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Reducing the Threat Posed by Africanized Honey Bees to Barn Owls andSpecialty Crop Production R. N. Raid1, C. A. Efstathion2, and W. H. Kern21Dept. of Plant Pathology, Everglades Research and Education Center, Belle Glade, UF2Dept. of Entomology and Nematology, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, UF
Presentation Objectives • IPM Program background • Defining the problem • Proposed research • Preliminary results • Desired outcome • Where do we go from here
Everglades Agricultural Areaof South Florida • >700,000 acres of sugarcane, rice, sod, and vegetables • A virtual treeless expanse with few houses or farm buildings • A haven for millions of rodents
Rodent Damage • Cotton rats can consume up to 75% of their wt. per day in sugarcane • In the 4 month period leading up to harvest, this amounts to 32,442 metric tons of cane • On an annual basis, losses in sugarcane alone may run up to $30 million • Also indirect costs (equipment, control costs, food safety monitoring)
Sustainable Rodent Control • Barn owls are nature’s ultimate rodent predators • Most widely distributed raptor in the world • Barn owl chicks may consume up to 1.5 times their wt. per day in prey • A single nesting pair will easily destroy 1,000-3,000 rodents per year • Native to the Glades but populations limited by lack of nesting sites
The Problem • Africanized honey bees (AHB) arrived in FL in 2005 • More defensive than the highly domesticated European honey bee • Swarming up to 8 times per year • Prior to 2005, only 2 boxes taken over by bees • Since 2005, dozens of boxes now occupied by AHB and growers reluctant to use IPM
The Africanized Honey Bee Threat • AHB pose a threat not only to barn owls but other wildlife species • AHB will often form hives in obscure locations, such as culverts, farm gates, tractor engines, building openings, and stacks of loading pallets • Easily disturbed by motion or vibration, they pose a very real danger to agricultural workers
Proposed Research The Push – Pull Method PUSH PULL
Materials & Methods • Two lines of sixty owl nesting boxes and bee trap boxes established along U.S. Sugar railway • Bee trap boxes are baited with pheromone to attract bees • One half of owl nesting boxes are treated with low level Permethrin • Nesting boxes and swarm boxes are monitored weekly for colonization • Owl nesting success and health is also being monitored through examination and blood tests
Wildlife Compatibility • Barn owl safety is also being monitored • Investigating the effects on hatching rates • Investigating the effects on owlet survival • Initial results are positive with less parasitism and no reductions in hatch or survival
Preliminary Results • Decreased owl nesting box colonization • Bait trap boxes highly successful in drawing wild swarms • Swarms have been easy to remove and relocate • Wild swarms have been successfully converted to commercial grade hives, saving bees • Hatching success and survival has not been impacted and may actually improve • Good grower acceptance
Ultimate Impacts • Preservation of a valuable IPM program • Improved barn owl survival • Improved worker safety by reducing threat caused by Africanized honey bees and educational outreach programs • Improved bee health and populations • Reduced costs to growers • Economic benefit provided by bees
Future Research • These are preliminary results but they appear promising • More research needs to be done to confirm the results in the EAA • These findings may be applicable to other species of wildlife and other locations • If successful, the renovation of Africanized honey bee hives may assist in stemming recent losses in honey bees due to Colony Collapse Disorder, a problem of national significance
Acknowledgments Special thanks to Bill Kern, Caroline Efstathion, and Tim Lang for their cooperation and logistic support & Our appreciation to United States Sugar Corporation for providing a research site and allowing access to their property
