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Subject:
From:
David Green <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Discussion of Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 11 Apr 1997 00:55:54 -0400
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In a message dated 97-04-10 20:40:38 EDT, [log in to unmask] ((Thomas)
(Cornick)) writes:
 
<<    I am wondering if an orchard floor of clovers would attract enough bees
to
 be a pollination aid if the clover was mown when the fruit trees come into
 bloom. Or would the flower fidelity of the honeybee just send them elsewhere
 looking for clover? >>
 
   This would not work; moreover it is a dangerous idea.
 
   The fruit trees bloom earlier than the clover, so there would not be any
advantage here.
 
   But the clover WOULD be blooming when the broad spectrum insecticides were
applied a little later........leading to a lot of bee mortality.  Of course
this is a label violation for most insecticides, but it is done more often
than you'd think, because clover is a constituant of the orchard floor in
many orchards.
 
   Orchardists are advised to get rid of the clover, or at least mow it close
before the insecticide application, but this is often forgotten or ignored.
 It causes especially bad kills if highly residual materials such as Penncap
M (trademark) or Sevin WP (trademark) are used.  Bees carry home the poison
with pollen and brood and young bees may die for weeks.  The contaminated
pollen can even be covered with fresh pollen, then uncovered during winter,
causing winter loss.
 
   I highly recommend that this thought be quickly abandoned.
 
There are other tricks to get better pollination from the bees, though, as
Dr. Roger Morse says, "There is no substitute for strong beehives."
 
There is a short course on fruit pollination on the pollination web page.
 
[log in to unmask]    Dave Green,  PO Box 1200,  Hemingway,  SC
29554        (Dave & Jan's Pollination Service,  Pot o'Gold Honey Co.)
 
Practical Pollination Home Page            Dave & Janice Green
http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html

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