Articles
BLUEBERRY POLLINATION IN NEW JERSEY
Reference to these and to Shutak and Marucci (3) will give the fundamentals of blueberry pollination.
This paper elaborates on the relationship of bee behavior to blueberry pollination and presents previously unreported observations.
The decline of wild bee populations in New Jersey has resulted from greater use of more potent insecticides and the intensive clearing and cultivation of land which has eliminated nesting sites.
As contrasted to the blueberry region of Canada, Wood et. al. (1), wild bees constitute only a small percentage of the bees which forage in blueberry fields in this state.
Table 1 shows the relative paucity of wild bees.
In most years, the wild pollinators are found in appreciable numbers only in a few isolated areas.
Blueberry growers are now almost entirely dependent on the honey bee for pollination.
With the decline of the wild bee population, there has been a corresponding decline in production of some varieties.
This has resulted from the peculiar trait of honey bees of selecting out certain varieties while shunning the others, Marucci (4). Some of the old standard cultivars not attractive to honey bees like Stanley, Dixi, Pioneer, Concord, and 1316-A have been virtually eliminated as commercial varieties.
Berkeley, Coville, Earliblue, and Jersey are also gradually being phased out.
The fundamental reason for the varietal preference for certain varieties has not been precisely determined.
It is not related with sugar concentration of the nectar, Marucci (2). Although good data is not available, observations indicate that the more productive and attractive varieties produce a greater volume of nectar.
The honey bees seem to have a "built in computer" which enables them to select the varieties which yield a greater volume of nectar per unit time of work.