When Americans come of a certain age, they learn about the birds and the bees. When biodynamic vineyards come of age, though, vineyard owners think back on the story of the bees and the grapes.
If you’ve ever strolled through an organic or biodynamic vineyard, you’ve likely come across a beehive on the property. Depending on your list of fears and allergies, you may have been hesitant around that beehive. But beehives are an important part of organic and biodynamic vineyards, and they always have been.
How vineyards became homes for bees
The story of the bees and the grapes goes back to the early 1900s and Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher and scientist who is the father of biodynamics. People who adhere to biodynamics are people who take “a spiritual-ethical-ecological approach to agriculture, gardens, food production and nutrition.” For vineyard owners, that means using natural growing techniques and bringing in a variety of animals to make an entire sustainable ecosystem.
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Steiner gavea series of nine lectures on the importance of bees and the beehive to the ecosystem. The lectures are about “the unconscious wisdom contained in the beehive” and how the beehive “relates to the human experiences of health, civilization, and the cosmos,” according to the Rudolf Steiner Archive.
That love of bees translates to organic and biodynamic vineyard owners today, but bees aren’t necessarily requiredfor grape production.
Why grape vines need bees without needing bees
Grape vines are hermaphrodites. They have both male and female reproductive organs, so they can self-fertilize. In short, they don’t need bees to make grapes. The plants around the grape vines, however, do need bees, and those other plants create a healthier environment for the vines.
“Much of an area’s agricultural health depends on nitrogen balance,” Chris Benziger, the brand manager for Benziger Family Winery, told Edible Marin & Wine Country. “Some areas have too much and others too little. Where our concentrations are high we plant crops that deplete nitrogen, mostly grasses. Where there’s not enough we plant nitrogen fixers, often leguminous. Bees are the primary pollinators for both types of plants, all of which seem to aid in the natural replenishment of other important soil nutrients, as well.”
The flowers that need bees bring in other bugs, and the healthy ecosystem is built. When there’s greater biodiversity and balance, there’s less need for chemicals.
“We keep bees because, simply put, in the vineyard, there isn’t just vines,” Alexis Pollier, the owner of Domaine Alexis Pollier in France, tells VinePair. “There’s a whole biodiversity.”
The potential downside to bees
Bees love grapes as much as biodynamic vineyard owners love bees. When the biodiversity of a vineyard gets out of whack and there are no flowers for bees to flock to, they will go after sap and fruit juice.
Bees won’t bite the grapes to get to the juice, according to the University of California Davis, but they will gather on grapes that have a crack or puncture wound from birds, other insects, or natural splitting. The bees will then suck the juice out of the ripe grapes.
“Honey bees will visit vineyards to forage on blooms of grapes or various flowering weeds during the spring,” UCD writes, “but they are considered to be nuisances only when they forage on ripe grapes later in the year.”
But on biodynamic and organic vineyards where there’s a healthy ecosystem, the bees have no need to go after the grapes. In short: Follow the teachings of the father of biodynamics and you will have a healthy vineyard with bees. Knock everything off balance, and you’re going to have a bad time.
Published: May 10, 2017
FAQs
Why having bees in the vineyard? Plants that grow around grapevines are crucial for a healthy vines environment, and they do need bees to pollinate them. Bees are the primary pollinators of several plants and cover crops planted in the vineyard.
Why are bees important to vineyards? ›
The roles of bees in the vineyard
Bees don't pollinate our grapevines, but they do pollinate our vineyard cover crops. With their help we conserve water, avoid monocultural farming, create more nutrient-rich soil, and maintain our sustainable, regenerative farming practices.
Do grape vines need bees to pollinate? ›
Since grapevines possess both male and female reproductive parts, they can self-pollinate and don't require external pollination. Surrounding the grapevines, however, are cover crops, which rely on bees for pollination to proliferate.
What is biodynamic beekeeping? ›
All the hoopla surrounding the difference between a bee-“keeper” and a bee-“haver” is laid to rest by the proponents of biodynamic beekeeping. According to an article in the Green Guide, the aim of biodynamic beekeeping is “to minimize stress factors and allow bees to develop in accordance with their true nature.”
Why do farmers rely on bees? ›
1/3 of food crops rely on pollinators like bees — The University of Pennsylvania reports that up to a third of all crops require pollination from bees — either directly or indirectly. Some foods wouldn't exist without bees — Primarily, bees are essential for pollinating fruits, nuts, and vegetables.
Why is bees so important? ›
According to bee experts at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, a third of the world's food production depends on bees. When animals and insects pick up the pollen of flowers and spread it, they allow plants, including many food crops, to reproduce.
Why is beekeeping essential? ›
Bees are responsible for the pollination of the majority of crops as well as wildflowers. They also support the natural habitats for other animals and useful insects. Pollination is the process by which pollen transfers between flowers or other plants. This fertilizes them and allows them to reproduce and thrive.
What kind of bees eat grapes? ›
Honey bees, wasps, hornets and bumble bees can be common pests of grapes as they begin to ripen and they are a nuisance or worse to many pickers as they reach for the clusters.
How do you protect grapes from bees? ›
Discourage yellowjackets from feeding on the grapes by harvesting the grape clusters as soon as they ripen. Remove any over-ripe or damaged fruit from the garden area. Do not leave beverages, candy or other food items in the vicinity of the grapevines as they may attract yellowjackets to the area.
Do grapes produce nectar? ›
Because the bees distinguished between more and less rewarding inflorescences without landing, it seems likely that they identified the stage of the inflorescences using volatiles. Grapevine does not produce nectar, but there are several other possible sources of volatiles.
Biodynamics focuses on creating the conditions for optimal soil, plant, and animal health, providing balanced nutrition and supporting healthy immunity. When farms and gardens incorporate a robust diversity of plants and animals and create habitat for natural predators, pests and diseases have few places to thrive.
What are biodynamic advantages? ›
Biodynamic farming ensures a mixed and diverse farm — the right balance of animals and crops. Mixed cropping and intercropping allow for spatial diversity, and crop rotation ensures temporal diversity.
What is required for biodynamic farming? ›
Beyond organic certification, the Demeter Biodynamic Farm Standard requires that the whole farm, and not just a specific crop, is certified; crops and livestock are integrated and animals are treated humanely; imported fertility is kept to a minimum; the biodynamic preparations are regularly applied; at least 50% of ...
What happens if bees go extinct? ›
Without bees, the availability and diversity of fresh produce would decline substantially, and human nutrition would likely suffer. Crops that would not be cost-effective to hand- or robot-pollinate would likely be lost or persist only with the dedication of human hobbyists.
What flowers do bees love the most? ›
Bees are particularly attracted to bee balm, echinacea, snapdragon, and hostas, as well as a number of other wildflowers like California poppies and evening primrose. Fun fact: Did you know that bees have excellent color vision? For this reason, they flock to yellow, purple, blue, and white flowers.
Why are honey bees disappearing? ›
It's for a plethora of reasons — from the rampant use of toxic pesticides to habitat loss. Bees are losing habitat to urban sprawl, plowing up grasslands and prairies for agriculture, and the changing climate. And most agricultural farmland in the U.S. is contaminated year after year with toxic pesticides.
How to protect grapes from bees? ›
Discourage yellowjackets from feeding on the grapes by harvesting the grape clusters as soon as they ripen. Remove any over-ripe or damaged fruit from the garden area. Do not leave beverages, candy or other food items in the vicinity of the grapevines as they may attract yellowjackets to the area.
Can bees drink wine? ›
Bozic et al. (2006) found that alcohol consumption by honeybees disrupts foraging and social behaviors, and has some similar effects to poisoning with insecticides. Some bees become more aggressive after consuming alcohol. Exposure to alcohol can have a prolonged effect on bees, lasting as long as 48 hours.
Do bees forage grapes? ›
Bees are sometimes implicated in feeding on overripe or windfall grapes during the fall dearth, but these grapes are either opened by yellow jackets (which will bore through the skin, or the grapes split naturally). In general, vineyards are poor choices, because they are not a forage source and present chemical risks.
Why is bee foraging important? ›
In the case of the social insects, it is not just to satisfy the requirements of individuals but the foragers collect the nutritional resources also for the other members living in the hive (Hölldobler and Wilson, 2009). Bees forage nectar and pollen as their nutritional source.
