To protect against the dreaded grey mould fungus, strawberry growers typically use chemical sprays. An existing natural fungicide-in fact, its another type of fungus-is potentially safer and cheaper, but it doesn’t work very well when its spores are sprayed on strawberries. So former Cornell University entomologist thought there might be a cleverer way to deliver the stuff-using bees. After all bees carry pollen, dust, and microbes, so they thought they could carry the spores of a mould-killing fungus. When the bees exit, they walk through this footpath of spores. The researchers took the hives to 12 strawberry fields and the results were striking. The surprise was that it worked as well as the commercial fungicide. In fact, the bees not only protected the strawberries from mould but also pollinated the plants, resulting in berries that were 26% to 40% heavier than those from normal wind pollinated plants. Bio Works Inc. in Geneva, NY is now seeking approval from the Environmental Protection Agency for the bee delivered fungicide on strawberries, and Kovach figures the insects also could be pressed into service to help control diseases on apples, almonds, and other crops. |