Speaker of the hive

When North State nut grower Dan Cummings was invited to testify before Congress, he jumped at the chance to educate legislators about a big problem affecting small creatures.

Honeybees—so vital to agriculture, particularly almond crops—have been dying in large numbers due to a phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder. Recent research from Harvard has linked bee deaths to two pesticides; meanwhile, as Cummings told the House Subcommittee on Horticulture, Research, Biotechnology and Foreign Agriculture, bees also are susceptible to parasites and can be weakened when their diets are limited due to habitat restrictions.

Cummings, CEO of Capay Farms outside of Orland, said it was “exciting and a little intimidating” to appear on Capitol Hill. He was part of a panel of four agriculture experts who made statements and answered questions. Cummings also met with committee members and staff in their offices.

He came away optimistic that he’d achieved his goal, which is to “continue to encourage federal funding of honeybee research.”

That may seem a small matter in the grand scheme, but as Cummings explains, one out of every three bites of food can be traced to honeybees—either the honey they make or the crops that they pollinate.

“Honeybees are responsible for over $20 billion—that’s with a ‘B’—of agricultural production in the United States every year,” he continued. “So bees are indispensable to agriculture. I’m glad that Congress recognizes that; I’m glad they’re interested, and I would hope that I was able to foster better understanding and continued support of honeybee research.”

Colony collapse disorder has become a significant problem over the past decade. Buzz Landon, who with wife Nicole owns and operates Buzz’s Bees in Richvale, shares Cummings’ concern about colony collapse. The jeopardy is multifaceted:

• Parasites—namely the Varroa mite, which not only drains the bee of fluid but also transmits illness.

• Forage—feeding options, which depend on open-land rights when bees are not pollinating crops.

• Pesticides—chemicals that can be dangerous to bees depending on their type and application.

Insecticides seem like obvious threats, but Landon calls particular attention to the combination of parasites and forage. Bees, like many grazing creatures, thrive on a balanced diet. When their choices are limited—and, even worse, when they’re sapped by parasites—they become vulnerable.

“The Varroa mites are vectors for many of the diseases we have,” he explained. “You throw in a bee that’s weakened, and then you’ve got a pretty deadly cocktail.”

How significant is the problem? According to the Bee Informed Partnership, which (in conjunction with the Apiary Inspectors of America and the U.S. Department of Agriculture) conducts an annual Survey of beekeepers, 23.2 percent of the nation’s 2.6 million honeybee colonies died off last winter.

Colony collapse disorder has prompted Landon to make some minor changes to how he raises bees. He monitors them more carefully for mites, and to see if he needs to supplement their diet with additional protein or sugar syrup. Also, he says, when they’re out feeding in nature, “you just can’t leave the bees out there unattended for as long a time as we used to be able to.”

In part that’s because the topography has changed: “We’re losing some territory,” Landon said, “so the food source isn’t the same.”

That’s where Cummings hopes his testimony comes into play. He spoke to the congressional committee about the Conservation Reserve Program and the possibility of transforming more of this open space into feeding ground for honeybees by incorporating wildflower seed into grass-seed mixtures.

“Bees really benefit from a diverse diet,” Cummings said. “We see a correlation between colony collapse disorder and stress, and one of the greatest stressors is lack of natural forage for honeybees.”

Said Landon: “I can’t stress enough the importance of opening the doors to new pastures.”

Cummings also stresses the importance of collaboration between farmers and beekeepers. While chemical companies work to refine products, he says that a simple shift in spraying—doing so in the evenings, when bees tend to be out of the fields—is among the “better bee-friendly crop practices” that should be employed.

Research may yield more answers; ergo, his visit to Washington, at the request of Congressman Doug LaMalfa, who is on the committee that heard his testimony. Cummings is chairman of the Almond Board of California’s Bee Task Force and also serves on the board of directors of Blue Diamond Growers. Partly for an investment and partly to ensure a steady supply of pollinators, he has an ownership stake in Olivarez Honey Bees in Orland.

“I clearly hope it was beneficial,” Cummings said of his testimony. “There was a full range of questions, and clearly they were knowledgeable questions. It seemed like the members of Congress understood the issue. They’re informed about the status of honeybees in the United States and pollinated crops.”