What Happens When Bees Leave South Jersey Blueberry Farms?

Every spring, thousands of bees descend on South Jersey's blueberry farms to help pollinate one of the state's most important crops.

But once those bees leave their hives, how do farmers know they're actually pollinating the blueberry bushes on their farm and not flying off to another field?

That's a question students and researchers from Stockton University and the Atlantic County Institute of Technology hope to answer through a new collaboration that will use drones and advanced imaging technology to track the movements of bees at a Hammonton blueberry farm.

Pledge Starts Research Effort

The Levine and Gormley Family Foundations have pledged $20,000 to support the project, with an additional $40,000 scholarship offered to an ACIT student involved with the project to attend Stockton. Former NJ Senator Bill Gormley gave his thoughts on the project during a panel discussion.

“This is the best of Atlantic County. You’ve all come together, and its potential is unlimited, and we’re very excited and very happy to be involved.”

Amanda Norvell, Stockton’s dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, said she sees this as a fantastic opportunity to develop a regional partnership focusing on STEM education that goes from high school through college.

“We know that students who engage in these types of research opportunities and activities — it's a meaningful way for them to understand how science is done and what you can get from science,” she said.

ACIT Teacher Excited About More Drone Research

ACIT Aviation Teacher Andrew Nebl said his students have previously done a study with Tuckahoe Turf Farm in Hammonton using infrared cameras on their drones to create thermal maps and see what parts of the turf fields got more water than others.

He hopes similar technology can be applied to identify where groups of bees travel after leaving their hives.

"We are always looking for innovative and new ways to employ our drone technology."  "This is a real project that we can actually use the skills that we've been learning to complete."

Brian Vernachio, the director of Curriculum for Health Sciences at ACIT, said he’s excited that this research project could serve as a jumping-off point to start an agricultural sciences program at ACIT.

“It’s a great opportunity to generate some buzz for science,” he said with a chuckle.

"One of the things that excites me about the project is the ability to have students involved in real research that they'll be able to see and interact with. Those research skills are great for students going to college to be able to put those skills to work."

 

Additional Scholarship Money for ACIT Student

The scholarship will be named in honor of Paul “Ginger” Macrie Jr., the former owner of Macrie Brothers Blueberry Farm in Hammonton, where the study will be done.

“We’re proud to see our grandfather’s legacy continue to inspire research, innovation and the future of agriculture,” said Ginger’s grandson Matt Macrie Jr., one of the farm’s current owners.

Macrie said the project could provide data to help farmers make more informed, timely decisions about beehive placement on their farms and identify potential changes in pollination patterns across different blueberry varieties. He said about 10,000 acres in Atlantic and Burlington counties are devoted to growing blueberries.

“So, you can imagine the amount of bees that come into this area in a brief period. This study is meant to give us some data so we can be more economical,” he said.

“It's only a month-long pollination, and one flower, when it comes to full bloom, takes only three to five days to be able to get pollinated. So, we have a short window. We're fighting the weather. We're fighting the health of the hive.”