The Leafcutting Bee RICK AMES Seed Production Agronomist W-L Research Successful alfalfa seed production requires a pollinator. The three major pollinators used in commercial alfalfa seed production in North America are the alfalfa leafcutting bee. the alkali bee, and the honey bee. The alfalfa leafcutting bee. Mega chile rotundata, is often considered the “best” alfalfa pollinator for rea sons outlined below. Even at an an nual cost of $l5O-200 per acre, it is the pollinator of choice in many alfalfa seed production areas. However, there are a number of in sects, diseases and other pest prob lems unique to the leafcutter bee which can negatively impact this pol linator. A Managaeable, Proficient Pollinator The alfalfa leafcutting bee is a very efficient pollinator of alfalfa. This bee aggressively works the flowers, caus ing them to trip and release pollen which the bee collects and transfers from flower to flower. The leafcutter bee’s four to six weeks of pollination life allows plenty of time for large numbers of flowers to be pollinated, resulting in high yields of seed. One female can pollinate up to 10,000 flowers, yielding up to V* pound of seed. Controlling where the bees will pol- PANORAM4 Landscape Equipment Box Blade*, Rock Rakes, Tilt & Angle Bladea (Most Sizes Avsllsbls) 52" thru 120“ Maks your hard fanoing Job aaay with a Panorama poat dlggar or drlvar. linatc is accomplished by placement of bees in or near a target alfalfa field which has plenty of desirable bloom. They will quickly nest in trailer mounted, man-made domiciles, mak ing movement between fields possi ble. Since the alfalfa leafmtting bee prefers to work close to its nest, it will not leave the field if conditions are good. Also, alfalfa bloom is by far its favorite source of pollen and nectar, so competition from other crops or weeds is not a problem. Threats To Leafcutter Health There are many parasite and preda tor problems that attack the alfalfa leafcutting bee. These include parasit ic wasps and predacious beetles. How ever, the alfalfa leafcutting bee is very sensitive to insecticides, and few in secticides have been found that pro vide control of alfalfa seed insect pests with minimal losses to the leafcutter bee. There are also a number of diseases that infect the alfalfa leafcutting bee. The worst disease is a fungus called chalkbrood that attacks the larval stage of the bee. Some birds can also cause significant loss by feeding on the adult bees. These pests can all be held to manageable levels by use of cultural, chemical, or biological con trol methods. Goldoni Tractors Europe's Premier Tractor Horsepower Range 20-75, 4WD Standard Quality you can see at a glance. Finishing & Rotary Mowers For a smooth cut, look for the Panorama mowers. 4' to 100’ available. Broadcast Seeder/ Fertilizer Spreaders □ If you need to spread seed or fertilizer, this will do It. Foraging Around, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 11, 1998-Page Alfalfa’s Premier Pollinator Determining Larval Health Through X-Ray Photography Accurately determining the num bers of leafcutter bees available for pollination is accomplished through quality evaluation of the bee larvae during the winter. Bees on hand are first evaluated to determine actual numbers of live larvae. If mote bees ate needed, they are purchased in the larval form. Each larva is encased in its own cell constructed primarily of leaf material. A particular cell must be cut open to evaluate whether healthy or dead larvae are inside. Another method is by X-ray, which will show what is inside the cell with out manually cutting it open. The X ray method is faster and easier when Dairy Graziers Not Exempt From Expansion COLUMBUS, Ohio - Switching to intensive grazing could delay the need for dairy farmers to expand, but not forever, said Tom Noyes, dairy agent at the Wayne County office of Ohio State University Extension. * Changing from a conventional dairy to intensive grazing has the potential to increase a dairy farmer's profit per cow by $3O to $5O. For a 100-cow dairy, this could Wheel Rakes & Wheel Rake Carriers your raking time. Hay Tedders “ ■ \ • ■■■ *■ .-v t - X J r- .V • •> <fca..'Ar- % - Working Width -10' X 17; Fast, even spreading and gentle with your hay. Disc Mowers High spaed for fast, efficient cutting. Available In 7 1 ,8‘ or 9* models. Ryder supply 539 Falling Spring Road P.O. Box 2T9 Chambersburg, PA-17201-0219 Phone 717-263-9111 rydarsupeinnernet.net looking at hundreds of cells in a single sample of a particular lot of bees. The X-ray will reveal live larvae, dead lar vae, immature larvae, parasites, and pollen balls. Knowing the number of live larvae in a sample makes it possible to calcu late how many bees can be expected from a particular lot. Summary The alfalfa leafcutter is the pollina tor of choice in many alfalfa seed pro duction areas. There are many factors which im pact the health of leafcutter bees, but the use of X-ray photography can al low growers to accurately determine how many healthy pollinators will emeige from a lot of cells. mean a $5,000 per year increase m income that could maintain a dairy farmer's current standard of living for five to 10 years. But, if profit per cow is not improved in other ways, cost of liv ing increases eventually will over come the financial benefits of graz ing, and dairy graziers will have to consider expanding their herd, Noyes said. To maintain a standard of living, dairy farm profits must grow by 60 percent over 10 years. Even with improved genetics, adoption of new technology and increased efficiency, the increase in net profit often can not keep up with inflation. "Unless dairy farmers can find some way to increase profit per cow every year, they will eventually need to expand," Noyes said. "If dairy producers adopted management intensive grazing because they think it will prevent their need to expand, then they are mistaken." Expanding a grazing operation should be easier than expanding a conventional dairy, if a grazier has pasture space available, he said. A grazing system requires less hous ing, so adding cows can be done inexpensively. Spring is the best time for dairy graziers to expand their herd because that's when the most grass is available in pastures. 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