Replacing the honey bee: why wait? increasing sustainable agricultural practices and cost-cutting for small-scale farming

Amidst the fervor of attention for the declining stocks of commercial honeybees (Apis mellifera) over the past decade, much emphasis has been placed on uncovering the root cause(s) of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). The commercial honeybee is responsible for an estimated 90% of agricultural pollination services worldwide. Our reliance upon a single species for something as vital our food supply has brought to light how fragile mono-specific systems can be. Fortunately, the domesticated honeybee is but one species of among almost 1200 native Apoidea species endemic to North America. Biogeographical data on pollination network composition both temporally and regionally is largely incomplete. Often these studies are only ‘snapshots’ of diversity. During the past 2 years (2010 and 2011), we have collected approximately 3000 native bees in four different Apple Orchards in Northeast Georgia. The study’s data and field observations indicate that it may be possible for native pollinators to replace the honeybee for apple crop pollination under certain circumstances. Several possible bee species or groups, such as Colletids and Andrenids, have been identified as likely candidates to replace or supplement honeybee pollination. Using native bees for crop pollination would also reduce food production costs, since farmers could reduce or eliminated the extra costs associated with using the commercial honeybee for crop pollination.