Do bees pollinate vegetable gardens??

kenglert · May 22, 2011, 08:16:28 PM

Hey. I live in Kansas City and I was fortunate enough to find and "urban farmer" who allowed me to keep a hive in his 7 acres (zoned for agriculture) here in the city. He and his wife quit their jobs to, basically, live off the food they produce and sell at local farmers' markets. I know bees don't do much for tomatos, but what about other veggies?? He has a couple green house type facilities each containg different varieties of vegetables. He's hoping the bees will really help pollinate. I'm new enough at this that I didn't have an answer. Any help? Thanks. Kurt
p.s. I've been posting alot of beginner type questions on here and I really appreciate the honest, straight forward answers. This site, along with some of your personal sites, has been invaluable to me. Thanks!!!

Hemlock · May 22, 2011, 08:28:57 PM

A quick search on google netted me this small list:

* Almonds
* Apples
* Apricots
* Avocados
* Blueberries
* Boysenberries
* Cherries
* Citrus
* Cranberries
* Grapes
* Kiwifruit
* Loganberries
* Macadamia nuts
* Nectarines
* Olives
* Peaches
* Pears
* Plums/Prunes
* Raspberries
* Strawberries

* Asparagus
* Broccoli
* Carrots
* Cauliflower
* Celery
* Cucumbers
* Cantaloupe
* Honeydew
* Onions
* Pumpkins
* Squash
* Watermelons

* Alfalfa Hay
* Alfalfa Seed
* Cotton Lint
* Cotton Seed
* Legume Seed
* Peanuts
* Rapeseed
* Soybeans
* Sugar Beets
* Sunflowers

I'm sure there is much more...

uglyfrozenfish · May 22, 2011, 08:51:03 PM

Along with any research/answers you are able to get here, you might mention to the farmer that he keep an eye on which plants the bees are drawn to. As an experiment and research tool to aid in your knowledge and discovery of bees.

Lee

iddee · May 22, 2011, 08:57:21 PM

Although they pollinate all those foods, they do not work well in greenhouses. His outside gardens will benefit greatly from honeybees, but for the greenhouses, he needs bumblebees.

garys520 · May 22, 2011, 09:34:06 PM

I have 4 hives about 50 feet from 20 blueberry bushes and when they're in the flowering stage I rarely see the girls working the plants. I guess there's better nectar around when the blueberry bushes are in bloom.

AllenF · May 22, 2011, 09:43:51 PM

They work my blueberries. They will cut a hole in the side of the blossom to get in there.

Michael Bach · May 22, 2011, 10:22:00 PM

Greenhouse.....not so much.

The bees really work curbit veggies.....cukes and melons. They dont seem to care for watermelon though. I see an occasional bee on squash.

Not much else in the veggie patch.

FRAMEshift · May 22, 2011, 10:48:04 PM

Bees pollinate many vegetable plants, but you will notice a difference with a hive only if there are not other pollinators in sufficient numbers for those plants. I know that we have seen a big increase in pepper crops when a hive is nearby.

caticind · May 23, 2011, 01:45:05 PM

I've seen increases in squash, cantaloupe, watermelon, and jalepenos in my suburban garden. My neighbor's squash and bell peppers also got a big boost and she saw many more bees on the blossoms after my hives were set up. I have also heard that blueberries produce much larger yields with high densities of bees around.

L Daxon · May 23, 2011, 02:06:53 PM

Don't forget any herbs the farmer may be growing. I have a very large herb garden and the bees love the sages, rosemary, basil, chives, thyme, parsley, yarrow, etc.
ld

sterling · May 23, 2011, 05:07:49 PM

Quote from: iddee on May 22, 2011, 08:57:21 PM
Although they pollinate all those foods, they do not work well in greenhouses. His outside gardens will benefit greatly from honeybees, but for the greenhouses, he needs bumblebees.

Is there a way to raise or keep bumblebees to pollinate greenhouses?

Scadsobees · May 23, 2011, 05:09:02 PM

I didn't notice much in the garden...I do have a lot of native pollinators so there's plenty of bees per flower. 7 acres will need more pollinating than my 30 x 30 garden, though.

Fruit trees, however....my bees killed my cherry trees! :roll: Old trees that didn't get a fruit set. The first years I had bees they were COVERED in cherries, so much so that they had a LOT of branches falling!!! Half a tree left. But we did get many cherries for quite a few years.