The U.S. Apple Association announced in a news release the publication of a new guide, “Pollinator Best Management Practices for Apples,” to help U.S. growers and regulators improve pollinator protection in orchards. The publication was created in partnership with the Honey Bee Health Coalition.

“One-third of the food we eat begins with pollinators, and each year they are the genesis of $21 billion in economic activity in apples alone,” said USApple President and CEO Jim Bair, in the release. “Protecting pollinators is not just the ethically and environmentally right thing to do, it’s also good for our businesses.”

According to the release, the publication considers practical production needs and suggests elements of an outreach and education program to foster adoption and implementation of identified practices. The goal of the work is to increase understanding of the benefits and opportunities around protecting pollinators while also recognizing the need to protect the crop from pest damage. 

“The Honey Bee Health Coalition is pleased to have facilitated the development of this document that will provide practice recommendations to U.S. apple growers on how to improve the health of pollinators in their orchards,” said Matt Mulica, facilitator of the Honey Bee Health Coalition. “This process brought together apple growers, commercial beekeepers and researchers to discuss issues related to bee health in orchards and provide specific actions to protect bees and enhance pollination services.”

“Pollinator Best Management Practices for Apples” is available on the USApple website at: usapple.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2022_03_18_USAPPLE_PollinatorReport_F.pdf.

—by Jonelle Mejica