ASHLAND, Ore. — According to a regional survey, bees populations have been decreasing in the Pacific Northwest. Now one southern Oregon organization says wineries here in our region may be contributing to that loss.
The past year for southern Oregon bees has been one of the worst according to local organizations, but an Ashland vineyard is hoping to change that with a new neighbor for their grapes. As you take the road to the Irvine and Roberts winery, something out of the ordinary may catch your eye.
“I tend to talk about bees often I guess,” Sarah Red-Laird said.
Sarah Red-Laird is known as the “Bee Girl”. The local bee activist teamed up with Irvine and Roberts back in May to plant a pollinator patch.
“What our agricultural system needs they need more love, they need more plants and diversity and deeper soils, and we want to play a part in that we want to be somewhat helpful in that mission,” Irvine & Roberts winemaker, Vince Vidrine said.
Bees in southern Oregon have been steadily declining over the past year, that’s according to the PNW Honey Bee Survey. It shows 38 small scale beekeepers in the region, reported a 59% loss over the last year. Across the state, more than 400 Oregon beekeepers reported a 48% loss.
While southern Oregon is a hot spot for wineries Sarah says, they’re not helping the bee population.
“A lot of our irrigated hay pastures and grazed pastures which are very flower-rich and bee-friendly, have been transitioned into vineyards and cannabis fields,” Red-Laird said.
Vineyards are self-pollinating, which means they don’t need bees or other pollinators in order to grow. That’s where the idea for sunflowers came in, the crop brings in a diverse population of bees and pollinators that wineries don’t normally see.
“As I drive by these vineyards year after year, I’ve been taking note of all the extra space that’s in between the vineyards themselves, and I thought that looks like a lot of potential where we could possibly replace some of the lost bee habitats from when the vineyards went in and the whole area stopped being grazed and irrigated,” Red-Laird said.
Sarah and Vince are busy bees, they’re planning to expand the garden along the roadway and may even plant flowers in between the grapevines. They’re hoping to create some buzz for the future.
“It’s really incredibly cool to see how fast nature can bounce back out here if you give it a chance,” Red-Laird said.
Bee Girl’s project is called bee-friendly vineyards and you can find out more about her organization on her website at beegirl.org
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