Pollination Basics:

Honeybees and Bumblebees

Pollination by definition is the transfer of pollen from a stamen to an ovule.

Pollen is a mass of microspores which give rise to the male gametophyte of a seed plant.

In everyday language pollination is the process by which the male component of a plant or flower is transferred to the female part resulting in a seed.

Pollen is eaten by various adult insects especially those belonging to the orders Hymenoptera, Diptera and Coleoptera. Pollen forms an important part of the larval food of solitary and social bees whose bodies have been well adapted for pollen collection. (Free 1970)

Honeybees and Bumblebees possess special adaptation on the hind legs called backib for transporting pollen back to the larva. So certain aforementioned orders of insects collect pollen to feed the young. This collection performs an act which enables the plant to reproduce as well. This phenomenon referred to as the co-evolution of insects and flowering plants has been ongoing for millions of years.

There is an ongoing debate here in the Northeast regarding the efficiency of bumblebees versus honeybees, regarding fruit crops such as blueberries and cranberries. Scientists who have studied the mechanisms involved advocate the bumblebee as the co-evolutionary partner for blueberries. However, bumblebees exist in colonies of 30 to 50 individuals at best. It must be remembered that blueberry and cranberry plants as they occur in the wild can only be described as infrequent, which supports their co-evolution with bumblebees.

In the commercial cultivation of blueberries and cranberries, multiple acres and millions of blossoms are involved. Honeybees, due to the potential population of 30 - 60 thousand individuals in the colony are far more economically efficient pollinators of these crops. In the past, several of the growers that we work for have tried bumblebees. The result is always the same, they always return to honeybees after they try bumblebees for their crop pollination. We are always happy to provide good bees, good service, in a timely fashion. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.