Two weeks ago I began a discussion about climate change, and why most people are still not convinced that taking immediate, serious action--especially in terms of a carbon tax or cap and trade program-- is the way to proceed. As for the period from January to September, the global combined land and ocean surface temperature was tied with 1998 as the warmest January-September period on record. Bee pollination decline (Sept. 7, 2010) A 17-year study in a pristine mountain environment in Colorado has found a 50% decline in bee pollination, and suggests climate change may be to blame.

And over the next few weeks Batlow apple growers hope the rain will hold off so bees can do their job.  Riverina apiarist Stephen Targett has already used his bees to pollinate almonds and canola before they were trucked to Batlow apple orchards.  "They've bred up wonderfully well on canola, they came here from almonds. "Almonds are very good for growing good bees." He says 2009 was the worst in ten years of pollinating apples. "They consumed about 10 kilograms of honey last year when they were in the orchard.

It promotes training courses related to this activity and shows it is a course that will take the town of Tingambato with this intention, announced Aladdin Castillo García, state secretary of the state of Michoacán pollinators. The representative of this sector said that is the specialized workshop on technology transfer where they will be some demonstrations to attendees to be convinced of this activity.

The insects — which pollinate flowering vegetables like pumpkin, squash and cucumbers — are nature’s farmers. And they are dying out in record numbers. For Mr. Furbert, who maintains more than half of the island’s bee hives — estimated at around 375, it is heartbreaking. At his property in Hamilton Parish he has around 100 ‘dead’ hives stacked in a neat pile. “My only question is ‘do I have a bonfire now or wait until November 5,’” he says.

Thousands of bees have begun their pollination dance in the region's apple orchards. Producers use bees to pollinate fruit trees during flowering to improve yields. Riverina apiarist Stephen Targett has already used his bees to pollinate almonds and canola before they were trucked to Batlow apple orchards.

Kiwifruit marketer Zespri is doubling its effort this season to make sure that beehives used for pollination are up to scratch. It has increased the number of auditors being trained to check the quality of hives, from six to more than twenty. Bees are the main pollinators of kiwifruit, which rely on insect activity to move pollen between the male and female vines.

The engineer Fancy Rojas Fancy sayd that  pollination activity is highly beneficial for the item Frutihorticulture  of our country, but "we need a connection with the applicants agents of pollination services to improve the quality of supply and have a greater profitability" , adding that "There is also a lack of knowledge among fruit and vegetable producers on what are the triggers of an adequate pollination service (number of hives per hectare, material quality, layout of the hives on the farm, etc.).  ".

Presentation by the Director of the Center for Engineering Entrepreneurship beekeeping, Fancy Rojas, during the XXIII National Convention of fruit and vegetables in the city of Santiago.

A 3 minutes video about an investigation into insect pollination and cross-pollination of apples by bees

Fruits and nuts are high-value crops in the Mid-Atlantic states and are being heavily impacted by honeybee shortages for pollination. A new $1.4 million grant from the USDA NIFA Specialty Crops Research Initiative (SCRI) program to Penn State will look into future impacts on fruit pollination and the development of alternative pollinators to supplement honeybees.