Anyone Have Hives Near a Vineyard?

[jdmidwest]

I met with a neighbor today over the hill that owns a vineyard to discuss pesticide usage. He was quick to point out a mess of grapes that he claimed had been damaged by bees. He admits that he should have picked them sooner, since they looked like raisans. After further discussion, he really admitted most of the damage was from wasps and yellow jackets.

Has anyone else run across this? Bees damaging grapes?

[odfrank]

I have had bees for three years in a small high end vineyard that requested them. The grapes would have to be splitting open from ripeness.

[Mrobisr]

I call BS I am surrounded by both tame and wild grapes and the bees hasn't bothered either.

[ralph3]

Most damage is done by big yellow hornets if you have them. They will bite a hole in the grape and eat it. They wind up with probably half my muscadines.

He's either ignorant or has some other motives in bringing the mess up with you.

[Hawkster]

bees will sometimes be attracted to fruit that is already open, but it is almost always yellow jackets.

[jdmidwest]

We talked for a good long time. It was only one variety that he was having a problem with. When he stated he had to wear gloves to pick them to keep from getting stung, I convinced him it was the yellow jackets. He said it was like reaching into a wasp nest every time.

My issue with him is that he uses Carbyl (sevin) in liquid form to keep the Japanese Beetles off the vines from April to June. I was trying to get a spraying schedule so he does not zap my bees.

Do bees use grape as a source of nectar or pollen that you know of? He stated his grapes were hermaphroditic and did not require pollenation.

[Rader Sidetrack]

Do bees use grape as a source of nectar or pollen that you know of? He stated his grapes were hermaphroditic and did not require pollenation.

It likely depends on the grape variety.

Unlike most Old World grape varieties, muscadines are generally self-sterile and benefit from bee-mediated cross-pollination. Other self- or partially self-sterile American grapes are 'America', 'Barry', 'Blue Lake', 'Brighton', 'Edna', 'Gaertner', 'Herbert', 'Last Rose', 'Lindlye', 'Merrimac', 'Munson', and 'Salem'. http://www.ent.uga.edu/bees/pollinat...ion.html#other

[winevines]

Has anyone else run across this? Bees damaging grapes?

I have had bees at a vineyard and I also have concord vines in my back yard. We have had no issues from pesticide or fungacide sprays. I concur with prior posters- When grapes are over ripe and are splitting, bees will start sucking out juice- but very slowly. They can be around the crush pad during harvest, but again, so are every other stinging insect.

[JClark]

Do bees use grape as a source of nectar or pollen that you know of? He stated his grapes were hermaphroditic and did not require pollenation.

I have some Mars seedless grapes maybe 50 to 100 ft from my three hives--depending on the hive. Had our first harvest this yr, nice and sweet, and never saw a bee on them. Never touched the flowers in the spring either though we had a bumper flow this spring.

Never sprayed w/ anything so can't comment on that. This variety seems to get over the black rot on it's own but probably did lose 20-30% of our grapes to it.

[danmcm]

Had grapes and many fruit trees bushes on a farm first time I had bees and never had problems. Bee mouth parts aren't designed to crew through grape skins... Remember flowers that have real deep nectaries are open from the base by bumble bees then on follow up trips a honey bee can use the same hole to get at the nectar. Once the fruit is damaged bees are oppertunistic and will but a grower shouldn't let the fruit get to that point to begin with... How is this guy getting stung are the grapes so covered with leaves he is reaching in where he cant see? If so canopy thinning and leaf thinning might be things he needs to consider to get better sun exposure and more even fruit ripening... and it makes harvesting a lot easier.

Started back small scale with hives, fruit trees, and grape vines this year.

[psfred]

Bees only visit grapes when they have either burst from rain or birds or wasps. They do like them once open, but very rarely do i see bees on grapes any other time. They don't visit the flower either, to my great disappointment.

Peter