Pollinating insects, and honey bees in particular, are not only useful for pollination of crops but they can also be utilized for other purposes. By collecting pollen in sweet pepper greenhouses they can contribute to preventing allergic reactions during pepper harvest. Bumblebees and bees are used to disseminate antagonists for biological control purposes in agriculture and horticulture. In addition honey bees can be used as bio-indicators of environmental quality.
Allergy in horticulture
Over a third of the workers in sweet pepper green houses have been found to be suffering from allergic reactions when working in the direct vicinity of paprika plants. This concerns more than 2 500 people in the Netherlands. Complaints range from itching (nose and eyes), blocked nose, running nose and sneezing, to respiration problems (asthma).
Bees@wur has, in cooperation with Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, carried out research to establish whether the use of honey bees can contribute to a reduction of pollen allergy in people who work in sweet pepper greenhouses. This study showed a decrease in the number of complaints. In this context bees@wur has in 2007 investigated the potential of bumblebees. This study showed that bumblebees in greenhouses are better sweet peper pollen collectors than honey bees.
Assemination of antagonists by honey bees and bumblebees
Honey bees and bumblebees can be used to disseminate antagonists in a crop. This is a form of biological control in which the antagonists prevent infestation of the crop by fungal diseases. Because bees and bumblebees bring the antagonists to the right place - in the flower - a small amount of the antagonists is sufficient to protect a crop; this may result in a reduction of the use of fungicides. There is a strong interest in this technique and there are possibilities in various countries.
Honey bees as bioindicators of environmental quality
Honey bees collect food within a radius of about 3 kilometres around the hive. In doing so, they do not only collect food but various other materials as well, such as polluting substances. Research by bees@wur has shown that air-borne heavy metals are among the substances honey bees carry. Therefore honey can be used as bioindicators of environmental quality.