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THE BUZZ ABOUT American Fruit Grower for

Bee Vectoring Technology

Precision Bee Vectoring

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY R&D TRIAL REPORTS STRONG DISEASE FIGHTING RESULTS
Up to 84% Improvement in Anthracnose Disease Control | Up to 60% Increase in Crop Yield

Recent innovation, which utilizes bees to RUTGERS RESULTS FIGURE 1:

Total Average Anthracnose Infected Berries (%) After
deliver patented biofungicide, can help 10 Days of Incubation (BVT Honeybee System)
growers in the Northeast and Midwest
27%
increase yields and their bottom lines – Decrease in
Anthracnose
all in the name of Mother Nature 80
70 8%
Decrease in
60 Anthracnose

A
re you interested in Center and the Philip E. Marucci 50
increasing your yield Center for Blueberry & Cranberry
40
production – and using Research conducted a trial during
30
fewer chemicals, less machinery, the 2021 growing season on com-
less labor, and no water in the mercial blueberry crops in three 20
process? Are you interested in New Jersey locations and found 10
increasing your bottom line an the BVT system with honeybees 0
extra 20% – while decreasing when used alone reduced an- Control - Grower BVT BVT
No Spray Spray Only + Spray
your impact on the planet, leaving thracnose in postharvest blueber-
only tiny carbon ries by 27% when
footprints along the compared to the
food production line? control (no spray) “We are pleased to have had the
A recent innovation and 8% when opportunity to study this new
from Bee Vectoring compared to the technology. Our experience over the
Technology (BVT) grower standard
past season shows that the technology
can help Northeast spray program.
and Midwest grow- The BVT system has promise, and could be instrumental
ers do all this and used alone also in reducing disease occurrence while
more while receiving Commercial hives with had 11% greater maintaining bee health.”
a quick return on VectorHive honeybee yield of healthy
their investment. dispensers on blueberry field. berries 10 days
– DEAN POLK, Fruit IPM Agent (Professor)
and Interim Director at the Rutgers University
BVT’s VectorHive™ after harvest than
Specialty Crop and Extension Center.
system uses commercially reared a standard spray program and
honeybees and bumblebees 60% more than the control.
to deliver BVT’s patented Vec- In another grower demonstration
torite™ with CR-7, a biofungicide on a conventional blueberry farm
for control of common fungal dis- in New Jersey using the BVT bum- Rutgers University
eases, including Colletotrichum blebee system with the standard R&D Trial Results
(anthracnose). program, anthracnose decreased View full results at
Rutgers University’s Specialty 84% compared to use of the VectoriteBVT.com/rutgers
Crop Research and Extension standard spray program alone.
NATURAL DISEASE
CONTROL IN BERRY CROPS

HOW IT WORKS search, devel-

Vectorite with CR-7 is an organic opment, and
carrier agent with BVT’s patented field trials have areas between
strain of Clonostachys rosea, a been conducted for the crops.
beneficial biocontrol. As bees exit the past 20 years on the The VectorHive sys-
their hive to forage pollen, they all-natural solution, also known tem is an alternative to waste-
walk across the biofungicide, which as “bee vectoring.” ful practices that affect a grower’s
attaches harmlessly to their bodies. The technology is both safe for the bottom line. It can be the foundation of
As the bees pollinate crops, they bee and the environment. Since EPA a strong integrated pest and disease
precisely deliver the biofungicide approval in August 2019, growers management program; as a preventa-
directly to the flower, where plants in the Northeast, Midwest, and tive agent, the biofungicide spore helps
are most susceptible to many throughout the U.S. have adopted to reduce or eliminate sprays that
fungal diseases. Once on the flower, BVT’s precise, natural approach to usually would be done during the
Vectorite and CR-7 colonizes the crop protection. bloom period in a growing season.
plant and protects the crop against This means that if growers are
various diseases. HOW BEE VECTORING REDUCES using chemistries restricted to four or
When initiated at the start of the LABOR AND COST five sprays per season for the same
bloom period, the VectorHive system Growers lose money when indis- disease control objective, they can
is extremely effective at preventing criminately spraying entire fields. use less than the limit (and save on
fungal diseases, especially on blue- Doing so does not guarantee precise costly applications) or else save those
berries, blackberries, raspberries, application while many chemical sprays for later in the season in case
strawberries, and other crops. Re- products end up in waterways or in of high disease pressure.

It has changed the way he farms. return on investment close to 20 times over the
The “it” is Bee Vector Technology’s (BVT) cost of the system.
VectorHive system, which safely uses bees “Ultimately, you have an average rate of 50%
CASE to deliver a biofungicide spore, Vectorite with pollination success rate. We are having a pollina-
STUDY CR-7, from hives to blooms. Also known as tion success rate of 65-68% in most of our vari-
“bee vectoring,” the environmentally friend- eties, so it’s growing out a bigger crop,” Morgan
ly technology increases growers’ yields and says. “It really is phenomenal technology.”
reduces disease. Another grower in Georgia, John Bennett of
Blueberry
The “he” is Winn Morgan, Co-Founder of Alma Sunbelt Blueberries, says, “One of the
Grower Calls Major League Blueberries, a farm in Georgia. things that bombards us – especially in the years
BVT a ‘Game Morgan says he uses Vectorite with CR-7 to where we have excessive rain or if you get behind
combat anthracnose and fruit drop. on picking and have overripe fruit – is anthrac-
Changer’ “We just don’t see fruit drop on this farm like nose. And we just haven’t had it since we’ve
other farms that aren’t using BVT,” Morgan started bee vectoring. That’s the reason I’ll use it
adds. “There are technologies that we’ve used again. BVT is money well spent.”
that are good, and there are technologies that Bennett says he also no longer sprays as many
completely changed the way we farm. And this times during a growing season. “We are a little
technology, using bees as a vector to create hesitant not to spray some, but we’ve certainly
a positive outcome not just for pollination but sprayed a lot less than we used to,” he adds.
for the health of the plant and the health of the
fruit, has changed the way we farm here.”
“There are technologies that we’ve
Morgan says the beneficial biocontrol Clonos-
tachys is the game changer. “It protects us
used that are good, and there
against a lot of diseases that we could poten- are technologies that completely
tially have during the most crucial time of our changed the way we farm. And
year, which is during fruit set and harvest.” this technology has changed the
This “game changer” has also enabled way we farm here.”
Winn Morgan and Major League Blueberries to see a – WINN MORGAN
Morgan
 A BVT technician delivers
the VectorHive system to
a crop field at the start of
the blooming period.

Unlike many traditional spray thousands of gallons per spray.

fungicide applications, which must BVT’s system is significantly more A blueberry crop
field at the start
be timed carefully around preharvest, precise than spray applications. Its
of a bloom period
weather (like delays in spraying after targeted approach goes right to the
in April 2021.
a rainfall or with wet inaccessible plant with no spillover.
fields) and when labor needs to be in The VectorHive system also allows
the fields, Vectorite with CR-7 growers to reduce their reli-
is applied every time bees ance on machinery. Trac-
visit blossoms (which tors can be used less
bees do continuously, often at a rate of two
day after day; unlike to three times less
spraying with the wait than without BVT’s
intervals between technology, saving
applications). growers labor, time,
Delivery is also fuel, and wear on their
highly efficient and heavy machinery.
targeted because Also, unlike many
commercially reared As bees leave their hive, they traditional chemis-
and managed bees walk through the VectorHive tries, there is no risk
conduct it. Instead honeybee dispenser and of resistance since
of fogging a field and pick up trace amounts of there is no competi- Control Disease and Improve
causing runoff, bee the biofungicide, which they tion for BTV’s propri- Yields – All Season Long
vectoring a biofungicide carry directly to blooms. etary biofungicide.
Bee Vectoring Technology’s (BVT)
allows the micro- But growers are not
VectorHive™ system provides Northeast
targeting of blossoms with a spore limited to using Vectorite with CR-7
and Midwest growers with an effective
that will never result in environmental alone for disease control. For high fungicide resistance management tool that
damage with the likes that are seen disease pressure or the perfect is beneficial on several levels:
with fogged or sprayed chemistries. conditions in which fungal diseases
In addition to reducing synthetic can proliferate, growers can add Continuous re-application of
pesticide use, the process of bee traditional sprays to reduce com- CR-7 by the bees with every
vectoring also uses no water, while mon fungal diseases across the visit to the flowers.
spraying uses hundreds or even plant, if needed.
Significant reduction in disease
incidence and severity.

Higher marketable yields with

healthier plants.

Increased fruit quality and

shelf life.

Reduced use of fungicides

(up to 50%).
 REAL-WORLD RESULTS locations found that the BVT system
Growers who have adopted precision used alone had a 11% greater yield of
bee vectoring are already seeing positive healthy berries 10 days after harvest than
impacts on their operations. Most realize a standard spray program and 60% more
BVT’s technology only costs as much as than the control.
two to three sprays of traditional chemistries In a grower demo in Oregon, crops grown
would cost in a growing season. utilizing BVT’s system measured bigger fruit.
An organic grower in the Pacific Northwest Pre-harvest blueberries were on average
said the cost per acre of using the technol- 16% bigger in berry size with bee vectoring
ogy is miniscule compared to manually ap- used over plots not treated with bee vector-
plying other products. A grower in Georgia ing. There was also 43% more larger berries
called VectorHive a “game changer.” (See (≥ 12mm) with BVT in use.
sidebar on page 2.) Growers’ costs for inputs continue to
Using BVT’s bee vectoring system has increase, including the cost of many tradition-
Bees walk across the unique shown better marketable yield results over al chemical products. Some of these have
tray filled with biofungicide in crops using traditional chemical treatments/ risen as much as 40% in the last year. With
the VectorHive bumblebee sys- application methods. As previously stated, BVT’s technology, growers not only help the
tem, picking up trace amounts a 2021 trial by Rutgers University and the environment but their pocketbooks as well.
of the product on their bodies Philip E. Marucci Center on commercial The product is readily available for the next
and legs, as they exit the hive. blueberry crops in three New Jersey growing season.

RUTGERS RESULTS FIGURE 2: RUTGERS RESULTS FIGURE 3:

Total Average Healthy Berries (%) After 10 Anthracnose Infected Berries (%) After 10
Days of Incubation (BVT Honeybee System) Days of Incubation (BVT Bumblebee System)

20
60%
80 Greater Yield of 15
Healthy Berries
70 84%
60 11% 10 Decrease in
Greater Yield of Athracnose
5
50 Healthy Berries
40 0
Grower Standard BVT + Spray
30
20
There were much fewer anthracnose infected
BVT’s bumblebee delivery 10 berries reported with the BVT system used
system on-site at a crop field. 0 with the standard program, approximately 84%
Control - Grower BVT BVT
No Spray Standard Only + Spray reduction in anthracnose, than just using the
conventional standard spray program alone.

For more information on the BTV VectorHive

system, visit vectoritebvt.com or contact
Everett Hendrixon at 941.549.4971 or
[email protected]