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Thread: I need better pollination

  1. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Drone Ranger View Post
    Hi greengumbo when do they flower ?
    Are bees remotely interested in them ?
    Well this year it was about June they flowered due to the long winter. Then most of the flowers got blown away.

    I've only ever see Carder bumblebees on them.
    Last edited by gavin; 31-10-2013 at 10:04 AM. Reason: Moved here from the BIBBA Website thread

  2. #12
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    Interesting, that. The commercial bumble bees are usually one of the races of Bombus terrestris. They are short tongued bees that can cut through the side or the back of the corolla of flowers that are a bit long and tubular for them to reach the nectaries, when its nectar they're after. Usually the commercial boxes contain syrup and that may encourage them to raise brood and gather pollen (which they have to do legitimately) which will of course help pollinate, but the robbing activity doesn't help the pollination effort and exposes the nectaries to other would-be pollinators too.

    The carder bee is a long-tongued bee that lives in smaller nests in tussocky ground and is thought not to fly as far as some of the other species. It makes perfect sense to plan for good carder bee habitat in any farm considering scaling up blueberry culture.

    Incidently, mason bees may be finished by June if that is a typical time for blueberry to be in flower.

    In that other thread, Peter said that blueberries are buzz-pollinated (which is true, bumble bees usually buzz pollinate blueberry) and that honeybees are no use for blueberry (no, they are just less efficient, as the scientific literature confirms).

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by gavin View Post
    Interesting, that. The commercial bumble bees are usually one of the races of Bombus terrestris. They are short tongued bees that can cut through the side or the back of the corolla of flowers that are a bit long and tubular for them to reach the nectaries, when its nectar they're after. Usually the commercial boxes contain syrup and that may encourage them to raise brood and gather pollen (which they have to do legitimately) which will of course help pollinate, but the robbing activity doesn't help the pollination effort and exposes the nectaries to other would-be pollinators too.

    The carder bee is a long-tongued bee that lives in smaller nests in tussocky ground and is thought not to fly as far as some of the other species. It makes perfect sense to plan for good carder bee habitat in any farm considering scaling up blueberry culture.

    Incidently, mason bees may be finished by June if that is a typical time for blueberry to be in flower.

    In that other thread, Peter said that blueberries are buzz-pollinated (which is true, bumble bees usually buzz pollinate blueberry) and that honeybees are no use for blueberry (no, they are just less efficient, as the scientific literature confirms).
    We have a great diversity of bumbles in our garden - especially this year after our efforts of bee friendly planting came to fruition. The carders are by far the most common though and go for Vetch above everything else. I counted 95 buff-tailed bumbles on a 3 x 2m patch of Phacelia / borage / red clover this year along with tens of Bombus pratorum.

    I think blueberries are generally in flower a lot earlier than June. I guess it depends on the variety ?

  4. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by greengumbo View Post
    We have a great diversity of bumbles in our garden - especially this year after our efforts of bee friendly planting came to fruition. The carders are by far the most common though and go for Vetch above everything else. I counted 95 buff-tailed bumbles on a 3 x 2m patch of Phacelia / borage / red clover this year along with tens of Bombus pratorum.

    I think blueberries are generally in flower a lot earlier than June. I guess it depends on the variety ?
    If they are flowering at the same time as OSR then they won't get a look in
    In some old books fruit growers used to feed a little syrup with the flowers of the fruit tree steeped in the syrup
    The idea was to train the bees to associate the scent with food but whether it worked or not I have my doubts

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