Ottawa County farmer Roger Victory rents hundreds of thousands of bees to pollinate his 600 acres of squash this time of year.
“This morning, I think I saw one bee kind of poke its wings out of the hive, flew a few feet and went right back in the hive. Not one single bee was out working today.”
Thick haze blocks sunlight bees use to navigate and smoke masks the floral scents they need to find crops.
Victory says the Canadian smoke hit during a critical summer pollination window for many crops.
“We can get by one day or two, but when that squash is blooming and it needs that pollination, it's not going to hold off because it's smoky out or not.”
He says the threat extends beyond just his farm to the broader West Michigan and
Midwest regions, affecting various crops that rely heavily on bees right now, including winter squash, zucchini and cucumbers.
“Hopefully we can clear it out, but if that stays at this level, we're just not going to get any be pollination going on and that could affect our yields or even availability to the crops going into the fall.”
As for the bees, fine ash can clog their breathing spores making them sick and toxic soot settling on blossoms can poison entire hives.
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