those dried into prunes) are self-incompatible and rely on honey bees to transfer pollen which has been documented to increase yield by 150% (compared to plums that had no insect vectors) (Mcgregor and Bean 2009). Honey bees have been recognised as the primary pollinating agent for plums since the early 1900s (RIRDC 2009d). Half of the stone fruit growers attribute wild honey bees for the pollination of their entire crop while over 40% attribute their pollination requirements to native bees. Overall, only a small percentage (less than 6%) of growers are dependent on commercial pollination services (Figure 7b) which are located locally (Figure 7c). The future pollination requirements of the stone fruit industry is not uniform as only 30% expect an increase to their pollination requirements as they expand their production area. The prune industry is expected to actually decline in the next few years and therefore sees the current reliance on wild honey bees as economically viable. No growers managed any hives of their own and due to the small dependence on pollination services, the majority of stone fruit growers feel they would be able to pollinate their crops sufficiently in the event of state border quarantines. However, due to the reliance found on wild honey bees, the entry of Varroa mite would have a great effect on all the stone fruit industries (Figure 7d) as Varroa mite would decimate wild honey bee colonies. There is currently research being conducted into self-fertile varieties of stonefruit which may overcome the dependence of these industries on pollination. Vegetables and vegetable seed Represented by AUSVEG Limited Varroa impact rating: MEDIUM/HIGH a. Vegetable (for seed) production in b. Pollination sources and level of reliance Australia c. Location of pollination services d. Varroa threat to livelihood
those dried into prunes) are self-incompatible and rely on honey bees to transfer pollen which has been documented to increase yield by 150% (compared to plums that had no insect vectors) (Mcgregor and Bean 2009). Honey bees have been recognised as the primary pollinating agent for plums since the early 1900s (RIRDC 2009d). Half of the stone fruit growers attribute wild honey bees for the pollination of their entire crop while over 40% attribute their pollination requirements to native bees. Overall, only a small percentage (less than 6%) of growers are dependent on commercial pollination services (Figure 7b) which are located locally (Figure 7c). The future pollination requirements of the stone fruit industry is not uniform as only 30% expect an increase to their pollination requirements as they expand their production area. The prune industry is expected to actually decline in the next few years and therefore sees the current reliance on wild honey bees as economically viable. No growers managed any hives of their own and due to the small dependence on pollination services, the majority of stone fruit growers feel they would be able to pollinate their crops sufficiently in the event of state border quarantines. However, due to the reliance found on wild honey bees, the entry of Varroa mite would have a great effect on all the stone fruit industries (Figure 7d) as Varroa mite would decimate wild honey bee colonies. There is currently research being conducted into self-fertile varieties of stonefruit which may overcome the dependence of these industries on pollination. Vegetables and vegetable seed Represented by AUSVEG Limited Varroa impact rating: MEDIUM/HIGH a. Vegetable (for seed) production in Australia b. Pollination sources and level of reliance c. Location of pollination services d. Varroa threat to livelihood
Varroa%20Mite%20Preparedness%20of%20Pollination%20Dependant%20Industries.docx