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  • From: "Gianni" <GIANNI-2@prodigy.net>
  • To: <nafex@yahoogroups.com>
  • Subject: Re: [nafex] Bee Habits
  • Date: Thu, 10 May 2001 15:02:03 -0400

Brian & Don:
 
Had to jump into this fragaria topic with an addition.
I have noticed what would appear to be (from that wiser member from Nafex's tutelage) wasps?
That have no fuzz on the thorax (hope that's right) with pollen on their back legs no bigger than
a 1/2", working the everbearers and others. I have yet to see any serious honey bee or bumble
bee working the strawberry patches.
And the prolificness (Is that a word?) of fragaria? I have to concur seems to suffer no setbacks in
returning crops to fruition lacking any visible pollination.
But,
I cant see how dandelions could help if they are abundant and may deter the standard pollinators
from their tasks? Could they possibly help?
Many thanks.
 
Best of growing,
Gianni
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2001 1:58 PM
Subject: [nafex] Bee Habits

Brian:
     I have kept bees for over 20 years, and have learned this about
them: each bee only works one type of flower at a time.  Your bee kept
returning to the dandelion because she had been assigned to dandelions.
    That said, my bees have never been too gung-ho for strawberries.
What pollination takes place on strawberries seems to be done by
smaller, feral insects.  They must not have much nectar or other
attraction for classic bees.  Even so, I have never noticed that
strawberries fail to set due to lack of pollination, so they may be, to
some extent, self-fertile, or they benefit from some air pollination.

Rgds, Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA


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