Pollination
Advantages of the use of bumblebees
- Bumblebees are active at low temperatures
Bumblebees can fly at temperatures as low as 5°C, while honeybees fly only when the temperature exceeds 15°C. Bumblebees can warm up themselves and are therefore only slightly dependant on natural sunlight (solar warmth). In some regions, it is possible to detect the first bumblebees in open fields from February. - Bumblebees stay active at low light intensities (cloudy weather)
Bumblebees stay active on days with cloud cover of up to 70%. Honeybees orientate themselves on the position of the sun, and are therefore less active on cloudy days. - Bumblebees fly at windy conditions
Bumblebees resist wind speeds up to 70 km/h. Honeybees stop flying at wind speeds of 30 km/h. - Bumblebees are not aggressive
That is the reason why it is more pleasant to work in the neighbourhood of bumblebees. Bumblebees will only protect themselves in a few exceptional cases and then they can sting. - Bumblebees do not have a communication system (such as the honybee dance)
They cannot transfer information about the location of other more attractive (wild) flowers and blossoms. Therefore, bumblebees are more home-loving. - Bumblebees have bad memorization ability
When a bumblebee hive in an orchard is moved, bumblebees reorient themselves quickly in their new neighbourhood. - Higher fruit quality and quantity
Because of their bigger and hairy body, bumblebees are more efficient in the transfer of pollen. This is crucial for cross-pollinating and triploid varieties.
Bumblebees visit all flowers, not only attractive ones from the pollinator trees, but also from the commercial variety.
Bumblebees also visit more flowers during one flight, which increases the chance on cross-pollination. - Polyvalent workers
Bumblebees do not only work great in open field; they are also extremely suitable under covering materials such as hail nets and plastic greenhouses. Diffused light under such covers causes orientation problems to honeybees. - Considerable labour saving
Bumblebees can completely replace the manual pollination and the hormone treatment (e.g. tomato). Less physical efforts and better labour organizations are the result of this. - Additional advantages
A bumblebee pollinates more flowers per minute than a honeybee.
Bumblebees start early in the morning and continue their pollination activities until late in the evening.
Bumblebees and honeybees have no common diseases or pests, such as the varroa mite. In case of an outbreak, quarantine measures will only apply to honeybees.
For some crops, it is important that pollinating insects vibrate the flower. Honeybees dot not have this ability.
Bumblebees are entirely maintenance-free.
Biobest-bumblebees are available during the whole year. This means that they are extremely suitable for the pollination of early as well as late crops.
Contact Biobest
Belgium
Biobest Belgium N.V.
Ilse Velden 18
2260 Westerlo
BE - Belgium