”

The Xerces Society is working with researchers across the country on the Integrated Crop Pollination Project, which is funded courtesy of an $8.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Researchers like MSU’s Rufus Isaacs are trying to find out the best ways to hedge against honey bee dependence by increasing the native bee populations in Michigan.

Some wild bees, like the rusty patch bumblebee, haven’t been seen in Michigan in more than a decade, according to Jason Gibbs , a research associate at Michigan State University. More than 400 species of native bees have been observed in Michigan, from barely visible sweat bees to fat bumblebees.

The Xerces Society recently started a petition to get the rusty patch bee placed on the endangered species list. The rusty patch bee is missing from 87% of what was historically its habitat, and only small pockets of the bees in the Midwest remain, said Rich Hatfield, a senior conservation biologist with Xerces. More than 85,000 have signed the online petition as of Thursday afternoon.

Doug Wassink, who owns 130 acres of blueberry farms near Holland, said he prefers native bees to honey bees because they are better pollinators.

"Honey bees don’t always do the job," he said.

Bringing more flowers into fields, along with allowing space for native bees to nest, helps to buoy wild bee numbers, said Logan Rowe, an entomology graduate student at MSU.

Standing among more than 50 plants at MSU’s Clarksville Research Station, Rowe explains that not all plants have farm applications. Some are too costly or time-consuming to maintain. Others attractive invasive species like the Japanese beetle, which farmers don’t want destroying their crops.

Plus, promoting native bees comes with little risk of stings, Rowe said as he touched a nearby sweat bee with his thumb.

"Native bees are very docile and only really sting if you grab them aggressively or step on them."

Helping native bees

You don’t have to be a large-scale farmer to help Michigan’s native bees. Doing simple things, like planting flowers and limiting the use of potentially harmful pesticides, can keep bees buzzing around backyards more reliably than trying to raise honey bees. Bee experts also say there's no reason to fear native bees stinging you, so long as you don't step on them or disturb their homes. If you've been stung, the culprit was more likely a wasp or hornet.

Contact RJ Wolcott at (517) 377-1026 or rwolcott@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @wolcottr.