Economics of alternative insecticide treatments and pollinators in Winter canola

Figures & data

Table 1. Number of canola fields in bee pesticide treatment by year, 2015–2016

	Native Bees Only				Additional Managed Bees
	Flonicamid	Sulfoxaflor	Pyrethroid	Untreated	Flonicamid	Sulfoxaflor	Pyrethroid	Untreated
2015	2	1	0	0	2	2	1	2
2016	2	0	2	2	2	1	0	1

Table 2. Yield of canola (kg/ha) by bee pesticide treatment by year, 2015–2016

		Native Bees Only				Additional Managed Bees
	Flonicamid	Sulfoxaflor	Pyrethroid	Untreated	Flonicamid	Sulfoxaflor	Pyrethroid	Untreated
2015	2,213.72	2,017.56	-	-	1,204.93	1,232.96	1,905.48	2,269.76
2016	2,942.28	-	2,381.85	2,437.89	3,026.35	3,026.35	-	2,521.96
Average	2,578.00	2,017.56	2,381.85	2,437.89	2,115.64	2.129.65	1,905.48	2,395.86

Table 3. Point estimates of returns from treatments

	No Treatment		Pyrethroid		Flonicamid		Sulfoxaflor
Bees	Native	Honeybees	Native	Honeybees	Native	Honeybees	Native	Honeybees
Yield (kg/ha)	2,437.89	2,353.82	2,381.85	1,905.48	2,578.00	2,115.64	2,017.56	1,830.94
Price Revenue	$ 0.26	$ 0.26	$ 0.26	$ 0.26	$ 0.26	$ 0.26	$ 0.26	$ 0.26
	$ 639.57	$ 617.51	$ 624.87	$ 499.89	$ 676.33	$ 555.02	$ 529.30	$ 480.34
Less Seed	$ 66.72	$ 66.72	$ 66.72	$ 66.72	$ 66.72	$ 66.72	$ 66.72	$ 66.72
Fert + appl	$ 189.72	$ 189.72	$ 189.72	$ 189.72	$ 189.72	$ 189.72	$ 189.72	$ 189.72
Herbicide + appl	$ 24.71	$ 24.71	$ 24.71	$ 24.71	$ 24.71	$ 24.71	$ 24.71	$ 24.71
Insecticide	$ -	$ -	$ 21.35	$ 21.35	$ 53.40	$ 53.40	$ 32.39	$ 32.39
Pollinator	$ -	$ 77.59	$ -	$ 77.59	$ -	$ 77.59	$ -	$ 77.59
Crop Insurance	$ 39.54	$ 39.54	$ 39.54	$ 39.54	$ 39.54	$ 39.54	$ 39.54	$ 39.54
Fuel + Lube	$ 48.93	$ 48.93	$ 48.93	$ 48.93	$ 48.93	$ 48.93	$ 48.93	$ 48.93
Repairs	$ 17.59	$ 17.59	$ 17.59	$ 17.59	$ 17.59	$ 17.59	$ 17.59	$ 17.59
Harvest	$ 152.02	$ 150.34	$ 150.90	$ 141.44	$ 154.78	$ 145.62	$ 143.66	$ 139.96
Operating interest Total cash exp	$ 8.82	$ 14.13	$ 13.05	$ 14.65	$ 13.89	$ 15.49	$ 13.15	$ 14.88
	$ 548.04	$ 628.75	$ 572.51	$ 642.24	$ 609.27	$ 679.30	$ 576.41	$ 652.02
Return to land, labor, mgmt	$ 91.53	$ (11.24)	$ 52.36	$ (142.35)	$ 67.06	$ (124.28)	$ (47.11)	$ (171.68)
Per year	$ 45.77	$ (5.62)	$ 26.18	$ (71.18)	$ 33.53	$ (62.14)	$ (23.56)	$ (85.84)

Table 4. Treatment returns from low- and high-yield scenarios

	No Treatment		Pyrethroid		Flonicamid		Sulfoxaflor
Bees	Native	Honeybees	Native	Honeybees	Native	Honeybees	Native	Honeybees
Low yield (kg/ha) Return to land,	2,353.82	2,185.69	1,905.48	NA	2,073.61	616.48	NA	616.48
labor, mgmt	$ 81.05	$ (42.55)	$ (62.96)	–	$ (55.05)	$ (487.21)	–	$ (465.61)
Per year	$ 40.52	$ (21.28)	$ (31.48)	–	$ (27.53)	$ (243.59)	–	$ (232.82)
High yield
(kg/ha) Return to land,	2,521.96	2,521.96	2,858.22	NA	3,026.35	3,194.48	NA	3,026.35
labor, mgmt	$ 121.77	$ 38.82	$ 167.66	–	$ 134.87	$ 109.71	–	$ 117.64
Per year	$ 60.89	$ 19.42	$ 96.20	–	$ 67.43	$ 54.86	–	$ (58.83)

Table 5. Breakeven refuge hectares varying annual crop returns and field size

	Canola hectares (every other year)
Annual crop returns	16.19	32.37	48.56
$20	11.5	25.4	38.1
$25	9.4	20.3	30.5
$30	7.9	17.0	25.4
$35	6.9	14.5	21.8
$40	6.0	12.7	19.1
$45	5.4	11.3	17.0
$50	4.9	10.2	15.3

Table 6. Breakeven refuge hectares varying annual crop returns and field size with reduced honeybee colony rental

	Canola hectares (every other year)
Annual crop returns	16.19	32.37	48.56
$20	5.8	12.7	19.1
$25	4.7	10.2	15.3
$30	4.0	8.5	12.7
$35	3.4	7.2	10.9
$40	3.0	6.4	9.6
$45	2.7	5.7	8.5
$50	2.4	5.1	7.6

Table 7. Breakeven canola yield increase

Refuge hectares	2.02	4.04
Establishment*	$ 10.10	$ 20.20
Lost crop income	$ 150.00	$ 300.00
Total cost of refuge	$ 160.10	$ 320.20
Canola price (net)	$ 5.45	$ 5.45
Crop hectares	16.19	16.19
BE Yield increase (kg/ha)	84.1	162.5
Crop hectares	32.37	32.37
BE Yield increase (kg/ha)	39.2	84.1
Crop hectares	48.56	48.56
BE Yield increase (kg/ha)	28.0	56.0

*Assumes establishment costs are amortized over a 20-year planning horizon.