Give Me a Home Where the Honeybees Roam

First posted on 08-05-2010

Imagine a field of local wildflowers grown for the sole purpose of creating a haven for honeybees. In the wake of a mysterious plague that wiped out a large portion of honeybees over the past few years, “bee pastures” are gaining momentum as a means of producing healthy bees over several generations.

Small, just half an acre in size, and maintained pesticide-free, bee pastures are an environmentally friendly means of raising bee populations. And, as quickly as wildflowers grow on their own, these little bee havens should be economical and easy to establish.

According to Marlin Bates, a University of Missouri Extension horticulturist, about 35 percent of the world’s food supply is dependent on insect pollination. Bees are a big part of the equation. Especially hard hit by the recent losses of honeybees, the almond industry in California helped fund research by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entomologist James H. Cane and others.

Cane’s approach produced one of the most extensive studies of bee pasturing to date as he focused on the specific types of bees and wildflowers that could work well together. He estimates that some bee populations could increase four to five times each year in well maintained bee pastures.

While almonds are not an Ozarks grown staple, other important honeybee pollinated foods (like blueberries, okra, onions and persimmons) are. With a relatively small amount of space devoted to wildflowers, farmers and even gardeners may be able to raise their own crop of fruits, vegetables, and the bees to pollinate the plants.

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