Selwyn Times: November 07, 2018

SELWYN TIMES Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Wednesday November [Edition 7 datE] 2018 433
SELWYN RURAL LIFE
Bees and pollination the
subject of new research
Lincoln University Ecology Professor
Steve Wratten, a recently announced James
Cook Research Fellowship recipient, will
address one of the major biodiversity
challenges facing the future of agriculture:
threats to bee populations and their
pollination efficacy.
“Agriculture has been called the biggest
ecological experiment on earth. This global
activity occupies 36 per cent of the earth’s
arable land and contributes up to 40 per
cent of the GDP in developing countries,
but less than one per cent in developed
ones,” Professor Wratten said.
“The idea of ‘sustainable intensification’
is being advocated by the world’s policy
makers: a system in which agricultural
yields are increased while minimising
adverse environmental impact. Agriculture
has inadvertent but major negative
consequences, including a severe impact
on biodiversity, human health and the
environment.”
Professor Wratten will employ a vital
new approach to the understanding and
enhancement of pollinator populations. It
is based on the recent discovery that the
pollen of some flower species does not have
an appropriate ratio of nutrients for bee
health, particularly with respect to sodium.
This element, along with others such as
potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron,
are vital for the health of pollinators.
“Currently, when floral mixtures are
selected to improve bee health, no account
is taken of the pollen nutrient composition,”
he said.
Professor Wratten will analyse the
chemical composition of pollens in a range
of plant species to assess their suitability to
bees and other pollinating insects. He will
also develop science-based drinking water
for bees, supplemented with a balanced
mixture of soil-derived minerals to provide
the nutrients appropriate for bee health.
These research methods also have the
potential to increase bee resistance to
pathogens and parasites, including the
Varroa mite, thereby addressing some of
the causes of bee population decline.
This novel approach employed by
Professor Wratten can provide world-class
management protocols for bees and other
pollinating insects for deployment in bee
keeping, and beyond.
“The project will serve the burgeoning
bee economy in New Zealand, an industry
which currently has approximately one
million honey bee hives but which has
suffered somewhat from a lack of focused
research for optimal management,” he
said.
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