Economics and Considerations

There are many causes of poor pollination. Some causes can be improved by the presence of native pollinators and some cannot. Our survey of native pollinators was intended to be a baseline for further, more extensive work in refining our understanding of the insect/pollinator dynamics within blueberry production. Further study would allow improvements in both economic and environmental sustainability.

The economic value of native pollinators varies from field to field depending on factors such as the cultivar planted and the size of the field. In our survey, more commercial, intensive, and/or larger farming systems typically had fewer native pollinator populations.

Native pollinator populations can be viewed as having value by providing an ‘insurance’ to pollination problems caused by cold, wet weather, although assigning an economic value on this insurance is difficult and would vary from year to year.

pollinator habitat

Opportunities for future research:

What is the actual blueberry production value of having natural habitat nearby?

How can a grower factor in native pollinator impact when deciding hive numbers?

Since weather has a huge impact on pollination, what is the insurance value of bumble bees and other pollinators that would be more active in bad weather?

If you have a lot of bumble bees, which are pretty easy to assess, does that mean you have a lot of the other natives also?

The following factors could contribute to poor pollination:

Early blooming (cooler, damper weather is not ideal for pollinators).
Hard to pollinate cultivars.
Poor to no adjacent natural habitat.
A spike in bloom (there may not be a long enough pollination window for pollinators to reach each blossom).
A hot weather spike (may also condense the bloom period).
Stressed plants/field.
Nearby pollen/nectar competition during blueberry bloom (i.e. clover and/or native blooming shrubs).

Some economic considerations when assessing individual fields:

Cost of excess hives is seen as insurance, though not against cold/wet weather conditions; bumble bees are the best insurance against wet/cold weather.

Larger fields are at greater risk of being too far from natural habitat and, therefore, native pollinators.

It is possible that native pollinators and native habitat would have more value as high input costs increase and blueberry prices decrease.

It may be worth your while to check organizations, such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), to see what programs are offered to help enhance pollinator habitat in your fields.