View Full Version : Dumb question from newbie. . . . . . possibly
Dannny
09-05-2005, 10:32 PM
So I am about to call up a guy who leases some land from me, one of the big guys in the area. And I know he grows a whole wide variety of vegitables like tomatos, squash, artichokes and some other stuff but I was wondering, does anything that flower be polinated by bee's? I ask because I dont know everything he grows and im hoping that I can throw in some pollination services after we sign another lease contract.
Danny
louis1st
09-06-2005, 01:55 AM
No, not all flowers are pollinated by bees. Some flowers are pollinated by flies, wasps, and other types of bugs, sometimes too birds!!! and some other plants can do without the bees altogether
However, some can't be pollinated without bees, I guess it's these types of plants you need to offer your pollination services for...
I was wondering how far are the squashes (for example) from where you keep your bees? Maybe they will be too close from where you intend to keep the bees (this means that if you move the hive there, the bees will return to their old place)
tecumseh
09-06-2005, 05:04 AM
there are simple question, there are complex questions, a dumb question is simply one that you should of asked, but did not.
beecron
09-06-2005, 07:56 AM
If you do have to move the bees a short distance to get to the pollination, consider Michael Bush's "tree branch method"...it really does work. The other consideration would be whether they are already close enough that the fields are within your bees' foraging range.
Dannny
09-06-2005, 01:11 PM
They will be moved about 6 miles away from where they are now.
Thank you very much for all of your replys.
Danny
heartbeat
09-06-2005, 09:31 PM
gilroy?... i thought they only grow garlic there!
martin
Tomatos are wind pollinated.
Tim Vaughan
09-06-2005, 09:52 PM
Gilroy!! I lived there 20 years ago.
Tomatoes are pollinated by many things, but not honey bees.
keep us informed.
Dannny
09-06-2005, 10:14 PM
haha GARLIC, I have a place right next to gilroy foods who processes a lot of that garlic, if you love garlic you will want to live next to this place, every morning you will smell garlic in the air. Mainly Christopher Ranch grows garlic in this area, along with 1000's of acres of orchards and whatever else he can get his hands on. The annual garlic festival draws a lot of people from all over the place, the last time I went they were serving free samples of garlic ice cream, its not bad.
Tim, |would trade places with you ANYDAY to live near Pismo, but Carmel-by-the-sea is not a bad substitue.. If you ever pass by here you will not believe what its turned into, almost unreconizable.
Danny
Tim Vaughan
09-06-2005, 10:49 PM
Strange, Danny!!!
Perhaps one day we'll meet.
Dannny
09-06-2005, 11:00 PM
Yeah that would be cool, if one day your coming up here driving on 152 and see a medium sized apiary near a christian school, tha'd be me.
Danny
Dannny
09-07-2005, 02:58 PM
I call the guy up today and he says hes got 200 acres of cherry trees!!!
GaSteve
09-07-2005, 07:18 PM
>No, not all flowers are pollinated by bees. Some flowers are pollinated by flies, wasps, and other types of bugs
One thing that makes honeybees much more effective pollinators is that they tend to stick to one type of bloom. Where another insect may go from melon to clover to fruit, a honeybee will generally go from melon to melon to melon which is much more effective pollination.
notaclue
09-07-2005, 11:37 PM
Don't forget, even if you do move them six miles to still use that tree branch for them to orient on right a way. (as per Michael)
louis1st
09-08-2005, 01:01 AM
Cherry trees are a good bee plant for both pollen and honey.
it would be good if you could get a pollination contract with the guy... you may as well get a super of cherry tree honey !
the other problem you may have is that he will actually need more hives than what you can supply to him as it seems like it's a quite large area!!!