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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Herptilian haven New Ashland cell tower light angers neighbors 'Batkid Begins' will air at film festival Asphalt plant granted extension Work your body to save your braaaaains Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergecy Services, March 16 Emergency services, March 15 Emergency services, March 14 Judge denies motion to suppress evidence in Rogue River serial murder case Medford man gets 4 years for burglaries Politics and Elections Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US Special election: Jackson County voters OK marijuana tax Ex-Merkley aide chosen as Oregon secretary of state Ashland: Budget increase, swimming pool funding discussion on council agenda Judge upholds Phoenix's moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries Education Work your body to save your braaaaains St. Mary's School buys campus from parish for $6.5 million Medford School District calls foul on teachers union Supporters rally to back beleaguered principal St. Mary's reaches out to China Environment Herptilian haven Proposed new rules for Oregon critter catchers would require the killing of nuisance animals Jacksonville requests extension on reservoir dam-notching permit Blooms coming too early for Rogue Valley's bees Low snow closes Mt. Ashland bunny hill chairlift State News At Dorchester Conference, Oregon Republicans look past a bruising election Curry County commissioner's decision to opt out of insurance causes clamor Gov. Kate Brown to declare drought emergency in Lake, Malheur counties Lebanon High School sharpshooters aim for national titles Man languishes in Oregon jail, hasn't commit a crime Nation - World Obituaries James Albert Button Marjorie Ann Carter Rosaline (Tagudin) Wasierski Kenneth L. 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East McAndrews Road sees a resurgence in commercial projects Real Estate News East McAndrews Road sees a resurgence in commercial projects Business briefs: March 7 New construction prices jump 18.2 percent in Jackson County People In Business People in Business: Feb. 28 People in Business Transportation Rogue Disposal plans natural gas fueling site Alaska, United Express boost Medford airport to record February CEO Rieder leaving Erickson March 31 Lodging gains bode well for travel industries Agriculture Harry & David announces new president Warm winter has fruit growers poised for action Briefcase: Business briefs for Feb. 21 Opinion Latest Letters to the Editor, March 16 Our View: Keeping the light trained on government Letters to the Editor, March 15 Guest Opinion: Central Point Cemetery needs work and city action Charles Krauthammer: Early Onset Clinton Fatigue Editorials Our View: Keeping the light trained on government Other Views: State must rein in medical marijuana Our View: Daylight saving bill another waste of time Our View: Medford native Dave Frohnmayer leaves legacy of distinguished service Our View: Medford council shouldn't over-regulate backyard pot gardens Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, March 16 Letters to the Editor, March 15 Letters to the Editor, March 14 Letters to the Editor, March 13 Letters to the Editor, March 12 Columns Guest Opinion: Central Point Cemetery needs work and city action Charles Krauthammer: Early Onset Clinton Fatigue George Will: The prescience of Daniel Patrick Moynihan Dana Milbank: Jason Rezaian's detention a tragedy for Iran Guest Opinion: Return to clearcutting is wrong approach for counties Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Central Point Cemetery needs work and city action Guest Opinion: Return to clearcutting is wrong approach for counties Guest Opinion: Plan a Hawthorne playground for all children Guest Opinion: There is nothing uniform about the Uniform Crime Report GUEST OPINION: Police, community should work to prevent profiling Lifestyle Latest stories Review: Thanks for the Memories pulls off challenging 'Anastasia' Home Help: This top garage trend keeps gaining momentum Silvio Calabi: 2015 Cherokee is a modern Jeep Haga-Parks Southern Oregon Journal: It’s a small world Food Community blog: Have a ball at this weekend's cheese festival Community blog: Fewer and fewer of us eschew brilliant beets Season Stepp: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with authentic Irish recipes Page H. 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Community blog: The Future is Now Hiking Biking Faith Religion briefs: Friday, March 13 More religion events in the Rogue Valley Religion Briefs Religion briefs, Feb. 27 Religion briefs: Friday, Feb. 20 Milestones and Achievements Haga-Parks Exercise helps special-needs kids adjust to airport procedures Engagement: Workman-Wright Anniversary: Hofer Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Review: 'Same Time' after all these years Kites & Crows, Ryan Marchand and Mercy Duo face-off this weekend at Rising Stars music competition in Jacksonville City-rock band Shotgun Wedding performs at the Craterian Theater in Medford Randall Theatre presents playwright Bernard Slade's comedy Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder John McEuen performs at the Unitarian Fellowship in Ashland Theater Review: Thanks for the Memories pulls off challenging 'Anastasia' Review: 'Same Time' after all these years Randall Theatre presents playwright Bernard Slade's comedy Thanks for the Memories presents 'Anastasia' TMTO's 'Bye Bye Birdie' takes flight Music Kites & Crows, Ryan Marchand and Mercy Duo face-off this weekend at Rising Stars music competition in Jacksonville Rogue Valley Chorale presents 'A Festival of Choirs' at the Craterian Theatre SOU's Chamber and Concert choirs present 'Songs of Passion' City-rock band Shotgun Wedding performs at the Craterian Theater in Medford Live Music in Local Clubs Community Events Ashland Independent Film Festival announces this year's lineup OSF Hip-Hop Poetry Open Mic Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Jesse Lawson and Joe Moxley host 'Barkeeper' Third Fridays showcases local artists Dining Restaurant Inspections Agave offers gourmet tacos, tamales, ensaladas and more Serra storms Seattle Sakura Japanese Sushi Restaurant opens in new location Restaurant Inspections: Sunday, March 1 Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines/Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Herptilian haven ... Our View: Keeping the light trained on government ... Guest Opinion: Central Point Cemetery needs work and city action ... Herptilian haven ... Our View: Keeping the light trained on government ... Guest Opinion: Central Point Cemetery needs work and city action ... POLLINATION Blooms coming too early for Rogue Valley's bees Bees not yet up to full strength to pollinate early blossoms By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 13, 2015 @ 12:01 am By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 13, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Warm weather has triggered a Rogue Valley fruit tree bloom that has come too early for many bees. Wild bee populations die back in winter, and many newly hatched bees aren't old enough yet to fly about gathering nectar and pollen, said Sarah Red-Laird, founder and executive director of the Ashland-based Bee Girl organization, which promotes honeybee conservation and educates beekeepers. "Bees just aren't quite ready to capitalize on this bloom," she said. Meanwhile, many commercial beekeepers have their insects in California pollinating almond trees, which usually bloom early. Southern Oregon orchardists, including pear growers, are scrambling for commercially kept bees to pollinate their trees, which flowered early during recent unseasonably warm temperatures. "Pear growers are calling. We'll get our bees back as quickly as we can to pears," said John Jacob, a commercial beekeeper and founder of Old Sol Apiaries, based in the town of Rogue River. He went down to California on Thursday to retrieve his bees from almond orchards and bring them back for Rogue Valley orchards. To get his bees ready to pollinate early-blooming almond trees, Jacob feeds them pollen substitute patties each year. That triggers earlier reproduction so his company will have enough bees to meet the demand in California. Commercially kept bees come back from the almond orchards with their colony numbers boosted by nutritious nut tree flowers. Usually Jacob takes them to holding yards and splits the colonies apart to discourage swarming, in which bees divide on their own and fly away. There is typically a two-week gap between the California almond bloom and the Rogue Valley pear bloom. This year, there is no break between the blooms, he said. Jacob will have to take his bee colonies to the pear orchards and split them in the field, a much harder job than dividing them in holding yards. "I would never tell a pear grower, 'No, I can't bring you bees.' If they need them, we make sure we get them, even if it means more work for us," he said. Without commercial bee pollination, pear crop yields could fall by 70 to 90 percent. Almond trees are even more dependent on commercial bee pollination, Jacob said. In the Rogue Valley, wild bees and hobby beekeepers keep non-commercial bee hive numbers high enough to allow for some orchard pollination, he said. This year, Red-Laird said, many wild bees are out of sync with the blooms. About half of wild bees naturally die off during winter. They begin rebuilding their numbers in the spring, she said. "Wild bees don't overwinter in a huge cluster because they have finite resources in the winter. The ones that don't die cuddle together and try to stay warm," Red-Laird explained. "This spring came so early and bees haven't had time to catch up with the bloom with the populations they have. The bloom seemed to pop in days and it takes three weeks for bees to go from egg to adult bee." Red-Laird said she fears there won't be enough pollen and nectar left for bees to gather once their numbers are back up to full strength. "I'm really concerned. I'm hoping petal fall doesn't happen before bees are amped up enough," she said. "I'm worried there won't be enough stuff for them to eat in later spring and summer." Rick Hilton, an entomologist and researcher based at the Oregon State University Extension Office in Central Point, said the pear tree bloom came two and a half weeks ahead of normal, which is a significant amount. This year marks one of the earliest blooms ever, if not the earliest, he said. The days are not only warm, but many nights have been warmer than normal. Researchers track the number of "chilling hours" each night. Fruit trees such as apples and pears need cold temperatures to bloom in a uniform fashion, Hilton said. "In the 25 years we've been keeping records, this is our lowest amount of chilling by a considerable amount," he said. "The three lowest years of chilling occurred in the last four years, with this year being the lowest." Early blooming poses other dangers, including that fruit trees could be hit with frost, Hilton said. Mild winters can also allow insect pests such as the Oriental fruit moth to survive better, emerge earlier and show increased activity. Caterpillars of the moth damage shoots and fruit, he said. "We caught our first Oriental fruit moth of the season on Monday," Hilton said. "That's the earliest I've ever seen." Staff reporter Vickie Aldous can be reached at 541-776-4486 or [email protected] . Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/VickieAldous .           By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 13, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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