The State of the Dairy State

 Last week we touched on the important role that bees play in Wisconsin agriculture. This week, we’re continuing the agriculture theme and venturing into the world of dairy. In fact, we will spend the next few days learning about the science of milk, cheese, butter and whey, but first, let’s explore some fun facts about the Dairy State. A special thanks to the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research and the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board for providing these facts. 

THE FACTS

• Dairy contributes more than $43.4 billion to Wisconsin’s economy. That’s more than citrus contributes to Florida and potatoes contribute to Idaho. 

 

Chart is based on data from the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board

• If Wisconsin were a country, it would place 4^th in world cheese production.  

• Wisconsin cheesemakers produce >600 varieties of cheese 

Juustoleipa is just one of the many specialty cheese varieties made in Wisconsin. Juustoleipa, often called bread cheese, tastes best when baked or microwaved. Due to the unique chemistry of this cheese, it won't melt when warmed but instead maintains a slightly chewy texture like that of a fresh cheese curd. 

• Wisconsin produces about 50 percent of the specialty cheese in the US. 

Specialty cheese includes varieties such as Limburger, which is a semi-soft cheese that is known for its unique taste (and smell). Wisconsin is home to the only U.S. plant making Limberger. Fans of this cheese variety like to enjoy it on a Limburger sandwich which include rye bread, sweet onions and mustard.

•  In 2014, at the World Champion Cheese Contest, Wisconsin took home gold in 33 out of the 90 categories. 

Chart is based on data from the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association and the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board

•  Wisconsin is home to Pleasant Ridge Reserve, the only cheese to ever win the American Cheese Society Best of Show three times.  

          (Hungry? Order some here: https://www.uplandscheese.com/) 

•  In 2016, the Wisconsin’s own Emmi Roth USA beat out nearly 3,000 other entries to win Best in Show at the World Champion Cheese Contest for its Grand Cru Surchoix. (Need more information? 

          Check it out here: http://www.rothcheese.com/cheese/grand-cru/#grand-cru-original)

Want to Learn More? 

Be sure to check back later this week as we learn the science of milk. In the meantime, visit the link below for more Wisconsin Dairy facts. 

http://www.wmmb.com/assets/images/pdf/WisconsinDairyData.pdf

Special Note: In journalism, integrity is everything. So, in the spirit of full disclosure, it’s important to note that I am currently employed as a science writer at a food & dairy research center. While this blog is all about the facts, it’s important to note that much of the information I will be sharing over the next few weeks comes from my place of employment and its partners.  

The Sweet Science of the Honey Bee

           

            Last weekend, I had the opportunity to experience something magical. Normally, I don’t like to use that word because, well, that’s not very scientific; but there’s no denying the enchantment that I felt as I stood in the midst of several thousand honey bees. Though I felt their presence, the bees were too hard at work to notice me. Luckily, local science teacher, beekeeper and owner of Dancing Bee Honey Farm, LLC, Dan Curran was there to translate the magic of the bees and what it is that makes these amazing insects such an integral part of our society.          

Beekeeper Dan Curran explaining the magic of the bees

Life in an Apiary:

            Down a rolling hill, past a wooded area, right on the edge of a farm sits an enchanted apiary. Home to more than 50,000 bees during the summer months, this apiary is strangely peaceful. Only the low humming sound of the bees can be heard. It’s a beautiful sunny day in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin and standing in the midst of the bees, there’s a feeling that I’m witnessing something truly magnificent.

            The warm, woody smell of smoke is in the air as beekeeper Dan Curran tends to his colonies using a smoker. This device, which simply emits a bit of natural wood smoke, helps to mask the bee’s natural alert pheromones, which could be triggered, even by Curran’s gentle inspection.

The golden bees are a mix of Italian (Apis mollifier ligustica) and Carniolan (Apis mellifera carnicaare), both of which are, by nature, fairly unaggressive. Though each of the seven recognized subspecies of honey bees has their own unique set of skills, Curran feels that the Italian and Carniolan allow for a good mix of attributes. Regardless of their origins, Curran has created a beautiful home for these bees where several colonies live in peace. Curran, who regularly visits the apiary to ensure that the bees are disease free and have enough food diligently looks after each colony, which is the term for a group of bees living in a hive.

 Living in Southern Wisconsin, the bees have access to plenty of pollen during warmer months, which helps with the overall health of the bees. Though there are occasionally cases of disease or “honey robbery” between colonies during times of famine, Curran is able to limit these types of issues in his hives by placing his apiary in an area with many sources of nectar. In fact, the mixture of suburban and rural foraging area near Blue Mounds allows the bees to collect nectar from sources such as basswood, black locust, clover and alfalfa. This results in a lightly colored summer honey with a sweet, floral flavor. As the nectar decreases in the area, a darker honey will become present in the fall. This can also be harvested, but Curran chooses to leave this for the bees in order to ensure their survival through the winter.

            Of course, as anyone who has lived through a Wisconsin winter knows, the weather can be brutal. Luckily, thanks to the bee’s natural instinct and Curran’s vigilant care, the hives have successfully thrived for over ten years.

So what is it that makes bees so uniquely resilient?

All for One and One for All

            The simple answer is evolution and teamwork. In terms of evolution, bees are perhaps one of the most efficient beings on the planet. Their entire lifecycle is perfectly timed to allow for their survival under a range of conditions. A part of their efficiency is also their social structure. Honey bees are social beings that rely on each other to survive. Each member of the hive has his or her own role, all of which are essential to the survival of the hive. Essentially, there are three types of bees in a hive at any given time during the warm months.

At the top of the social structure is the queen bee. The other bees fiercely protect her so she is generally hard to see, but if you spot her you will note that she is slightly longer and larger than the other bees in the hive. Though she is, in a way, a leader, her main role is to reproduce since she is the only sexually mature female in the hive. In the case of managed bees, a queen bee is generally purchased when a new colony is started. Honey bees are, however, able to raise their own queen as well. In fact, a queen bee only lives about three to five years. So, when a colony is in need of a new queen, the worker bees know just what to do.

            Workers, which are the bees you generally see pollinating flowers, are the caretakers of the hive. They are responsible for gathering pollen and nectar, making the honey to feed the hive and rearing the brood, or baby bees. So, when the worker bees find that they need a new queen, they simply select one of the fertilized eggs that the queen has laid and feed it something called royal jelly. They will also construct a special cell around the queen egg, which is quite different from the hexagonal shape that is so commonly associated with honey bees.

Of course, in order to develop this queen, the worker bees need a fertilized egg. Since worker bees are all female, drones, or male bees are needed to complete the cycle.  So, when spring arrives and the queen is ready to mate, the worker bees raise drones, which are essentially unfertilized eggs. Drones can be easily picked out in a hive because they are darker, have slightly larger heads and do not have stingers. Though each hive has a number of drones, Curran says that the queen will generally avoid mating with her own drones to avoid inbreeding.

Instead, when a queen bee is ready to mate, she flies to a place where drones are congregating. It seems that how they all end up in the same place is not well understood but it is likely related to pheromones. In any case, once they arrive at the breeding location, the queen flies as high as she can in the sky with the drones following close behind. In theory, the fittest drones are able to reach the queen and mate. During this time it is estimated that each queen mates with approximately 15 drones, which allows her to return to the hive and lay thousands of fertilized eggs over her lifetime.

                                A close-up of the brood, notice the brown capped cells

Tenacity and Teamwork:

At this point it’s probably quite clear that the lifecycle of the bee is completely dependent on the teamwork that results from their social structure. So, it’s not surprising that this teamwork is also what allows the bees to survive harsh winters or times of famine. Applying their famous efficiency, bees begin preparing for the winter months as soon as the temperatures and the nectar and pollen sources begin to drop. Of course, this preparation includes the storage of that dark honey we discussed earlier but it also means the bees begin to reduce their population. Sensing the impending food shortage, the worker bees minimize the brood to keep the population down. During the summer months a high population is needed since the physically demanding life of a worker bee means they only live for a few months at best. During the fall and winter, however, foraging will come to a halt and many workers will not be needed. Keeping the population is also more efficient in terms of food use and as we’ve discussed, bees are nothing if not efficient. Finally, in a unique attempt at efficiency, the worker bees will begin ostracizing the drones from the hive. As we discussed above, drones do not contribute to the food supply, and in fact, are said to eat quite a lot. Additionally, they are really only needed for reproduction, which does not take place in the winter months. So, overall, it is by a natural efficiency in evolution that the drones die over the winter and replaced by a new group of males in the spring when the hives become more active.

Perhaps the most amazing story in terms of the bee’s teamwork and tenacity however, is their ability to survive a Wisconsin winter.  A single bee, like many insects is essentially exothermic, or cold-blooded meaning that it has a slim chance of surviving winter. But, when a colony comes together in a cluster, they are able to create and conserve heat. Here’s how it happens…

Curran says that as the temperature drops bees become torpid. This is a state similar to hibernation, but the bees are able to eat or leave the hive to defecate as needed. The benefit of this state is that it conserves energy, which allows food supplies to last long. During this state the bees also need to stay warm so they cling together in a cluster within the hive, slightly moving their muscles in order to generate heat. An honorary member of the apiary, Curran also puts a special cover over each colony that helps to insulate the hive so that, ideally, when the temperatures rise and the flowers bloom, the bees will be at it again.

                                A group of bees hard at work preparing for the winter

Part of the Team:

Walking away from the apiary that day I was reminded of a quote I have posted in my office from the writer Flannery O’Connor. It says, “It's not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy. The bee is praised. The mosquito is swatted.” There is something so very selfless, yet meaningful about the work of the bee. Perhaps it is that work ethic or perhaps it’s their loyalty to the hive that has inspired humans for centuries. Or, perhaps it’s that they’ve allowed us to become a part of their team. From their role in pollinating our crops to the connection between a beekeeper and his or her bees, there’s no denying that bees have become our muse and our partner. And, certainly, there’s something magical about that.

                                 

Where Can I Learn More?

Dane County Beekeepers Association: www.madbees.org

Dancing Bee Honey Farm, LLC:  http://www.dancingbeehoneyfarm.com

For the Love of Bees

            There’s something inspiring about the work ethic of bees, something artistic in their design and something magical about their existence.  Perhaps that’s why the bee has permeated our society in a way that no other creature has. From our art to our food, bees have become a part of our culture.  In fact, it seems that we’ve always intuitively sensed our deep connection to bees. Now, however, science is proving that our connection goes much deeper than we might have thought. That, for better or worse, our species have become irreversibly connected.

For Better or Worse:

           

For most humans, our connection to bees has been for the better. Bees are pollinators, which means that they help to move pollen around, aiding in the fertilization of many plants. Of course, fertilization allows for the continued lifecycle of a plant, making pollination an essential part of our food system. In fact, a Cornell University study (Ramanujan, 2012) estimated the value of the U.S. honey bee pollination at around $12.6 billion for “directly dependent crops” such as apples and $6.8 billion for “indirectly dependent crops” such as alfalfa.  Other insects and bees such as bumble bees were valued at around $4 billion for directly dependent crops and $5.9 billion for indirectly dependent crops. But, while bees have often provided us with a relationship that is for the better, sometimes their ties to us are for the worse.

It’s All About Chemistry:

            There’s a famous incident in which a royal beekeeper wrote that “bees are exquisite chemists.” He certainly had a point, but it is really the impact of human chemistry that has many people concerned about the future health of bees. Today, the internet is swarming with news stories about the negative relationship between the bee population and the use of pesticides. There is a lot of debate about what bees are impacted and what chemicals are impacting them, but at this point there does seem to be evidence that some of these chemicals are having a negative impact on bee population.

            While studies investigating these impacts are taking place all around the world, UW-Madison graduate Dr. Rachel Mallinger has been at the forefront. Though she is currently completing post doctorate work outside of Wisconsin, her graduate research showcased the challenges that native bees are facing.

Native Bees:

           

            So what’s a native bee you might ask?  Native bees, which include bumble bees and sweat bees among others, are called native bees, because, well, they are native to the United States.  While honey bees are absolutely amazing (and so well loved that they will be covered in their very own Curious Columnist post on Sunday), they are not actually native to the United States. In fact, honey bees are thought to have been brought here in the early 1600s by European settlers. There are currently seven species of honey bees recognized around the world, but native bees are much more pervasive with more than 500 species present in Wisconsin alone. With such great numbers, there’s no denying that these native bees contribute a great deal to our ecosystem. Unfortunately, while native bees have been good to us, our practices haven’t always been good to them.

Pesticide Pollution:

Though honey bees are most commonly associated with the negative impact of pesticides, Dr. Mallinger was fascinated by the diversity of bees and their social structures. Interested in studying the native, wild bees in the United States and their role in pollinating crops and wild plants, Dr. Mallinger took part in a number of related studies. As her academic career moved along, however, she became more and more interested in the ways “we can support native bee populations through various things like planting native habitat for them and reducing pesticide use.”

“Just like honey bees, native bees can be affected by pesticides,” said Dr. Mallinger. “One difference, however, is that honey bees are managed and moved around. They tend to be placed in agricultural settings. Wild bees, on the other hand, tend to live where they want to live. Some of them might be more common in urban settings, some more so in agricultural settings and then you might have some that are really not present in either and might only live in a wetland or a forest. So, the impact of pesticides on wild bees is going to depend on where the bees are found.”

  

In order to investigate the impact of pesticides on native bees, Dr. Mallinger, along with her professors and colleagues, began a three year research project that looked at the correlation between pesticide treated pollinator-dependent crops and the abundance of native bees in Wisconsin.

To study this, Dr. Mallinger and her team decided to study the bees frequenting apple orchards in Wisconsin. Apples are an excellent example of a pollinator -dependent crop, so Wisconsin’s plethora of orchards made this the ideal place to study these impacts. Of course, calculating the impact was more difficult.  In order keep an eye on the population, Mallinger and her team employed a weight system and a bee sampling system. To calculate the amount of pesticides, Dr. Mallinger and her team created a formula for calculating a “toxicity” score for each orchard. This was particularly important because pest management practices range from orchard to orchard, so her team needed to try to find a number that represented a range of factors including the date and amount of each pesticide, fungicide or herbicide used, as well as its known impact on bees.

It’s important to note here that the orchards in this study were not sprayed while the apple blossoms were in full bloom. Many farmers choose to abide by this rule because it limits the bees exposure to chemicals. As Dr. Mallinger explained, however, “even if farmers spray outside of the bloom they are risking exposure. They are spraying their orchard which might have flowing weeds and the spray ends up on the weeds and then the bees visit those flowers.”

In any case, the toxicity score was used in conjunction with the bee population scoring to determine that the overall impact of pesticides depended greatly on the species of wild bee. In particular, the study found that there was a significant negative effect on sweat bees, or more specifically Lasioglossum spp. While the reason for this distinct impact on one group of species is not fully understood, Dr. Mallinger hypothesizes that the size and foraging range of sweat bees are determining factors.

“These are bees that are very small when compared to other bees,” Dr. Mallinger said. “So, I think one of the reasons we found negative effects on these bees is because their populations are probably pretty confined to the orchard, whereas a lot of the larger bees have larger foraging ranges, so their exposure is less so than sweat bees. Additionally, these varieties of sweat bees have a very long foraging period compared to other bees so that long activity period also increases exposure.”

While sweat bees are fairly small, and perhaps seem irrelevant to some, research from Dr. Mallinger and others is beginning to show that diversity is key when it comes to successful pollination.

“One of my other papers found that the diversity of bees, not just abundance, resulted in higher fruit set and higher yield in these apple orchard.  These higher yields translate to higher income, and ultimately, to more food for people,” said Dr. Mallinger. “Other research has also found that particular wild bees are actually better pollinators for crops like apples and blueberries when compared to honey bees. That could be because they are more faithful to that crop or that they carry more pollen or work more flowers in a particular span of time.”  

Further proof that our connection to these native bees is not only deeply rooted, but deeply necessary. 

For more on this research see:

Mallinger, R. E., Werts, P., & Gratton, C. (2015, October). Pesticide use within a pollinator-dependent crop has negative effects on the abundance and species richness of sweat bees, Lasioglossum spp., and on bumble bee colony growth. Journal of Insect Conservation J Insect Conserv, 19(5), 999-1010. doi:10.1007/s10841-015-9816-z https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283467545_Pesticide_use_within_a_pollinator-dependent_crop_has_negative_effects_on_the_abundance_and_species_richness_of_sweat_bees_Lasioglossum_spp_and_on_bumble_bee_colony_growth

Ramanujan, K. (2012, May 22). Insect pollinators contribute $29 billion to U.S. farm income | Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved October 12, 2016, from https://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2012/05/insect-pollinators-contribute-29b-us-farm-income

Where can I learn more about our native bees?

“Bee Basics, An Introduction to Our Native Bees”

By Beatriz Moisset, Ph.D. and Stephen Buchmann, Ph.D.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5306468.pdf

Wisconsin Native Bee Guide:

http://energy.wisc.edu/bee-guide/

“Rusty patched bumble bee proposed for U.S. endangered species status”

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN11R2TI

JOIN US SUNDAY: Bekah Loves Bees Week continues with a special article on honey bees.