CATCH THE BUZZ Mandarin Grower - Don't Blame The Bees

CATCH THE BUZZ

California: Mandarin Grower: "Don't Blame the Bees"

A local grower responded to the growing debate between California tangerine growers and its nearby beekeepers. Recently, growers near Fresno said the bees have been trespassing, cross-pollinating between the seeded and seedless variety of citrus fruit in nearby orchards.

Steve Pilz at Hillcrest Orchards in Penryn, California, said first of all, the proper term was no longer "tangerines," and that the proper terminology among the fruit's growers was "mandarins".

Pilz then said there were about 300 bee hives in a half mile radius near his 12-acre orchard but he'd never had a problem with cross pollination until about three years ago. In 2007, He lost about 30 percent of his seedless "Satsuma Mandarins" to cross-pollination.

"It affects what people are expecting," Pilz said. "When parents give the fruit to their kids and it has seeds, they don't come back for more."

However, unlike his Fresno counter parts, Pilz didn't blame the bees, he blamed the grower who moved in and planted the seeded variety near his 12-acres.

Find out what's new at Mann Lakewww.mannlakeltd.com/catchthebuzz/index.html

"We need the bees more than the worry of seeds," Pilz said.

Pilz said the pollen from the seeded varieties was only viable for up to three miles according to the Farm and Home Advisor from the University of California Davis, so it had to be a grower nearby.

In the last two years, Pilz said he'd had less of a problem with seeds in his fruit. In order for the cross pollinating to occur, Pilz trees must bloom at the same time as the problem-causing seeded trees. Pilz believed his trees were now blooming on a different schedule than the nearby seeded trees, but that could change year by year.

Even if Pilz knew who the seeded fruit grower was, there's not a lot he could do. But, he would like to talk to them. "They might not know they are causing the problem," Pilz said. "I would just like to inform them."

Pilz's trees have been there for more than 60 years and it was only recently that his mandarins began producing seeds. Pilz said it's just another sign of the times.

"It's part of nature. Global warming," Pilz said. "The consumer shouldn't worry about a couple of seeds."

Subscribe to the Apis Newsletter www.apis.shorturl.com

This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping