Balancing the Buzz

by Carolyn Bernhardt

Hawaiʻi’s honey bees are the lifeblood of the islands’ agriculture, diligently pollinating many different types of crops and contributing over $200 million in pollination services. But a focus on domestic bees, while boosting food security, casts a shadow over the islands’ native pollinators. As farmers, researchers, and conservationists navigate this delicate balance, a pressing question emerges: can Hawaiʻi both protect its unique native pollinators and continue to sustain its vital honey bee industry?

Buzzing about Hawaiʻi’s crops
On the Continental U.S., migratory beekeepers shuttle hundreds of thousands of domesticated honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies from the Northern Great Plains to California, where they pollinate essential crops before returning north for summer access to high-quality forage. Many colonies fail to survive each winter due to pesticide exposure, diseases, and pests.

Things look a little different in Hawaiʻi.

“There are hundreds of crops for which you need a pollinator to either set fruit or set a seed [to] harvest,” says Mace Vaughan, director of the Pollinator Conservation and Agricultural Biodiversity Program at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. “In a state like Hawaiʻi, we’re talking about things like cantaloupe, watermelon, pumpkin, squash, macadamia nut, cocoa, vanilla, and even avocado.”

“Pollinators certainly contribute to the food chain for some locally produced crops,” says Dr. Mark Wright, professor and extension entomologist in the Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UH Mānoa). “So, it could be fair to say that pollinators play a big role in producing crops exported from the state, which, of course, has economic implications for the state.”

According to Vaughan, the good news is, there are enough beekeepers on the islands to provide pollination services for agriculture. “Hawaiʻi has also historically been an important place for honey bee queen production, because of its relatively pest-free environment. Having oceans all the way around has given them some protection [from invasives].”

However, Vaughan adds that there are still plenty of non-native, invasive species, and other pests that have outcompeted habitats on the islands. “Not to mention habitat loss from agricultural development, urban expansion, or grazing. We need to incorporate purposeful considerations for pollinators and other beneficial insects when we’re doing pest management.”

Vaughan calls for something called integrated pest and pollinator management, an approach that expands on pest management by also protecting pollinators, reducing pesticide use, diversifying farms, and providing more food to bees. “Farmers are concerned about the risk [pests pose] to their livelihood, which totally makes sense,” Vaughan says. “There needs to be a good support network to help them adopt practices that have reduced risk.”

Floating under the radar
While local farmers often rely on honey bees to pollinate crops, the islands’ pollination network isn’t limited to domestic bees. “Carpenter bees and flies play roles, too. For example, passionfruit relies on carpenter bees, and cacao is helped by flies,” says Wright.

Honey bees are also not native to Hawaiʻi, and their dominance can come at a cost to native pollinator populations. “Honey bees are considered by many to be a threat to native pollinators,” says Wright. “Native species face habitat loss, invasive species, and competition from honey bees.”

Hawaiʻi is home to over 60 species of yellow-faced bees that all fall under one genus, Hylaeus, the islands’ only native bee group. Despite the listing of several yellow-faced bee species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2016, much of the islands’ pollinator focus remains on honey bees, leaving native species underappreciated.

According to Wright, “There has been very little work on the role of native species as pollinators of food crops in Hawaiʻi.”

“Hawai’i is very protective of their honey bees,” says Vaughan. While competition between honey bees and native pollinators is complex and not fully understood, researchers do know that agricultural and conservation priorities can conflict.

For example, commercial beekeepers sometimes oppose efforts to manage invasive plants like Christmas berry, a valuable nectar source for their bees. “[The Christmas berry] impacts native habitat and possibly native pollinators generally, not only bees,” says Dr. Paul Krushelnycky, an assistant researcher in the Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences at UH Mānoa. Obviously, it’s complicated. “Research suggests honey bees can have negative impacts on native bee populations, but they also pollinate native plants,” Krushelnycky adds. “The pollination ecology of many native plants is almost completely unknown. For most plant species, we don’t even know which insects pollinate them, let alone the current population status or threats to these pollinators.”

Pollinator protection
Efforts to protect Hawaiʻi’s native pollinators are gaining momentum, driven by both research and growing public awareness. Since the 2016 ESA listing of yellow-faced bees, “we’ve learned critical information about the ecological needs of a few species, which is encouraging,” Krushelnycky says.

The agricultural sector is also beginning to recognize the importance of sustainable practices. “There’s a growing appreciation for the risks of indiscriminate pesticide use,” Wright says. “Pollinator conservation is one of the main drivers.”

Individuals can play a role too. All three experts agree that planting native species, reducing pesticide use, and conserving native habitats are all ways to support pollinators. “Restoration efforts aimed at improving habitat for native bees and other pollinators can make a difference,” says Krushelnycky.

Clearly, the future holds both challenges and opportunities. “Most people are unaware that honey bees are not native pollinators in Hawaiʻi, and that they may undermine conservation goals in some situations,” says Krushelnycky. “In addition, much pollination in native ecosystems is likely to be accomplished by small, nondescript insects, so conservation of entire insect communities is critical.”

By protecting these tiny but mighty creatures, the islands can safeguard both their biodiversity and their agricultural legacy all at once by equally prioritizing the future of both native and domestic pollinators.

Browse Ka Pili Kai issues HERE