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Bought in pollinators?

  • 12-07-2014 11:27am
    #1
    my3cents
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,764 ✭✭✭


    Does anyone have any idea what bees they use for pollination in commercial greenhouses?

    There is a commercial setup near us and its said that they buy in bumble bees to help with crop pollination. This year we have noticed a lot of Bombus jonellus, White Tailed Bumble Bee on our Viper's bugloss and wondered if they are escapees?

    As the bee fly's the fruit farm is over a mile away but we have never seen quite as many small bumble bee's as we have this year. Much nearer to us are at least 4 active bee hives and we rarely spot any honey bee's.


Comments

  • #2
    Native Honey Bee
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 30 ✭Native Honey Bee


    Bumble bees are allegedly frequently imported to act as pollinators. Several years ago I encountered someone in the south west, who had a similar experience to yours and it was assumed then that the increase in bumble bee numbers was the result of importations.


  • #3
    Oldtree
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,109 ✭✭✭Oldtree


    do they interbreed with local bees?


  • #4
    my3cents
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,764 ✭✭✭my3cents


    OK so I did what I should have done in the first place and ask Mr Google, a refined search gave me an answer http://www.koppert.com/news-biological-systems/biological-control/detail/native-bumblebee-available-for-growers-in-uk-and-ireland/ . So it seems that its the Buff Tailed bumble bee Bombus terrestris that is sold for crop pollination. Now I've got to take a close look at the bees (they never stay still !!) and decide exactly what they are. How big exactly are the Bombus terrestris workers?

    Many of the bumble bees we have seem very small at around 12mm or less long and the best I can work out is that we have all 4 of the common White Tailed varieties (or should I say the 4 White Tailed varieties on the National Biodiversity Centers swatch cards).


  • #5
    conor t
    Closed Accounts Posts: 154 ✭✭conor t


    Oldtree wrote: »
    do they interbreed with local bees?
    They can. Think the foreign ones can overwinter for a second year but they're supposed to be killed off by the buyer at the end of flowering


  • #6
    Reesy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 716 ✭✭✭Reesy


    You might find this study

    http://www.teagasc.ie/publications/2010/1536/Bumblebee-imports-5633.pdf

    from Teagasc of interest.


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  • #7
    my3cents
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,764 ✭✭✭my3cents


    Reesy wrote: »
    You might find this study

    http://www.teagasc.ie/publications/2010/1536/Bumblebee-imports-5633.pdf

    from Teagasc of interest.

    That seems about right, the fruit farm near us primarily produces strawberries and the picture at the top of the publication is the same as many of the bumble bees we now get. Assuming that's a picture of a Bombus terrestis spp.

    tbh we are happy to get ANY bees in the garden. A few years back we didn't see any at all and the populations seem to have built up over the years along with the possible addition of imports.


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