Bees as Crop Protection

Tim Hammerich

News Reporter

Bloom time is critical for a lot of crops to establish this year’s fruit while protecting it from disease during this susceptible period. One company has found a novel way to deliver biological inputs directly to the point their needed by letting bees do the work. That’s right, Bee Vectoring Technologies has a system where bees will apply an active ingredient to the bloom while they pollinate the crop. Here’s sales manager Ian Collinson.

Collinson… “We not only have an active ingredient, but we have another formula that allows it to actually adhere to the bees, as well as perfected the systems in which they would pick it up. So I think the ideas probably existed, but I think where we've brought all of this technology into one aspect to make it work.”

Collinson says their initial focus is on protecting berries and almonds from diseases that usually enter during the blooming period.

Collinson… “You're getting this delivered daily. You know, where as spray, you may have limits on how often you can spray and you can only spray at certain times. As long as the bees are pollinating, they'll also be delivering our product. Which also means that you're getting it right to the source. So with a spray, you may be spraying to treat something that's specifically on a bloom, but you're spraying the entire row where we are just delivering the precise amount, right to where it is needed.”

If you want to learn more, they do have a website: www.beevt.com.