THE FUTURE OF ORGANIC BEEKEEPING: INCREASING OPPORTUNITIES FOR BEEKEEPERS THROUGH ASSESSMENT OF HONEY BEE FORAGING PATTERNS ON ORGANIC FARMS

Honey bees are the most important agricultural pollinators and generate commercial products such as honey and wax that contribute over $300 million to the US economy annually. Despite their higher market value, organic products are currently not produced in the continental United States because meeting recommendations for certification is not feasible. Specifically, beekeepers cannot meet the pesticide-free zoning requirements (at least a 3 km radius around the colonies) that were established based on maximum foraging distance of honey bees. Our preliminary data and published research indicate that honey bee foraging is context-dependent and can be significantly smaller in colonies of smaller size and surrounded by high-quality landscapes. Here, we propose integrating data from automated tag readers, harmonic radars, and waggle dance decoding to characterize honey bee foraging patterns in colonies of different population sizes and placed in landscapes with varying floral quality. We will develop high-quality floral maps around the apiaries based on satellite imagery, ground observations, and pollen metabarcoding to develop a seasonal landscape quality index that will be used as a predictor of the estimated average foraging distances of the colonies in different landscapes. Our goal is to assess whether the recommendations for pesticide-free zones can be reduced based on empirical data that incorporates information about landscape quality and colony size. The project will count with the input of an advisory panel composed of scientists, beekeepers, farmers and policy makers. The extension teams will disseminate our results to stakeholder groups and the national organic program.