Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

Can anyone tell me if honeybees will pollinate the following:

Cereal (Wheat, barely, and rice);
Oil Seeds and industrial crops (sesame, sunflower, cotton and tobacco);
Vegetables (tomatoes, cucumber, watermelon, melon, onion, and garlic);
Fruits (grapes, apple, apricot, peach ,pear, and pemegrout) and
Legumes (chickpeas, lentils and green beans).

I am researching a beekeeping project in a region that produces these foods, but I would like some words on pollination from the women and men who know bees best.  Thank you.  ANY and all comments in this regard are extremely useful.

You will see honey bees working all the below vegetables and fruts when they are in bloom. I can not say how much the bees get from some of the things Like Beans and tomatoes. Have never seen them in any of the cereral corps, don't really consider them to bloom/flower. More like corn and use wind boren pollen.


Vegetables (tomatoes, cucumber, watermelon, melons,Fruits (grapes, apple, apricot, peach ,pear, and pemegrout) and
Legumes (chickpeas, lentils and green beans).

:D Al

I just read an article the other day about cotton, while it is a self pollunating plant the bees do contribute to it. I will see if I can find that link again.

I think sunflowers really need pollunating creatures to get get job done.

I believe this is it.

http://home.hiwaay.net/~martinb/impact_of_honey_bee_pollination_.htm

Quote from: AnonymousCan anyone tell me if honeybees will pollinate the following:

Cereal (Wheat, barely, and rice);

These are wind pollinated

QuoteOil Seeds and industrial crops (sesame, sunflower, cotton and tobacco)

Sesam is manly selfpollinated http://www.seedtamilnadu.com/nsesame.htm

 Cotton crop can be grown without bees. Yet there is plenty of indication that good bee activity will benefit cotton, with increased quantity and quality of crop.

Sunflower needs , at least in the case , when it is meaning to get hybride seeds.

http://www.arc.agric.za/institutes/ppri/main/divisions/beekeeping/pollination/sunflower.htm

Tobacco is selfpollinating http://www.tobaccopedia.info/tobacco_seed/flowering_and_seed_development.html

QuoteVegetables tomatoes, cucumber, watermelon, melon, onion, and garlic);

Flower of tomato needs shaking ofter that pollen come off. In greenhouses they chake plants or some use bumble bees for pollination.

Onions have plenty of nectar for bees. Same with melons.

Cucumbers some needs pollination and some not. Some cucumbers will be spoiled if it is pollinated (long green in greenhouses). Many lemons need pollination because they have "boy" flowers and "girl" flowers.

QuoteFruits grapes, apple, apricot, peach ,pear, and pemegrout

Many fruit trees have self breeding protection and they need another variety to give pollen. Some apricot and peach are self pollinating.  With cross pollination they make bigger fruits.

QuoteLegumes (chickpeas, lentils and green beans).

I think that it depends on species. Trifolium need cross pollination.  It depens been if they need.   I had bees near 6 hectar bean field, but there was any bees.  Been species are so many.

Many plant varietes have developed to produce fruits, cucumbers etc.  without pollination.

You have missed  spices like (Carum carvi) caraway

Sunflowers for sure - very big in France I believe. I've seen bumblebees all over the sunflowers we keep in the garden. I've got some good pictures as well if you need them.

Soft fruit, apples, pears etc are well known for neededing honeybees for effective pollination. Many orchard owners pay for this pollination service and beekeepers move hives from location to location to maximise profits and to keep the bees on plants on which the nectar is available.

Just one comment, not all bees ppollinate all types of crops, some are suited to the Bumblebee only as it's bigger, and vice versa the honey bee as it's smaller. Is it only honeybees you are interested in?

Adam

I have seen bees on all but some of the ceral and like the tobacco and I am not shure about onions, they bloom after you want to pick.

Quote from: Horns Pure Honeyonions, they bloom after you want to pick.

If you are sending them to seed, Red Mason bees are supposed to really like working them. I've been reading up on them recently, (well, as of about 5 hours ago when the book arrived in the post at work!!)

I've just acquired two Red Mason Bee "hives" for pollinating my vegetables, and I'm just about to start a Bumble Bee box as well.

A red Mason "tube" is like this:





A larger tube:



These suit both the red and blue Mason Bee (Osmia rufa) and (Osmia coerulescens)

Adam

that is sweet, where did ya get that, maybe I should invest in one to get the radishs bigger, bye

Ryan,

Just get yourself a piece of a 4x4 and drill some 5/16" holes.

Here is a good site with info.  Great pics of a leafcutter bee in action too

http://www.wingsinflight.com/gardbees.html

thanks robo.

I was wondering about corn ,and soybeans

Rich V

Quote from: Rich VI was wondering about corn ,and soybeans

Rich V

All hay species,  as corn, are air pollinated. Bee may gather plenty pollen from air pollinators.

http://www.iia.msu.edu/absp/workbook/bio3f.pdf

Pollination in soya occurs before the flower opens, and remaining pollen is largely infertile by the time the flower opens and is visited by bees and other insects. The pollen has proved nontoxic to seven local pollinating species known to visit soya fields.

QuoteAll hay species, as corn, are air pollinated.

Yep. I have corn fields around my house. The bees enjoy the pollen, and certainly use it, but the corn doesn't need the bees.

we too are surrounded by corn fields, they shure seam to pack around all of the fields in the summer, there is an apiary 1/4 mile from my house

conifers are airpollinators (or is it wind pollinators?). My bees like to collect Pinus mugo pollen in summer. They bring big light yellow balls to hive.  I have not found if they gather from scotsh pine or pruce.

(http://www.eggert-baumschulen.de/pipu.JPG)