Maine's blueberry growers uneasy about latest honeybee die-off

February 21, 2007

PORTLAND, Maine --Maine's blueberry-growing industry is taking note of the
latest die-off of honeybees in 22 states across the country.

Blueberry growers rely on thousands of bee hives trucked in from around the
country to pollinate the crop. Without a sufficient number of healthy hives to
pollinate the fields, growers will not produce as many blueberries.

"Definitely there is some concern, not just about the cost but even
availability," said Dave Yarborough, blueberry specialist with the University of
Maine Cooperative Extension.

Bees have been weakened for the past 20 years by a tiny mite, a parasite that
attacks hives, but it's unclear what's responsible for the latest die-off.

Researchers at Penn State University learned of the first report of a colony
collapse in November, but scientists now think that the problem may have been
around as early as a couple years ago. One large beekeeping operation in
Pennsylvania that had been a major supplier to Maine blueberry fields lost all
but 800 of its 3,000 hives.

Similar die-offs are being reported in as many as 22 states, including Texas,
Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin, as beekeepers open their hives for the first
time since December to check them. Maine beekeepers typically check their hives
in March.

"I'm definitely concerned," said David Smith, whose 250 hives in the Portland
area produce honey and pollinate blueberry fields. "I lost some bees in the
fall, which normally doesn't happen to me."

So far, though, there have been no reports of widespread die-offs in Maine.

No one knows for sure the cause, but many blame the mites for weakening bees to
the point that their defenses are reduced.

"The mites have been around since '87 and it keeps getting worse," said Tony
Jadczak, state apiarist with Maine's Department of Agriculture. "The weather
could be the straw that broke the poor bees' backs last year."

Some believe the culprit is something new, however.

One reason is that the dead hives have no bees in them. "There's usually corpses
or some kind of evidence. These hives are empty," Jadczak said.

Maine beekeepers have several thousand hives that are kept in the state
year-round to pollinate apple orchards, strawberry farms and other crops. But
there aren't enough to cover Maine's 60,000 acres of blueberry fields.

Jadczak said hives he has checked early seem OK, and he hasn't heard about major
losses in Maine yet. But the test will be when winter breaks and beekeepers
begin checking on how their hives fared next month.

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Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com