Killer Beez and Booze?

When considering wine production, we often picture grapevines, fermentation, and the overall chemistry that is behind it. However, we should also consider the impact of the surrounding vineyard ecosystems and how they directly or indirectly influence wine production. In fact, many wine producers can be seen incorporating beekeeping at their vineyards. This lets us ask, since grapevines are self-pollinating, why bees in particular? 

Bees are important in vineyards because they are critical pollinators, and they play a huge role in pollinating cover crops. These are crops that grow between grapevines and are huge for the quality and maintenance of the grapes, as well as reducing pest damage. These cover crops support microorganisms in the soil that help grapevines absorb nutrients and maintain a healthy growing environment. So, although grapevines can self-pollinate, bees indirectly contribute to the overall health of the vineyard by influencing the surrounding ecosystem, which influences wine quality (Newport 2024; Wislocki 2020). 

Now, what if there is a change in the bee population? How can this impact vineyards and wine production? 

Africanized honey bees provide an interesting example of changes in behaviour and how it impacts pollination. Africanized bees are a hybrid between European and African bee subspecies that were created in an effort to increase honey production and bee survival in tropical regions. Scientists wanted to cross the Apis mellifera, a calm and peaceful but less productive honey bee, with an aggressive but more productive African bee, Apis mellifera scutellata (National Park Service 2023). This was first attempted in Brazil in the 1950s. Shortly after the experiment began, several colonies of these “Africanized” bees escaped. They spread as far as northern Argentina as well as north into the United States, and through South and Central America. Their descendants spread throughout the Americas and gained a reputation for being more defensive than many European honey bees (National Park Service 2023; Visscher 2020).  These bees are nicknamed “killer bees” due to their extremely aggressive behaviour when defending their colony, where a large number of bees attack the perceived threat. These bees pursue perceived threats over greater distances and for longer periods than European honey bees (National Park Service 2023).  

So, what does this mean for wine production? Africanized honey bees are not known to directly change grape flavour or quality. However, changes in bee populations can influence pollination and biodiversity in surrounding vineyard ecosystems. For example, these bees may differ in pollination efforts, abandon the nest excessively, and struggle to survive the winters due to behavioural issues. It would also make the entire wine-making process more challenging for beekeepers (Hunt 2007). 

Therefore, it is important to consider the potential impacts of Africanized bees on wine production due to their aggressive behaviour and contribution to surrounding ecosystems. It is through understanding this that vineyards can make informed decisions about pest management and worker safety. Although bees may not directly determine the taste of wine, they still play a role in its production and should therefore be considered.

References

Hunt, G. J. 2007. “Flight and Fight: A Comparative View of the Neurophysiology and Genetics of Honey Bee Defensive Behavior.” Journal of Insect Physiology 53 (5): 399–410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinsphys.2007.01.010.

National Park Service. 2023. “Africanized Honey Bees – Saguaro National Park (U.S. National Park Service).” Www.Nps.Gov, December 23. https://www.nps.gov/sagu/learn/nature/africanized-honey-bees.htm.

Newport, Molly. 2024. “For the Love of Bees | Ellis Wines.” Elliswines.Co.Uk, October 15. https://www.elliswines.co.uk/node/3833.

Visscher, Kirk. 2020. “Africanized Honey Bee.” Center for Invasive Species Research, January 24. https://cisr.ucr.edu/invasive-species/africanized-honey-bee.

Wislocki, Amy. 2020. “Why Are Bees Important in the Vineyard?” Decanter, May 20. https://www.decanter.com/learn/why-are-bees-important-in-the-vineyard-438381/.