With the success of our root cellar last winter, it’s nice to look at this year’s crop coming in and size up the situation. I don’t grow a large variety of roots anymore mainly because we’ve got used to developing such a nice variety of frozen veggies. There’s also the fact that there are those in my household (no names mentioned) who don’t like turnips and parsnips. (No accounting for some people’s tastes eh?)

Potatoes are our main root crop. The biggest problem we’ve had with potatoes has been with the common potato scab. The problem was already in our soil when we began gardening here 30 years ago and we’ve never been able to eliminate it. There are several things that you can do to minimize the problem. One of the most important for us has been to find potato varieties that work well in our soil in conjunction with our northern climate. For the last few years we’ve been planting and harvesting a white potato called AC Ptarmigan. As its name implies, this is a white potato that’s highly suited for growing in the north. When properly cared for and harvested, this potato is very resistant to scab, is a delicious early potato, it’s great for storage in the root cellar and most important (to me anyways) makes a great french fry.

With regards to potato scab – here’s a little info from the Government of Alberta:

What is potato scab?

Common Scab of potatoes is a bacterial disease. Symptoms include tan to dark brown, rough-textured lesions on the tuber surface. Scab is typically introduced into the soil by infected tubers, and will survive indefinitely in the soil. Common scab is most severe in warm, quick-drying soils and increases through a pH range of 5.2 to 8.0.

What is the economic impact of potato scab?
Common Scab is a cosmetic disease, with no effect on yield. Scab is more of a problem in table potatoes than in processing potatoes, as scab lesions are restricted to the tuber surface and peeling removes the problem. Severe scab can reduce the quantity of useable product, as more peeling is required.

Will soil amendments reduce scab incidence and severity?
It is theoretically possible to adjust soil pH to outside the pathogen’s preferred range. In reality, the quantity of amendment required to accomplish a change in pH is considerable and cost prohibitive. If the necessary adjustments were accomplished, the potato crop itself would be outside of its preferred range and yields may suffer.

What can I do to control scab?
Scab cannot be eliminated but incidence and severity can be reduced through a combination of practices.

* Avoid introducing scab into soil by planting scab-free or treated seed.
* Rotate to other crops for 3-4 years between potato crops.
* Avoid susceptible crops in the rotation (root crops).
* Green manuring (rye, millet, oat) has been reported to reduce the incidence of scab.
* Maintain adequate soil moisture during the time of tuber formation and growth (tuber initiation starts 4-6 weeks after planting).
* Plant more resistant cultivars.

What cultivars of potato are less likely to develop scab?
No cultivar of potato is resistant to common scab.

Susceptible Red – AC Peregrine, Red Pontiac, Sangre. Susceptible White – Cal White, Shepody, Irish Cobbler. Susceptible Yellow – Yukon Gold, Bintje, Adora. Susceptable Russet – Ranger Russet

Moderately Resistant Red - Cal Red, Cherry Red, Chieftain, Caribe, Dark Red Norland, Norland, Nordonna, Red Cloud, Red Ruby, Viking.
Moderately Resistant White – AC Ptarmigan, Eramosa, Kennebec, Superior
Moderately Resistant Yellow – Agata. Albina, Dali, Island Sunshine, Penta, Provento, Sante. Moderately Resistant Russet – Gold Rush, Russet Norkotah, Russet Burbank

Prepared by Robert Spencer, Ag-Info Centre, Alberta Agriculture & Food

Beets: Not being of the Ukrainian persuasion, I have never been led to believe that the red beet is in anyway part of my cultural heritage. Like most people, I really don’t care for situations where things are bleeding all over the place – even beets. Enter – The Golden Beet! This lovely root vegetable tastes great on its own but mixes wonderfully in a crowd without dominating. Golden beets may be served with carrots, peas, cauliflower, brussel sprouts – you name it. I dug up a little info on growing golden beets from www.humeseeds.com.

GOLDEN BEET – Deep globe shaped golden roots with light green, yellow veined tops. Both are sweet and tender, especially when young. Roots do not bleed like red beets when pickled. Golden beets make a nice change of pace and color contrast in salads and relish trays. Approximately 55 days to maturity.

Special Directions for Short Season Climates

SOWING: Plant outdoors from March through August (weather permitting). Sow seeds 2 to 4 inches apart covering them with 1/2 inch of fine soil.

SPACING: Space rows 12 to 18 inches apart or plant seeds 4 inches apart in all directions in beds.

THINNING: Thin to 4 inches apart when seedlings are a few inches high and enjoy the removed young greens in a salad.

GERMINATION: 2 to 3 weeks in warm weather. Keep soil moderately moist during germination.

Carrots. The main secret to growing good carrots around here is simple – thin them well. If Carrots are thinned early on, leaving a couple of inches for expansion – they will indeed expand – filling that space you have given them as they grow into nice plump carrots that are both easy to process and store well in the root cellar. This year we planted Nantes and Imperator varieties – and both seem to be doing very well.

It’s that time of year when fluttering white cabbage moths descend on our brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts) laying eggs that hatch into hordes of green caterpillars that eat and poop their way through our lovely greens. If you want to grow cabbages around here, you had better defend them or there won’t be anything left for your dinner table when these guys are through. One way you can do this is to use row covers – a porous fabric that allows sunlight and rain through but, in theory, keeps out the insects. In theory yes – but be warned – just one tiny hole somewhere in your row cover defense and these wily pests will – may I use the word ‘worm’ their way in. The next time you lift the cover you’ll find a gang of green fellas munching and pooping on your cauliflowers.

A far more effective method of dealing with these pests is with the judicious use of what is known as an environmentally compatible pest control called Rotenone. You can learn about this product from North Country Organics on their website: www.norganics.com I’ve been able to pick up Rotenone Dust at most garden centers and hardware stores with a garden supply department. By keeping the brassicas dusted during the breeding season of the Cabbage butterflies, we’re able to keep all of them free of their destructive offspring and ensure a good harvest. The dust will wash off in the rain or during watering and should be renewed when necessary. A warning – while considered to be a safe environmentally compatible control, this product is a poison and you should understand all of the precautions to be taken when using it. I strongly recommend carefully reading the label or downloading the pdf from North Country Organics on Rotenone and reading all of the info carefully before using this product.

It’s that time of year when focus on the garden turns to focus on the dinner plate. Every meal becomes a celebration it itself. If you’re still eating produce from the grocery store, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about, because that crap you’re eating doesn’t hold a candle to what’s being served in our home.

The first thing to understand about the Row-Hoe (and a lot of people trying to use this device never get past this one) – don’t bother to use those cultivator tines for weeding. I think they are purely decorational – as there are few men alive who are powerful enough to push those babies up and down the garden rows. (There is, of course the Doukhobor alternative – if you happen to have any womenfolk who are willing to get into harness and PULL the Row-Hoe – my wife refuses!) Short of that – I strongly recommend using that little weeding bar that you see positioned on top of the Roe-Hoe. You simply pull the handle forward and push the weeder the other way through the soil – cutting off the weeds just below the surface and leaving the rest of the soil undisturbed. This works much the same as the rod weeders that we used for dry land farming on the prairies – it conserves soil moisture while killing weeds through shallow cultivation. This device sure beats hoeing, is environmentally friendly and gives me a reasonable healthy workout – without working too hard!

This year we used two varieties of tomatoes in the greenhouse – both are staking varieties with proven disease resistance. We started our own ‘Vendor‘ plants from seed – because this is a commercial greenhouse tomato that is usually unavailable from local bedding plant outlets. We took a short holiday in April and were unable to start these plants as early as we would have liked – so we also purchased some well advanced ‘Ultra Girl‘ bedding plants from a local supplier. This week, these plants were ready to be pruned. We use wire tomato cages to stake our plants. All of the side shoots (A) that sprout from between the main stem and main branches have been removed from this plant – allowing the tomato to put more growth into the fruit producing stems. As well, I’ve removed all of the lower branches (B) in order to keep the ground around the base of the plants free from plant growth and debris – this will prevent some disease problems – especially if you are careful to water directly onto the soil and not onto the tomato plant itself. I haven’t bothered to get technical about tomato disease problems – as there are entire website devoted to this subject. The important things to remember are 1) Use only disease resistant, staking varieties of tomatoes in a greenhouse and 2) Be careful when watering – keeping good soil moisture without watering direatly on the foilage whenever possible. For more info on tomato disease, check out the Master Gardener Online site.

In this day and age of West Nile Virus and Avian Bird Flu – it is quite disturbing to notice sick birds – in this case finches – around the bird feeders. Searching the internet for clues as to what my be causing the problem – I discovered that the culprit was most likely salmonella. A web-page posted by Cornell News back in 1998 exactly described what we were seeing:

A bird with salmonellosis appears tame. It might sit quietly for days in a sheltered spot. Often, its feathers are fluffed out, and you might see it hold its head under its wings. As the disease progresses, the bird might exhibit a wobbly head and staggering walk. You might witness shivering or convulsions, and the bird might have trouble swallowing. Within a few hours after the symptoms show strongly, the bird simply falls over and dies.

Following instructions from the Cornell News page – we sanitized all of our birdfeeders and water baths (I actually threw out an old wooden feeder that couldn’t be sanitized – I’m just going to use easy to clean plastic feeders from now on) and we discontinued feeding the birds for the summer – there’s lots for them to eat now anyways. I’ll reprint the page from Cornell in case anyone else notices this problem which was affecting Goldfinches and Purple finches in our yard.

Songbird salmonella tracked across country by Cornell scientists
Bird-feeding probably not to blame for outbreak of bacterial disease, experts say

FOR RELEASE: March 30, 1998 Contact: Roger Segelken
Office: (607) 255-9736
E-Mail: hrs2@cornell.edu

ITHACA, N.Y. — Until laboratory tests identify sources of a bacterial disease killing songbirds in the East and Midwest, Cornell University scientists say people who feed birds should not blame themselves for the recent outbreak of salmonellosis in redpolls and other flocking species.

Nevertheless, three precautions are in order, say experts at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and the College of Veterinary Medicine:

– Clean bird feeders with a 10 percent bleach solution or stop feeding altogether now that warm weather is here.

– Do not try to rehabilitate sick birds without the legally required permits from federal and state authorities.

– When handling dead birds, remember that the bacterial disease may turn out to be transmissible to humans.

“In fact, we don’t know which of the 2,000 or so possible strains of salmonella is killing songbirds,” says Patrick McDonough. The bacteriologist in Cornell’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory says there is some concern that the recent epidemic of salmonellosis could be due to the multi-antibiotic resistant Salmonella Typhimurium DT104. Tests now under way at the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, are trying to identify the salmonella strain affecting songbirds, McDonough notes.

“We started getting reports of dying birds in late January from some participants in Project FeederWatch,” says Margaret Barker, education coordinator at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, where the 13,500-member citizen-science project is headquartered. “Then it was quiet — until late February and March, when we heard many more reports of bacterial disease in flocking birds,” she says, referring to species such as pine siskins, evening grosbeaks, American goldfinches and common redpolls.

The National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis., has confirmed salmonella as the cause of songbird sickness or mortality in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Wisconsin.

“We’d like to know what stressors are making birds so susceptible this year to bacterial disease,” says Cornell wildlife veterinarian Barry K. Hartup. He notes that affected parts of the United States had a mild winter with few severe storms, which sometimes stress birds and other wild animals.

However, one possible cause of stress could be unaccustomed, long-distance flights to the United States by birds that normally winter in Canada. Participants in Project FeederWatch, who count feeder birds throughout North America, are reporting “irruptions” of redpolls and other flocking species into the United States Regional food shortages in Canada are believed by some ornithologists to be the cause for the unusual migration.

Hartup, who also studies conjunctivitis in house finches, says wild birds frequently carry one or more forms of salmonella without becoming ill — unless their immune systems are stressed or unless a particularly virulent strain of salmonella comes along. He recommends against medicating sick birds by the general public for two reasons: Holding or rehabilitating migratory birds requires a federal license. And treating birds with antibiotics can appear to cure the illness while making the birds “carriers” and potentially infecting many others.

At the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, coordinator Barker says some dedicated bird-feeders are blaming themselves because they see sick birds at their bird-feeding stations. In fact, the disease, which is transmitted by infected fecal matter, probably occurs wherever flocking species gather together — in the woods, fields or barnyards.

“If the only place you see birds is in your backyard, and birds there are sick, you might think bird feeders are a reservoir of bacterial disease,” Barker says. “That’s not necessarily so. But it’s always been a good idea to clean feeders on a regular basis and to provide several feeders so the birds aren’t competing for the same food.”

Or taper off feeding for this season, suggests bacteriologist McDonough. He points out that, like most bacteria, salmonella thrives in warm, wet conditions and El Nino so far has been responsible for plenty of both. Spring, he says, could bring more of the same.

The Cornell scientists agree on one thing: Dead birds should not be sent to the university. They suggest that people with suspected salmonellosis cases contact the wildlife conservation office in their home states for directions. In New York state, for example, that would be the wildlife pathology division of the Department of Environmental Conservation at (518) 478-3032.

New York state wildlife pathologist Ward Stone says his office is getting birds from most areas of the state, with the exception of the Buffalo area, and welcomes more. And he advises people in areas affected by songbird salmonellosis to stop feeding birds until the disease is more precisely identified.

Wildlife veterinarian Hartup recommends careful handling of dead birds in the event that the disease can be transmitted to humans or pets. Gloves should be worn, and birds should be securely wrapped, he says, and placed in outdoor garbage containers for disposal or buried in ground that will not be disturbed.

-30-

Songbird Salmonella Q&A

Source: Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology

WHAT IS CAUSING MY BIRDS TO GET SICK AND DIE? I’VE FOUND DEAD REDPOLLS

UNDER MY FEEDERS.

We can’t be certain what might be the cause, but we can tell you that currently there is an outbreak of the salmonella bacteria among songbirds in Eastern and Midwestern states. The bacteria is fast-acting and spreads rapidly throughout the body. Birds can die quickly.

WHAT SYMPTOMS DO BIRDS WITH SALMONELLOSIS SHOW?

A bird with salmonellosis appears tame. It might sit quietly for days in a sheltered spot. Often, its feathers are fluffed out, and you might see it hold its head under its wings. As the disease progresses, the bird might exhibit a wobbly head and staggering walk. You might witness shivering or convulsions, and the bird might have trouble swallowing. Within a few hours after the symptoms show strongly, the bird simply falls over and dies.

HOW IS THE DISEASE SPREAD? IS MY BIRD FEEDER KILLING MY BIRDS?

Salmonella is shed in feces. The National Wildlife Health Center adds it can also be spread bird-to-bird via direct contact or through ingestion of food or water contaminated with “nfected avian or mammalian fecal matter.” Birds pick up the salmonella bacteria at places other than bird feeders. But human observers most easily and usually see birds at feeders. Your feeders are probably not killing your feeder visitors; there are some precautions you can take to keep your feeders clean, however, to help you rest assure that you are doing what you can to prevent the spread of disease.

WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP PREVENT THE SPREAD OF THE DISEASE?

Temporarily take down your feeders. This gives you time to clean up under the feeders and allows the birds that are used to feeding there to temporarily disperse. Before replacing the feeders, clean with a 10 percent bleach solution: one part household chlorine bleach to nine parts of water. Avoid crowding at feeders. Provide lots of feeder space. Several feeders are better. This helps decrease the bacteria load. Store seed in rodent-proof containers. This helps prevent rodent droppings in the seed. Replenish food often. Practice good sanitation and common sense when cleaning to minimize the risk of spreading the disease to humans or pets. Wear rubber gloves if you handle sick or dead animals or fecal material. Wash hands well after. Clean feeder in a bucket, for example, rather than the kitchen sink. Discourage pets from feeding on sick and dead birds.

DO BIRDS WITH SALMONELLOSIS ALWAYS DIE? WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP THEM IN ADDITION TO KEEPING MY FEEDERS CLEAN?

Birds infected with the bacteria do not always die. Some studies show that infected birds can remain healthy, even as they pass the disease to other birds. Many birds become sick only if they are under stress — from severe weather or other causes. A Cornell veterinarian says what infected birds need most is water. The disease causes dehydration. But water must be kept extremely clean and fresh to stop spread of the disease. Only federally licensed rehabilitators or veterinarians can legally administer antibiotics. The National Wildlife Health Center staff are concerned that use of antibiotics on wild birds will create a highly resistant strain of almonella that could impact poultry, pets, humans.

WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH MY DEAD BIRDS? CAN LABS OR VETS USE THEM?

Dead birds should be disposed of by wrapping tightly and putting in outdoor garbage containers with tight lids. Some state wildlife agencies or research veterinary colleges might want the birds for study. Call those institutions for instructions on how to keep the birds– usual instructions are for the birds to be kept cool or frozen in a tightly-closed plastic bag. Be sure to include data such as the location and date you found the bird.

WHERE IS THE DISEASE?

As of March 19, 1998, the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis., had received reports of sick or dead birds at bird feeders in 13 Midwestern and Eastern states. Specifically, salmonellosis is now confirmed as the cause of songbird sickness or mortality in the following ten states: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Similar incidents of passerine mortality without lab confirmation are reported in Connecticut, Ohio and Massachusetts. FeederWatchers began reporting the disease to Lab staff as early as late January. The disease seemed to retreat but is now spreading again.

HOW UNUSUAL IS THIS DISEASE IN THE EAST AND MIDWEST? IS THIS OUTBREAK DUE TO EL NINO?

A major outbreak of salmonellosis was reported in the Northeastern United States in the spring of 1988. It is a more common occurrence in the West and Northwest, where every few years a die-off occurs, usually involving Pine Siskins. This West/Northwest outbreak has been documented by Project FeederWatch participants. We cannot at this time determine if the salmonella outbreak is due at least in part tothe milder-than-usual winter in the East and Midwest. But, this is an interesting question.

WHICH BIRD SPECIES ARE HARDEST HIT?

During the current outbreak, most reports of mortality include pine siskins, american goldfinches and common redpolls. New York birds hardest hit by the outbreak are Common Redpolls.

IS THE OUTBREAK CONNECTED TO THE WINTER FINCH INVASION?

We can’t say that there is a connection to the high numbers of finches and red-breasted nuthatches reported in the Northeast this year.

CAN I GET SALMONELLA FROM MY BIRD FEEDERS? WHAT ABOUT MY PETS?

The National Wildlife Health Center reports that there are more than 2,000 strains of salmonella bacteria; many different birds and mammals can be infected. Specific strains usually affect specific animals. However, it is possible that the strain typically seen in songbirds could cause illness in humans and domestic animals. Act on the side of caution: Use common sense and practice good sanitation. Repeating from above: Wear rubber gloves if you handle sick or dead animals or fecal material. Wash hands well after. Clean feeder in a bucket, for example, rather than the kitchen sink. Discourage pets from feeding on sick and dead birds.

| Cornell News Service Home Page |

Poor Germination

The first problem occured very early in spring when I seeded an early salad garden in the greenhouse. I had purchased seed for this purpose in the fall – this turned out to be a big mistake when a number of seed beds did not germinate at all – probably due to using old seed. In the future I will order all of my seeds early from a reputable seed catalogue which should guarantee that early crop of spinach and romaine that I didn’t get this year.

I also had germination problems with a number of vegetable and particularily – flower seeds that I purchased from Earlys Garden Center in Saskatoon. None of the ‘Derby’ Beans, Marigolds and one species of Calendulas that I planted came up. Once again I am suspicious of old seed – this time purchased in spring from off the shelf in the garden center. Next year I plan to order all of my garden seeds from the Stokes Seeds Catalogue www.stokeseeds.com

One thing that did work with the beans was planting 3 varieties. While the ‘Derby’ green beans never came up – the Yellow wax beans and the ‘Strait ‘n’ Narrow’ green beans did – so I will still have a decent crop for the freezer. I also reseeded the ‘Derby’ rows with ‘Tendergreen’ so I may get one picking off of those as well.

Cucumbers -

For many years now I’ve been having difficulties growing a decent crop of cucumbers – especially in the cool, wet springs that we’ve been experiencing. Few cucumbers seem to germinate and those that do seem to struggle, sometimes hit by May and June frosts with only a few plants barely surviving to produce a handful of cukes at best.

First thing I did this year – was to switch from the old ‘Early Russian’ cukes that I had always preferred for pickling – to ‘Pioneer Hybrid’ (I prefer not to use hybrids – but hey – sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do) which claimed to have some disease resistance and hardiness in cool soils.

Secondly – I sprouted the seeds indoors in a warm place on a tray between layers of damp paper towels. This worked extremely well – the Pioneer Hybrid seed sprouted in an amazing 3 days!

Thirdly – as an experiment – I planted half of the sprouted seeds directly into the garden at the end of May and then I planted the other half into styro cups (with a drainage hole in the center and filled with Pro Soil mix) and kept these in the greenhouse until the middle of June when I planted them out. The results were quite dramatic.

The cucumbers that were planted directly into the garden (like the plant shown on the left) did not experience any frost but still grew much slower that the plants in containers in the greenhouse – probably due to the cooler soil in the garden. Then the cucumbers in the garden were ravaged by flea beetles – who seemed to prefer the tender two leaf stage of the emerging plants. What seems to happen is that the damage done by the flea beetles seldom kills the cucumber plants – but it stresses them so badly that their health and growth seems to be permanently impaired.

Meanwhile – in our greenhouse – which has well screened ventilation to prevent pests like the flea beetles from getting in – the growth and health of the cucumber plants was far superior to that of the plants growing outside in the garden. When I planted them out in June, there was a well developed root plug in the containers that allowed them to transplant without any signs of stress or shock. These plants, like the ones in the photo on the right are thriving in the warm summer soil of the garden and will likely outproduce the garden sown cucumbers.

When we were young and just starting out trying to grow a garden here on the fringe of Canada’s Boreal forest – we often tried growing fancy flowers – purchased from showy catalogues – filled with what turned out to be hollow promises of hardy vibrant blooms in northern climates. It turns out that ‘hardy’ is a relative term that can mean one thing in B.C. or Southern Ontario – and quite another in Northern Saskatchewan.

Since then – we’ve paid more attention to what kind of perennial flowers were to be found growing in the old gardens of the villagers and homesteaders who’ve been living in this area since the turn of the 20th century. A good case in point is this lovely iris patch that just came into bloom this week. I discovered the original patch surviving in the quack-grass that was encroaching on the remains of an old abandoned log cabin homestead near our village. Over the years – careful cultivation of these 4 inch high survivors has transformed them into this resplendent bloom!

There are still quite a few beekeepers in the neighbourhood and I’ve learned a valuable little trick for acquiring a new colony from time to time.

A little background first: When a colony successfully raises a new queen – she will leave the colony accompanied by a swarm of the colony’s most productive workers and seek out a new residence. This leaves behind an old queen and a greatly diminished workforce – which is a disaster for the beekeeper – and a windfall for another would- be beekeeper like myself who can capture the swarm and establish it in his own colony boxes. To prevent swarming a good beekeeper will keep a close watch on his brood chambers to spot developing queen cells which he can extract to start his own new colonies or destroy to prevent swarming.

Here’s the trick: The would-be beekeeper can often attract a swarm by placing an empty colony box in his garden. As the swarm is forming it will send out scouts to find a new location for the colony – and frankly – nothing beats a good old prefab beebox for setting up housekeeping. I was able to attract a swarm like this last summer and managed to feed them up and winter them successfully – so it looks like I’m back in the beekeeping business.

Why have bees in your garden: Honeybees are wonderful pollinators that can double your production of fruit and vegetables as well as provide you with 50 pounds of honey or more. With the growing global concerns about the fragility of honeybee populations – I think I’m going to take beekeeping more seriously from now on and start learning the procedures for queen rearing.

I just read an article in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix by environmentalist/writer Paul Hanley www.thespiritofagriculture.com on the impact that honeybees play on North American agriculture:

Honeybee die-off could threaten food supply

Paul Hanley, Special to The StarPhoenix

Published: Tuesday, June 19, 2007

You should be very concerned about the steady decline of bee populations, and not just if you like honey. Much more important than honey production is the role bees play in pollinating crops responsible for close to one-third of the human diet.

That’s why the massive die-off of bees that began in the United States last fall is considered “the biggest general threat to our food supply” by Kevin Hackett, the national program leader for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s bee and pollination program. Hackett says a total collapse of the honeybee population would essentially reduce America to a grain diet.

Another overstated doomsday scenario? Perhaps, but Hackett’s statement is not just histrionics given the emergence of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).

According to the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists, CCD is a disorder in which honeybee colonies rapidly and unexpectedly die. It is widespread in the United States and has been reported in Europe and Brazil. The disorder is characterized by the rapid loss of most adult bees from the hives. Characteristically, dead bees are not found in the vicinity of the colony.

CCD was first reported in the eastern U.S. in November 2006. To date, the disorder has spread to at least 27 states. Large commercial migratory beekeepers have been reporting losses of 30 to 90 per cent of their colonies with many surviving colonies being too weak to pollinate crops. Some estimates suggest an overall decline in American honeybee numbers of 40 per cent.

This current situation should be seen in the light of the historic loss of honeybee populations. Captive colonies in the U.S. shrank to 2.4 million in 2005 from 5.9 million in 1947.

According to Canadian statistics, honeybee colonies experienced unusually high winter losses in Canada this year. Worst hit were New Brunswick (59 per cent of colonies died over winter) and the Niagara region, where 60 to 70 per cent of colonies died. Winter losses in Saskatchewan were also higher than normal.

What is causing the heavy losses in the U.S. and some parts of Canada? Anything from parasites, pesticides, and warmer weather to cellphone signals, or a combination of these factors is being considered.

The most likely cause is the parasitic mite Varroa destructor, according to John Gruszka of Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food. In many regions, this mite has developed resistance to all the pesticides used to control it, making it increasingly complex for producers to treat the mite effectively.

Gruszka points out that the highest losses are in very large beekeeping operations in the U.S. Often there is insufficient manpower to keep up with mite control measures in operations with thousands of hives. Significantly, the Canadian areas most affected are close to the U.S. boarder.

Gruszka believes the ultimate solution is to breed resistance into the bees. Some colonies of European bees in eastern Russia have been found to be resistant to the mites and efforts are being made to breed this resistance into our bees, with some success. Saskatchewan is somewhat ahead of the curve in its efforts to breed better bees and some 80 per cent of beekeepers here are using bees that show about 25 per cent more resistance to mites.

Since the mites have developed resistance to pesticides, organic controls are becoming more popular. Recently an Ontario beekeeper won a major award for developing a more effective organic mite control. (Read more about him on my website www.thespiritofagriculture.com. Click on Archives to find the story.)

Recently, scientists have begun to wonder if mankind has become overly dependent on honeybees for pollination, since genome mapping has revealed that honeybees may be peculiarly vulnerable to disease and toxins.

As Pulitzer Prize-winning insect biologist E.O. Wilson says, the honeybee is nature’s “workhorse-and we took it for granted. We’ve hung our own future on a thread.” Ominous words indeed.

Gruszka contends that as bee populations decline, their monetary value as pollinators will increase sharply. Consequently, more money will be available to develop improved pest management regimes, likely through a combination of breeding and organic measures. While very concerned about the near future, he is hopeful about the long-term prospects for this