Alternative orchard pollinators: research and design project on development on new nesting technologies for Osmia bees.

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1 Alternative orchard pollinators: research and design project on development on new nesting technologies for Osmia bees. Shumakova Irina Komissar Alexander UKRAINE

2 Honeybees are the main pollinators of orchards in the world now. For example, every spring only California requires nearly one million colonies for almond orchards. But recently in the USA and especially in Europe beekeepers faced a new trouble, which is called colony collapse disorder. This disorder causes great losses in the number of colonies and thus in almond pollination.

3 We need reserve pollination system, as sometimes the winter losses of honeybee colonies can be large and good pollination will be under question The future possible large winter losses of honeybees should be taken in account and some other pollinators must be considered. There are many species of Osmia bees all over the world and many of them are very efficient pollinators. So they could perform the role of orchard pollinators in the absence of the conventional bees. The existing systems of Osmia rearing do not allow the large scale pollination process competitive with the honeybees industrial methods, when one beekeeper sometimes manages 1000 plus colonies (each colony of bees population).

4 We worked only with Europian species of osmia bees namely Osmia rufa and Osmia cornuta We have invented the new kind of artificial domicile specially developed for Osmia bees. It contains new collapsible metal and transparent plastic tubes. The suggested tubes can be easily sterilized by high temperature and are supposed for multiple use.

5 We work with Osmia rufa

6 And with Osmia cornuta

7 Reed tubes are usually used for the osmia bee rearing. But it is possible to use the tube at once only. In autumn the tubes are split for removing the cocoons and removing the parasitical mites and larvae of flies.

8 Largest Ukrainian osmia operation Near 1000 tubes are in the every box

9 Slot nest (for Osmia rufa only but not for O. cornuta) Special nest between two plates, one of which is made of glass or opaque film. After removing of film the various parasites t (e.g., mites and cocoons of cleptoparasitic flies) can be removed and the brood of bees is ready for hatching and even selling. The nest is very simple, cheap and does not change its shape being disinfected by hot air or water treatment.

10 One breeder several millions of osmia bees According to our preliminary calculations once the pollination system based on employing Osmia bees is established, one breeder can manage several millions of bees. We already tested the technology at the scale of 100,000 cocoons, which were sold for the pollination of cucumbers. We have developed also Osmia bee hive, which provides mobility to the whole apiary that is essential when the crops are chemically treated and/or one requires moving bees to the new source of nectar and pollen

11 System of management All the existing systems of Osmia management include the cocoons extraction from the nest for the pest control. This operation need many time. Our system supposes extracting parasites only without disturbing bees cocoons. Cleaning of the nests and tubes for further use we make only after bees have hatched.

12 Osmia cornuta pollen and eggs in the transparent Plastic tubes with special system of ventilation

13 Osmia cornuta coccoons in the collapsible metal tubes with special ventilation also.they are ready to use (or selling) without any extraction from tubes, as tubes are very cheap

14 System of management All the existing systems of Osmia management include the cocoons extraction from the nest for the pest control. Our system supposes extracting parasites only without disturbing bees cocoons. Cleaning of the nests and tubes for further use we make only after bees have hatched

15 CONCLUSION Our elaborations permits to increase the labor productivity of osmia bee breeder essentially.