OXFORD, Ohio – Polintators were the topic of a rcent panel discussion. Much of the talk centered on finding common ground between farmers and beekeepers. The dialogue was presented by Lane Public Library with funding from an American Library Association (ALA) grant.

A mixed bag of stakeholders took part, including Alex Zomchek, apiculturist and Miami University’s (MU) master beekeeper; Ray Arlinghaus, retired Procter & Gamble director and former owner of Lori Ridge Farm; Meredith May, author of The Honey Bus; Greg Meyer, Warren County OSU Extension educator; Armando Cabrera, MU head apiculturist, and a student.

Sarah Gifford, reference librarian, Oxford Lane Public Library, was the facilitator.

There is a lot of credible data, not just anecdotal, saying that farming has an impact on all pollinators, Zomchek said in response to a question from Gifford. But honeybees also have problems that are not related to farming. Honeybees are the “canary in the coal mine,” he said. They are in trouble but so are other pollinators.

“Honeybees are in that sweet spot; we know about them, we raise them and study them. Other pollinator specialists are envious and we feel guilty that we get all of the attention,” he said.

Gifford then mentioned native bees, some ask why we should be concerned about honeybees, not a native species. Why not encourage more native bees?

Native bees are not around in the numbers or at the time needed to pollinate fruit trees, Arlinghaus said. Between April and mid-May, he needed “a massive pollination crew” of four to six strong honeybee hives in his orchard.

“We would not have gotten a full crop without honeybees,” he said.

Next, the conversation drifted to California, May’s home state. She is a fifth-generation beekeeper, taught by her grandfather. She mentioned how many beehives are brought to the state each spring to pollinate the almond crop.

Zomchek said around 25 million hives are shipped to California each spring for the almond migration. They travel through many states and that’s an easy way to spread disease.

Meyer, who manages the popular Southwestern Ohio Beekeeper School, commented that each county should have a bee inspector, and hives need to be inspected regularly to keep a check on diseases.

Farmers are required to inform beekeepers in the area when they intend to spray, he said. The beekeeper can then restrict the bees to the hive temporarily. But if the hive is not registered the farmer may not be able to find the owner. Hives need to have contact information on them.

Have farming methods improved concerning pollinators? Gifford asked Meyer his thoughts.

“We cannot feed the world organically or without GMOs,” he said. “Corn and soybeans are not going away. Farmers use less pesticide now than they did previously.”

More development will improve that even further. Pesticides are expensive; science will aid the pollinators. Gifford asked how realistic it is not to use pesticides and fungicides.

You can’t farm without fungicides in the Ohio Valley, Arlinghaus said. “We depend on the farming community for food and we are a spoiled society – we expect t to be perfect.”

Tongue-in-cheek, Meyer added, “We are the home of the Buckeyes and every disease and insect known to man.”

Gifford asked Cabrera how he thought his generation would address some of the issues discussed during the meeting. He thought his generation would feel strongly about protecting the land and conserving resources. “We need to preserve,” he said.

May described her need to preserve the art of beekeeping in her book. She grew up with her grandfather, who taught her about bees. She went to college and began her award-winning career at the San Francisco Chronicle with no bees in her life. She missed it. After a year of negotiations with her bosses, she put two hives on the roof of the Chronicle building. Her grandfather died in 2015.

“I continued to bee-keep at the Chronicle because it keeps me close to his spirit and honors him, and I love it. In 2015 I left the paper and took the hives with me,” she said.

The ALA invites libraries in small and rural communities to apply for grant funding to help them address issues of concern in their communities.