Long before a blueberry reaches consumers, native bees likely play a vital role in its development. A recent University of Georgia (UGA) study highlights the critical contribution of wild pollinators to Georgia's blueberry industry — a crop worth over $526 million in 2023 and ranking third in national production.
Doctoral candidate Sarah Rezende, working with Associate Professor Jason Schmidt in the Department of Entomology, studied wild bee populations across eight commercial blueberry farms in southeast Georgia over two growing seasons. The research, part of a USDA initiative to improve pollination and pest control, found more than 5,000 individual bees from 72 species and 26 genera, making it the most detailed survey of its kind in Georgia's blueberry fields.
Rezende observed that wild bee activity extends well beyond the blueberry bloom period, which lasts about three weeks. Bee diversity peaked after the bloom, indicating the need for floral resources throughout the growing season to sustain populations. Field edges and interior zones saw bee abundance rise in May and June, while adjacent forests maintained more stable populations across the season.
Blueberries depend on a specialized pollination method called sonication, or buzz pollination, which honeybees do not perform efficiently. Native bees like the southeastern blueberry bee (Habropoda laboriosa), however, are adept at this task. A single female can pollinate up to 50,000 blossoms in a season, making her significantly more efficient than honeybees, which may require six visits to achieve the same result.
To maintain healthy wild bee populations, Rezende stressed the importance of planting a variety of flowers that bloom across seasons. This not only supports the bees' nutritional needs but also minimizes their travel distance, conserving energy for nesting and reproduction. Southeastern blueberry bees, for example, nest by digging deep tunnels into the soil and are active for only a few weeks. If their emergence does not align with blueberry bloom, their survival can be threatened by a lack of food.
Georgia is home to more than 500 native bee species, yet their role in agriculture is often overshadowed by honeybees. Unlike social honeybees, most native bees are solitary and non-aggressive, focusing solely on pollination and reproduction. These bees nest in diverse habitats — underground, in wood, or among leaf litter — and their presence depends heavily on the availability of proper nesting conditions and continuous food sources.
To support awareness, Rezende worked with UGA Extension to produce a bilingual visual guide for identifying bee species in blueberry fields. The goal is to help farmworkers and residents recognize bee diversity and understand their essential role in sustaining Georgia's blueberry crops.
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For more information:
Cassie Ann Kiggen
University of Georgia
Tel: +1 706 542 6190
Email: [email protected]
www.newswire.caes.uga.edu
